How to open a Schengen visa

The Schengen Agreement allows citizens to move freely within the borders of the Schengen zone. The Schengen zone includes 26 countries. To open a Schengen visa, you can contact the visa agency or do it yourself. The visa is drawn up into the country where long-term stay is planned, and then from this country, you can unlimited to travel to other countries that are included in the Schengen zone.

A single visa is drawn up on a certain country through which you can enter Europe. For example, you want to fly to Spain, and the visa is framed to France, then only from France you can get to Spain and no more. And you can go home from any country. A multiple visa allows you to enter Europe through any country of the Schengen zone. Another plus of a multiple visa is that you can enter and leave Europe several times for the period of visa, which is issued for a period of 1 month to 1 year.

To obtain a visa, you must contact the country's embassy where you plan to leave. There are special visa centers that also accept documents, besides, it is possible to make additional photocopies, take a picture, arrange insurance, get advice and use additional services, such as the delivery of documents to the house to any city of the country. The risk of refusal is great if you apply independently for obtaining a visa to the migration service.

The list of documents provided for a visa, in different countries of the Schengen zone may vary (the largest list of documents is provided to open a visa to Germany), but the main of them are:

passport, whose validity period should be more than 3 months after the end of the planned trip, photocopy of his first page;
the originals of previous passports, if they were noted about the opening of the visa;
photocopy of all pages of the internal passport;
filled with a photo attached to it;
help from the place of work or account of the bank;
insurance in the amount of at least 30,000 euros;
originals and photocopies of tickets in both directions;
birth, if a citizen, submitting documents, minor, and if he travels one or accompanied by only one of the parents, then a written permission from the second parent.

It is easier to open a visa to those who have relatives live in the country where the trip is planned, because Less percentage of failures. In this case, in addition to the above documents, you will need:

original and copy of the invitation;
documents confirming related communication (born, marriage);
help from the place of work with the wages of the inviting person (in the event that inviting pays the trip);
a document confirming the legal accommodation of an inviting citizen in the country.

The process of consideration of documents for registration of a visa may take from 4 days to 1 month and more. Terms will depend on the country and its political situation.

Submitting documents on the design of a Schengen visa, it is worth carefully filling out the questionnaire, just in case have additional photocopies of documents and clean forms. After all, an incomplete set of documents or their improper filling can cause a visa to failure.