How to apply for a successful Schengen visa

The more accurate and honest the visa application, the higher the success rate, but there is no guarantee.

Responding to reader Thuy Minh about which country is easiest to get a Schengen visa for, a representative of a travel company in Hanoi that provides visa services, affirmed that "there is no guarantee of success when applying for a Schengen visa". Embassies and consulates in European countries all have principles in visa approval.

However, the director of a company specializing in guiding tours to Europe said that he often advises customers to apply at the French embassy. "Among the countries in the Schengen area, France has the most open policy for welcoming tourists. Therefore, the success rate of tourist visas is high. There are many flights from Vietnam to France, so this is also one of the reasons why many people choose to fly to France before moving to other places," he said.

The Netherlands is the second priority after France, because it also has a high tourist visa success rate. However, after Covid-19, appointments for submitting documents and fingerprinting are limited, so people will apply for visas to France more. The waiting time will therefore be longer. It usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to make an appointment and about 2 weeks to wait for results.

Things to note when applying for a Schengen visa:

- Applying for a Schengen visa to any country depends on your itinerary. Note that you should apply for a visa to the country you enter first or have the longest stay. For example, if you go to Europe for two weeks, including 6 days in France, 4 days in the Netherlands and 4 days in Italy, you should apply for a visa to France. The plane ticket also goes to France first. If you apply in the Netherlands but enter France first, the visa success rate may be low.

- Honesty is the most important condition and is the deciding factor in whether you get a visa or not. If the embassy staff discovers dishonesty, you may be permanently denied entry to the Schengen area, no matter how many times you apply for a visa.

- Consistency of information is also important. The first and subsequent visa applications must be consistent. For example, if you have traveled to Europe, the first Schengen visa was filled out by a travel agency, and the next time you fill it out yourself. If there is a discrepancy between the two, your visa application may be rejected.

- Having a lot of assets does not guarantee a visa. Many Vietnamese tourists often make the mistake of proving their and their family's wealth when applying for a Schengen visa. They can borrow money to save money. But sometimes proving an unreal income will lead to illogical things in the application.

- When submitting your visa, be punctual and behave properly. Your behavior at the embassy or visa representative office will also partly determine the success rate.

- In case of visa rejection, each embassy will explain the reasons. Visitors can base on these reasons and personal evidence to file a complaint against the embassy.

- In Vietnam, TLSContact is the authorized center to receive visa applications to France and Switzerland. BLS International is the place to receive Spanish visas with a maximum stay of 90 days. VFS Global receives short-term visa applications to the Netherlands... In other cases, visitors should contact the embassy or consulate of each country.

Tam Anh

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