The embassy or consulate that you have to apply at in order to get a visa to your destination country, may require from you for either proof of accommodation, certificate of accommodation, letter of accommodation or hotel confirmation letter.

However complicated that it might seem, all of the above-mentioned serve for the same purpose: as evidence that you have a place where to sleep during your stay in your destination country.

This proof/certificate/letter can either be a:

•        Hotel booking,

•        Host invitation – if you are planning to stay over at friends or family    members/relatives,

•        Confirmation by an organized tour operator or holiday tours, or

•        Rental agreement / contract.

Though most of the countries will require you to submit proof of accommodation, especially in the old continent of Europe, in many other countries you will only have to show Means of Subsistence. Which means you will have to show proof, like a bank statement, that proves you have enough money to financially maintain yourself during your trip, including the stay at the hotel/hostel/guest house.

Hotel Reservation

If you are planning to stay at a hotel in your destination country then you will have to submit proof of the hotel booking, which usually is a ‘hotel confirmation letter’ which is also known as hotel itinerary for Schengen visa application. This means that after you book a room/suite, the hotel will issue you a letter which confirms it.

This letter must contain the following information:

•        your full name

•        your entry and exit dates

•        hotel address

•        hotel contact details as phone number, email, etc.

•        a valid hotel reservation code

Every embassy or consulate advises its applicants to make a hotel reservation at a hotel that will fully refund your expenses in case of visa rejection or delay. If you cannot find one like that, then try to find the cheapest hotel reservation. That is because if you book a room at a hotel that does not refund you in case of visa application rejection or delay, then you will lose your money.

You can also submit dummy hotel booking as proof of accommodation. Although this method may sometimes be referred to as a fake hotel reservation, this is by no means a fake booking. It’s just a booking without paying the price before the approval of the visa application.

To make a hotel booking without paying the price you could use the services of Schengen Visa Itinerary.

Schengen visas are usually given for short periods of time. Usually it is issued for a 3-months period once in six months. For a longer period of time, so called national-visas are required.

Schengen visas are issued for visit or business purpose. National visas are granted for study or work purpose.

The Schengen visa allows traveling on the territory of the Schengen states (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic and Hungary).

Schengen visa cannot be extended or re-written for any other purpose. Only in very exceptional circumstances when an extension is possible, for example, when a medical treatment is urgently needed.

People who come to study or research in Germany are advised to not only get a Schengen visa, because with the visa, residence permit may be required or not fundamentally rewritten. After the visa expiry, the foreign visitors must immediately leave the country.

To be considered for a Schengen visa, it is a must to secure a place to stay during the timeframe of your visa.

Applications for a visa can also be found on most German embassy sites.

Under Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and the Council of 13 July 2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code), following documents are required.

•           An application form,

•           A valid travel document,

•           A photography,

•           Documentary Evidence of sponsorship and a place to stay is required,

•           Evidence of travel medical insurance possession.

After the application has been accepted, it will take 15 working days after the submission to get the answer. In exceptional cases, it may take longer. Visa can be issued, refused or issued for limited territory validity. In cases of representation of another Schengen Member State, the applicant is required to not continue the application on the relevant authorities of the represented Schengen member states.

A Schengen visa is refused if the applicant:

•           Submitting a false travel document;

•           The purpose and the conditions of the intended stay was not justified;

•           Do not provide evidence that has sufficient resources to pay for living and return to their own countries.

•           Has exhausted the timeframe of three months during the current six-month period already;

•           SIS (Refusing entry Schengen Information) has been issued;

•           It is considered as a threat to public policy, internal security or public health on any Schengen State;

•           Do not prove that has and adequate travel insurance, if it is required;

•           Do not submit enough evidence or make statements that put the credibility and authenticity in doubt;

1. First, visit website https://www.schengenvisaitinerary.com/

This is the official website of Schengen Visa Itinerary online. You do not need to go to anywhere anymore.

2. Then, choose the best package of travel for you

 Do you know how to pick the best package for your travelling? Here, we give you a little advice:

• Choose the Correct Destination

Although, narrowing a couple of nations down to one can be a test such as the Schengen Countries. Do not forget to consider the climate and the season of your destination for sure. For instance, while pre-fall is a heavenly season to visit most destinations, you may need to hold up until some other period of time in the year to visit Holland. Other example is when you want to visit Venice, beware of a high-water and low-water seasons. Because it often gets flooded in rainy season. Whenever is your destination, you may need to put in genuinely more work than pick randomly place to visit.

• Package That Visit Place of Your Delight

Do you get sick when on a vessel on bumpy waters? Do you like nature that incorporate a huge amount of wild nature? Is there an explicit piece of a goal’s lifestyle you find awesome and anti-mainstream? These are the sorts of request you’ll have to answer when settling on a visit. Pick travel that considers your interests, rather than one develop essentially insight of expense or something else. If you find that your destination is not accommodating your interests, then you can do a deeper research about another European package tour!

3. Send Your Flight Details and Proceed the Payment

After choosing the appropriate package of your round-trip reservation, you have to move to the next step, which is sending your flight details and proceed the payment. The payment will confirm the booking of your flight package.

4. Receive the Details of Your Package Flight Reservation Via Email

This is the last step to approve your booking of a visa application user round trip reservation.

The moment you have a Flight Ticket, you have in your grip the ticket with, which you can take off to your objective. By all means, people who do not know about the step of how to book a round trip reservation for visa application, they can risk losing their money on an excessive flight ticket without truly taking off to their planned destination. That is why you must be absolutely thorough about it.

On the visa sticker the “number of entries” is indicated: “1”, “2” or “MULT”. The holder of multiple entry visa (“MULT”) may enter the Schengen area the unlimited number of times during the validity of the visa while respecting the rules on the duration of stay.

Schengen visas may allow for a single-entry or multiple entry. With a single-entry visa you can enter the Schengen area only once. This is indicated on the visa sticker by “01”. With a visa allowing for two or multiple entries you may enter twice or several times during the validity of the visa.

Important Information

•           Charges Incurred for the change in Jurisdiction for visa interview processing vary from Rs 1200 to Rs 2000.(For Instance, one belongs to Mumbai region but he/she wishes to apply for Visa Interview from Delhi region has to bear some additional charges)  And the courier charges to receive the visa at your place also varies from Rs 600 to Rs 1200 depending upon the region you are applying to.

•           Passport has to be issued within the last 10 years and needs to have at least 2 empty pages and 3 months Validity after the scheduled return. Handwritten passports are not acceptable.

•           Passports with observations regarding the front-page data cannot be accepted (name observations, validity, date of birth etc)

•           The Submission of your visa application can be done either by the applicant himself/herself or through any authorized person who bears an authorization letter and photo-ID.

•           The application would be sent to the Consulate the next working day after submission at the Visa Application Centre in Mumbai. Whereas the applications submitted in Pune, Ahmedabad and Goa would be sent to the Consulate a day later to the next working day.

•           Holders of Indian Diplomatic Passports do not need a visa to travel to Germany for a short-term visit of up to 90 days.

•           The processing time for certain nationals, including holders of Indian IC (Tibet), Afghanistan, Nigeria, Iraq and Iran (among others) is at least 10 days.

•           Visa Fees, VFS Service charge & Value-Added Service charges, once paid, are non – refundable.

For more information, please visit:  https://www.schengenvisaitinerary.com/

So, you have an Indian passport and have been enjoying smooth Visa process for countries like Thailand, Malaysia or Singapore.  Try your hand at Schengen Visa and you will realize how much pain Indians have to go through to visit a country just as a tourist for few days.  You will need to do more preparation than you would have done for a job interview.

Schengen Visa: It is a common visa that allows visitors, entry to multiple countries in Europe which have signed Schengen agreement. You can find complete details here.  If you are planning to visit one or more countries out of these, then you need to apply for Schengen Visa.

Following is the list of documents that need to be submitted:

•           Passport valid at least three months beyond the stay in the Schengen area, with available pages for visa sticker and of “standard” quality (not damaged, torn, faded etc). Your previous passport (mandatory). Passport issued for 20 years are not accepted.

•           Visa application forms duly filled & signed by Passenger.

•           Two Latest passport size Photographs, white back ground w/o Border, 45 X 35 mm, 80% face should be Cover on Photo.

•           A covering letter drafted on the passenger’s Letter Heads or normal paper (personal/official) to the respective consulate. (Mention purpose, duration of visit, who will bear the Expenses & complete itinerary). The letter should be signed by applicant.

•           Confirm Hotel Booking/Accommodation

•           Confirmed Return Air Ticket

•           Bookings for internal travel like bus or train booking between cities.

•           Travel insurance: Overseas medical insurance with minimum coverage of Euro 30,000 – for emergency hospital and repatriation expenses (Photocopy)

•           NOC from company stating that you will join office back on a particular date.

•           Address proof in case your passport is not issued from your current city.

•           Last six months’ salary slips If salaried

•           Last Three Years Income Tax Returns (Personal)

•           Last Six Months Original Bank Statement (Personal) with Name & Address to be mentioned on it.

•           If you have been refused a visa by an Embassy or High Commission in the last 3 years: Written explanation about the reason for trip and refusal and the copy of refusal from the concerned Embassy or High Commission.

•           Wedding cards from both the sides, engagement/Roka Photographs (at least 10) along with the NOC from the parents of groom & bride both (Applicable when applying as a couple together)

•           Credit card copy

•           Copy of Passport first & last page

Documents cannot be submitted by post. You will need to submit either in person or apply via a travel agent.

Some general tips about documents:

1. Make sure you maintain a good balance (1 Lac or above) consistently over a period of last few months in your bank account.  If you transfer a big amount just few days before application date then that may raise eyebrows. Also, a current balance of 2 lac would be a good number to show that you can bear the expenses in Europe yourself.

2. It would be better if you have visited some other countries earlier and thus do not have a blank passport. As per my understanding blank passports have higher chances of rejection.

3. You can submit your fixed deposit copies as an additional proof of funds.

4. Embassy wants to make sure you would return to your home country hence NOC letter becomes important indicating you have to return to your job.

5. Take every document very seriously as you never know one document may cause a problem.

6. Though application procedure is same for all countries in Schengen region, still it would be a good idea to visit embassy web site of specific country you want to visit. Some countries may require additional documents.

 If you are thinking that I am mentioning whole process with unnecessary seriousness

then it would be good to know that my tourist visa to Spain has been denied in past and I was not told the reason. Embassies do not require you to give a reason for rejection. My rejection letter only has a statement” Your application has been rejected”. Hence, I have reason to inform others so that probability of rejection is less.

When you are visiting multiple countries then embassy to which the application should be made is decided based on following rules:

(a) the Member State whose territory constitutes the sole destination of the visit(s).

(b) if the visit includes more than one destination, the Member State whose territory constitutes

the main destination of the visit(s) in terms of the length or purpose of stay.

(c) if no main destination can be determined, the Member State whose external border the

applicant intends to cross first in order to enter the territory of the Member States.

Please go through Common Information Sheet to understand various rules and regulations.

Time Taken: Min 15 working days or more depends upon Embassy discretion

Once the application is received at embassy following are the possible outcomes:

1. Visa is granted.

2. Embassy can ask for any additional documents.

3. Embassy can call for personal interview.

4. Application is rejected.

For more information, please visit: https://www.schengenvisaitinerary.com/

A Schengen visa, also known as a Europe visa, allows eligible individuals to travel freely within the 26 participating Schengen Area countries. This means Europe travelers will not be subject to border checks at internal Schengen borders.

Border checks remain in place for travelers crossing external borders, however. These are the borders between Schengen and non-Schengen states.

The following individuals are eligible for unrestricted travel in the Schengen Area:

•           Schengen-country citizens

•           Holders of a residence permit issued by a Schengen country

•           EU/EEA citizens

•           Non-EU individuals from eligible countries who are not required to obtain a Schengen visa for travel of 90 days or less

•           Non-EU individuals with a valid Schengen visa

Additional facts to keep in mind:

•           While you may not need a Europe visa, you will need a valid passport to enter any and all Schengen countries.

•           If you reside in a non-EU country, you will be required to obtain a stamp on your passport no matter what country you are entering. If you don’t have the stamps in your passport when you try to leave the Schengen Area, you may be required to prove how long you’ve been in Europe.

History of the Schengen Area

If you’re not at all familiar with the Schengen Area (or the Schengen Zone, as it’s sometimes called), here’s what you need to know:

In 1985, five European Union (EU) countries pledged to eliminate internal border controls. Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands signed the Schengen Agreement, and the Schengen Area was born.

Five years later, these countries signed again to officially implement the agreement, and in 1995 border controls between the nations were effectively abolished.

Named after the village in Luxembourg where its borders meet those of Germany and France, the Schengen Agreement cemented the rights of Schengen-country nationals and EU citizens to travel freely within the participating area countries.

Today, 26 Schengen countries (Schengen states) make up the Schengen Area, which sees about 1.25 billion visits each year from Europeans alone.

If you’ve ever wondered if there were any tips for buying the best travel insurance for USA from India, you wouldn’t be the first one to do so. Travel insurance is a boon if you are constantly traveling to the USA or anywhere else for that matter. One of the best travel insurance tips is to try purchasing travel insurance right before your departure to places that cover a medical insurance, free medical stays if necessary and an emergency flight service to get you back home whenever needed. Don’t think about how long or short your trip or the distance is. Think about how safe you can be if you invest a little in travel insurance. So, having travel insurance for USA from India or any international trip is always advisable.

An important thing to know is that medical expenses are costlier in other countries than in India. To exemplify, if you have a major finger cut and need to get it stitched, it might hardly cost you 3000/- rupees in India but if you bill it in USA, it will cost you nearly 40-50 times more. So, make sure to have your medical insurance also with you along with travel insurance for USA from India in order to save yourself from a burning pocket. Make it a part of your travel insurance when you book economy or business class flights for your next trip.

Tips on When and Why to Buy Travel Insurance for USA from India:

•           Burglary! The risk of burglary is something everyone is afraid of whenever we leave our homes alone. So, make sure to have a travel insurance handy in case of theft as that might cover your expenses and you can also use it in case of luggage thefts during your trips.

•           Imagine you have prepaid a huge amount of money and you need to cancel your trip! Cancellation insurance pops up right when you need it if you have it.

•           Supplemental insurance covers up for you on your renter’s policy while you are away vacationing. This is again a great advantage you have when you purchase travel insurance for USA from India.

•           Road trips are very much fun but you can make them secured too if you have a liability insurance. If you are renting a car then the rental agencies provide you with such insurances that provide cover in case of damage to the vehicles or people.

•           Apart from all these, why wouldn’t you want to own travel insurance for USA from India when you can get the chance of availing so much from it?

For more information, please visit: https://www.schengenvisaitinerary.com/

Having a passport is the first step to feeling like the world is your oyster and you can just pack up and go anywhere, but that’s not the case for those of us who hold a weak passport. Want to go on an adventure or maybe run away for a peaceful getaway abroad? First you need to go through a ton of documents, appointments, and maybe changing your travel dates a couple of times. If you’re lucky enough and you’ve got Europe as the destination in mind, you get a multi-entry Schengen visa longer than your trip. Those who manage to get a Schengen visa for one year or longer win the lottery, but they’re not leaving it up to fate anymore.

The EU has defined the rules for getting a five-year multiple-entry visa to the Schengen area, and they’re somewhat promising! Only this month, they started implementing a new visa code with a bit of a higher price and a more flexible period in which you could apply before your trip. Other than that, they’ve rolled out a clear and easy guide on how to get a five-year visa and not go through the long process with every trip, and it all depends on your travel history. If you do it right, you get a multi-entry visa that allows you to go in and out of the Schengen area as many times as you want, as long as you don’t violate the 90/180 rule — not staying longer than 90 days in the Schengen area within 180 days.

Here are the rules for getting a multiple-entry visa with a validity of one, two, and five years — unless the validity of the visa would exceed that of the travel document:

1.         For a one-year visa, the applicant should have obtained and lawfully used three visas within the previous two years.

2.         For a two-year visa, the applicant should have obtained and lawfully used a previous one -year multiple-entry visa within the previous two years.

3.         For a five-year visa, the applicant should have obtained and lawfully used a previous two-year multiple-entry visa within the previous three years.

So, the trick is: got a visa? Use the hell out of it as long as you can, get stamps, and don’t violate it. Simple as that. Aside from your clean travel history, there are also a couple of other requirements.

1.         The traveler must have a reason to enter the Schengen area multiple times. (Is being a regular tourist a reason good enough? We still don’t have the answer to that.)

2.         The traveler must have a clean visa history, no violations of visas.

3.         The traveler must have a clean criminal record at home.

4.         The travel must present traveler’s insurance for the first trip.

Seems fair enough. And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Travelling to Europe has never been much easier. Since the inception of the Schengen VISA, it is easily possible for one to travel between several countries in Europe on a single VISA. Schengen VISA covers a total of 26 countries which includes the 22 EU countries and the other four are then non-EU countries.

The Schengen tourist visa can allow you to travel to these European countries without any hassle. Schengen Visa allows traveling between the countries of Austria, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxemburg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands in a single trip rather than obtaining a visa for each country separately. Also, getting a Schengen Visa can widen your travel horizons and help you to explore all of the Europe without having much to do with your VISA process.

Obtaining a Schengen Visa is not that hard. You must know few basic things that are required to apply. Due to increase in the travel and tourism services, there are a number of Schengen visa consultants which you can go for. They help you to get through the process of getting a Schengen visa easily. Also, there are a number of websites you can refer on, to apply for the visa.

Before applying for the visa, itself, you must need to apply for travel insurance for Schengen visa. Also, it is advisable to know what type of Schengen visa you are applying for. Generally, a tourist Schengen tourist visa is a Category C visa which allows you to stay in the Schengen visa area for up to 3 months in a half-year period from the time of your first entry.

You need to present your travel insurance for Schengen Visa before actually applying for the visa. The travel insurance is mainly to cover the costs of repatriation and medical emergencies during your travel period in Schengen countries. The coverage for the insurance must be at least 30,000 EUR and also valid for all the Schengen states. Once, you obtain the travel insurance, you need to present it before the officials at the time of applying for a visa. If in case, your visa is rejected /refused, you can ask the Embassy or Consulate to provide you with a document regarding the refusal of visa in order to cancel the insurance and get your money back.

Now let’s take a look at how to apply for a Schengen Visa. You need to meet certain requirements in order to apply for the visa. Here is a list of documents required for Schengen Visa.

1) You need to have a valid passport with at least 2 blank pages left for the stamp purposes. Also, the passport must be valid for at least 3 months from the date of you leaving the Schengen area.

2) You need to have at least one passport photo while filing the application.

3) You need to have all the travel details about your trip, including the flight and hotel details, insurance proof, and the documents covering your intention to visit the place.

4) You need to present your current employment status and details of your bank statement from last 3 months.

Once you have collected all the documents that are required for the visa process, you need to go online and fill up the application form for the VISA. Now there are certain points which you need to keep in your mind before applying for the visa.

1) If you intend to visit a single Schengen country, then you must apply for the visa at the appropriate embassy/consulate of that particular country.

2) If you intend to visit two or more Schengen countries, then it is highly recommended to apply at the embassy/consulate of the country which you will be residing at for the most number of days in your trip. This destination is also known as your main destination.

3) If you intend to visit more than one country for the same period of time, then you must apply at the embassy/consulate of the country you will be visiting first as per your itinerary.

Once you have finalized the destinations and collected your travel documents, you should go on the online portals provided by the consulates and fill the application form correctly. You will need to pay a minimum fee of 35 EUR for the Schengen visa application. After you file your application, the VISA is generally processed in 10-15 working days. You might have to go and visit the embassy/consulate for the fingerprint scanning if you are a first time Schengen applicant.

If you have all the documents that are required and proper Schengen information, then you will get the VISA within 10-12 working days after filing of your application.

Thus, it is very important to know what a Schengen VISA is and the countries covered under the same. Also, it is always advisable to go for a Schengen Visa consultant if you do not have a clear idea about the visa services and rules regarding Schengen countries.

Schengen Visa Itinerary has been a part of more than one million travel dreams. We offer a superior, quick and hassle-free Schengen Visa Facilitation service. With a highly professional and dedicated team of Travel visa Experts, we are here to cater to all your Schengen Visa application requirements

Throughout your visa process, you will have a dedicated Visa Expert handling your application.

Here are the steps to apply for a Schengen Visa through Akbar Travels:

Step 1: Provide your travel details to our Visa Expert and get all your queries answered.

Step 2: Pay the visa fee and upload your documents online through our secured online document locker to ensure its confidentiality.

Step 3: Our Visa Expert will verify the documents, complete your visa application and schedule your appointment.

Step 4: On the appointment day visit the Visa Application Center (VAC) to submit your Biometrics (fingerprinting & photograph) and documents.

Step 5: Receive your Visa.

Basic Requirements to visit Schengen

•           Have a valid Passport and valid Schengen Visa;

•           Be in good health;

•           Good moral character;

•           Be able to convince the immigration officer that you have your family, property, assets, etc. that would serve as an incentive to come back to your home country;

•           Be able to convince the immigration officer that you will leave the country before your Schengen visa expires;

•           Have sufficient funds to support yourself and the amount depends on how long you will stay in the Schengen area and whether you will be staying with family, friends or any paid accommodation.

Travel Checklist

•           Passport;

•           Valid Schengen Visa;

•           Confirmed return Ticket;

•           Contact details of your relative, friends or business contact in the Schengen country;

•           Confirmed hotel bookings (If Any);

•           Schengen country Currency and other forms of forex;

•           An unlocked smartphone, preferable with a Sim card from India;

•           Any additional documents required to prove your purpose of visit (especially if you are travelling on a business Visa).

What to do when you arrive in the Schengen country

•           Keep your Declaration form in hand (provided to you on the flight);

•           Keep all travel documents (passport, valid Schengen Visa, return ticket, hotel bookings etc.) ready in case the immigration officer asks to produce any document.

•           If you are an unaccompanied minor, make sure you stay with the flight attendant who is in charge of your safety. Additionally, you must recognize the adult picking you up at the airport. If you have any doubts, you must inform the airline staff immediately…

Schengen country travel guide

A Schengen Visa is best described as a single point Visa Access document for entering all the Twenty-Six Schengen Countries. This visa is issued by the designated visa offices to the applicant/visitor for visiting/travelling to and within the Schengen Area.