When a person applies for a visa, the diplomatic mission must ensure that the following requirements are met in every individual case:
- The purpose of the trip to the Schengen area must be plausible and comprehensible.
- The applicant must be in a position in which he or she is able to finance the stay from his or her own funds or income.
- The applicant must be willing to leave the Schengen area before the visa expires.
- The applicant must have a health insurance.
The applicant must produce the following required documents:
- Duly completed and signed Schengen visa application form
- Passport, valid for a period at least three months after the applicant’s last day of stay in the Schengen states. The passport must be not older than 10 years.
- A copy of the Passport
- Two recent passport photographs not older than 6 months (35mm x 45mm or 35mm x 40mm)
- Travel insurance policy, covering any medical emergency with hospital care and travel back to the country of origin. The travel insurance policy has to cover expenses up to 30.000,- EUR.
- Proof of sufficient funds for duration of stay (Bank statement for the last three months). If the applicant does not have a bank account or the balance is insufficient to cover the expenses, it is also possible to bring a formal obligation (“Verpflichtungserklärung“) from a citizen of a Schengen country, in which this person declares to bear all costs according to his guests visit.
- Fees
- For a minor child, a birth certificate of the child. The application form must be signed by both parents, if only one parent has the full custody, a family court order is needed. If a child is traveling alone, a notarized parental authorization is needed.
- The consular officer may ask for a proof of the professional status of the applicant or for a proof of social ties with the home country.
Additional requirements maybe needed depending on the type of visa the applicant is aiming for. Those additional requirements are listed in the article “Special Requirements for the Schengen Visa“.