Schengen Visa Cover Letter Format with Samples and common mistakes
So, a close friend was rejected a Tourist Schengen Visa for France from India – twice in a row. She had to postpone her flight to a later date, but lost quite some money on Visa fees, hotel bookings and some internal flights within Schengen area. The reason quoted for the rejection was – ‘The information submitted regarding the justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not reliable‘ and ‘Your intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the expiry of the visa applied for could not be ascertained’. I was intrigued and asked her for the covering letter that she submitted while applying for Schengen Visa. Her cover letter, though has necessary details, and was flawed at some places, which triggered me to pen down this post.
How am I qualified to write this post on Schengen Visa Cover Letter?
Having obtained Schengen Visa twice now – for Italy in 2016 and Sweden in 2017, though not an expert on this topic, I stand qualified to share my 2 bits – How not to screw up your Covering letter for Schengen Visa?
First off, let’s discuss – Why do we need a cover letter at all?
Why do we need a cover letter for Schengen Visa?
Just like any official interaction, be it a job application or any sort of request where we are seek attention of the reader – we need to introduce ourselves and make our intentions clear, right? That is why we need a cover letter. Given this, we need to make optimum use of this opportunity and give a clear picture to the Embassy officer – who doesn’t know who we are nor has the power to read our minds nor does he/she have the patience to figure out the jigsaw puzzle we have handed over to them in the form of travel documents!
Covering letter is your best chance to convince the Embassy officers to put that much needed Visa stamp on your passport. Imagine a cover letter like an interview, only that you will not be present in front of them, but it speaks on your behalf. (Scroll down at the end of this page to receive your Free copy of an editable format of an ideal ‘Schengen Visa Cover Letter’ )
Just think, in an interview – What all they might ask? What do you need to inform them about you? About your trip?
Any apprehensions, any communication – everything has to be done through the cover letter.
While applying Schengen Visa Italy last year, I did not understand why a cover letter is so important. But this time around, while applying Schengen for Sweden, I realized the power of a cover letter. The reason being these three scenarios:
1. Our middle names in the flight tickets were left out, as the website which was used to book the tickets had some bizarre mandatory name requirements. This was a worrying factor. So, before we applied Schengen for Sweden, I wrote to Sweden VFS Visa helpline and they responded within a day and instructed me to mention the same in the cover letter.
2. In Sweden, we will be travelling to Swedish Lapland and we have an overnight train journey from Stockholm to Kiruna and the same applies for the return journey too. A First class sleeper coach was booked for the night train journey, which was attached with the Visa application. In VFS office, the teller there pointed out that there are no hotel bookings made for those two dates. For which we diligently showed the train bookings with specific dates, travel time that exceeded 16 hours each side and a mention of sleeper coach. She highlighted dates in the train bookings and still insisted that we mention the same in the cover letter. We had to write that info at the back of the cover letter and sign it, as adding the same in the soft copy of cover letter and getting a print again was not feasible at that point in time.
3. On the last day of our travel in Sweden, we arrive from Iceland to Sweden late in the night and we have an early morning flight back home the next day. We did not book any hotel as we decided to walk into one of the hotels in the airport if we felt the need for a short nap. The lady at the counter insisted that we must have a hotel booking for the same because that night did not have any bookings against it – neither in Iceland nor in Sweden. We had to go out of VFS office, barge into the nearest cyber center and do temporary hotel booking for that date, take the print out and then attach it to the application. Maybe if we had mentioned that in the cover letter, the purpose would have been solved. But then, we are staying in both Iceland and Sweden for 11 days each and we had 11 days of hotel bookings in Iceland and 10 days of hotel bookings in Sweden and for that last day in Sweden, we hadn’t booked any place due to the transit and assumed that the Embassy officer would read our minds and figure out that we will walk into an airport hotel. Well, a lesson learnt!
So, what all do we need to mention in a cover letter?
• The purpose of your travel to the Schengen countries – is it for tourism purpose? Or official purpose? Or for studies?
• List the countries are you visiting during your stay in Schengen area.
• How and who is sponsoring your trip? Is it self-sponsored or sponsored by someone (husband, father etc.) and by what means – Cash (by showing balance in bank)? Credit card? Forex? Traveller cheques?
• If you have a sponsor in the country you are visiting, then ask them for an invitation letter and clearly explain your relationship with your sponsor and the reason why they will be sponsoring your trip. Here, a sponsor might be a friend, relative or something/someone official.
• A brief of your itinerary. Here, it is a good idea to use a table format with countries you’d like to visit, days spent there and a mention of places you will be visiting while you are there. (For an example, see the sample below)
• Explain clearly why you chose to apply at that specific Embassy and not through any other country.
• List the documents that are attached with the Visa application
• In case you are not able to produce any particular document, mention that and try providing an alternative document which would cover the necessity of the former.
• Mention the company and your designation of your employment in cover letter and write that you have taken a leave for the duration of the trip and are required to join back work after the vacation.
• And any other specific communication which you think the Embassy officer needs to know.
Some tips and suggestions:
• Apply Visa as early as possible – we can apply for a Schengen Visa 90 days before our travel date.
• Go through the Visa requirements checklist many times – even after securing all documents, there might be something that is always left out for the last minute! Isn’t it? Mr. Murphy is always lurking somewhere nearby.
• Do NOT assume that the things are obvious and will be understood from the documents submitted. Always mention such things. The Embassy officer has to go through loads of applications every day. So, its not a really good idea to let him/her figure out stuff.
• Try limiting your cover letter to one page.
• And obviously, write a convincing cover letter 🙂
• Go through it again and check it for any spelling mistakes and do a Spell Check in MS Word or similar. Its not that you will be penalized for spell errors. It just gives a good first impression.
• Doesn’t matter for what country you are applying – France, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Austria or any Schengen country for that matter – whether a cover letter is mandatory or not – Just write it and write a rocking one!
My secret tip: Almost all visa applications ask for confirmed hotel bookings. With so many booking sites and hundreds of hotels and apartments, its indeed difficult to choose the place which suits our taste. I always check the prices of hotels/apartment from this website and compare prices offered by different booking sites and book the accommodation from the one that offers the best price. Compare hotels by checking in this search box below !
For booking car for our self drive journeys, I trust this site and have booked from here in all our self drive sojourns.
Fine, enough for today’s Theory session. Let the practical class begin now!
This was my friend’s Cover Letter. Let me try and point out what could have been added and how can it be improvised.
21/06/2017
Place: Bangalore
THE HONOURABLE CONSUL,
EMBASSY OF FRANCE
21 Palace Road, Vasanth Nagar,
Bengaluru, Karnataka 560052
Dear Sir or Madam,
Sub: Application for Short Stay Visa for Tourism from 30/06/2017 to 11/07/2017 (Self-Sponsored)
I intend to travel to countries France, Belgium and Switzerland from 30/06/2017 to 11/07/2017 and would therefore like to obtain a Schengen travel visa.
The purpose of my trip is tourism, to visit popular places in these European countries, especially the Eiffel Tower, the Paris Disneyland and the Louvre Pyramid in France, Interlaken, Jungfrau in Switzerland and Grand Palace, Bruges, Pairi Daiza etc in Belgium. During the trip in Belgium, I will stay in my sister’s home who is a resident of Belgium (attached the required document for the same)
Please find enclosed the following documents to support my visa application:
1. Original and copy of my passport
2. Application Form duly filled and signed with Photograph as per specifications, attached
3. Documentary evidence of my employment (leave sanction letter)
4. Copy of my booking at Hotels in Paris and Switzerland.
5. Invitation letter from my sister, a resident of Belgium and copy of residential permit
6. Income tax returns of last 3 years
7. Personal bank statements of last 3 months
8. Salary slips of last 3 months
9. Copy of my travel medical insurance policy, valid for the whole Schengen Area and covering up to 100,000 Euros for medical and hospital care plus repatriation for emergency medical reasons
10. Copy of e-ticket for my return flight to Bangalore via Doha with Qatar Airways
I trust you will find that everything is in order, but please feel free to contact me should you need any additional details or documents.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Yours sincerely,
XYZ,
Address, Phone, Email.
Here, I find 3 major flaws:
• She had submitted the official leave letter with the application, but there isn’t any mention of her employer or designation in the cover letter. As I said earlier, lets not assume that it is understood. Even if it is obvious, mentioning it in the cover letter makes a huge difference.
• The itinerary presented was very cloudy. Seems like there is a no perfect plan chalked out. But in reality, the plan was present, that is why the hotel bookings were done. But it hasn’t been mentioned clearly in the cover letter.
• Another major point – there is NO reason presented here as to why France is being chosen as a Consulate to apply Schengen Visa.
A template or a sample which we used for Schengen Italy Cover Letter:
May 3, 2016
Bengaluru
The Honorable Consulate,
Embassy of Italy,
Kanchanjunga, Piano Terra,
72 G.Deshmukh Marg
Mumbai – 400 026
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to apply for Schengen visa to spend a holiday in five countries – Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Montenegro, this May 27 to June 12, 2016. I am applying through your Honourable Consulate, as Italy is my main destination and first point of entry as well as my point of exit.
We are a family of five travelling together. Tourism is the main purpose of our visit, to see the beautiful sights especially the museums and ancient architecture.
Our detailed itinerary is attached inside. Brief itinerary would be as follows:
Arrival date | Departure date | Days | City(Country) |
27 May 2016 | 2 June 2016 | 7 | Rome-Florence-Pisa-Calenzano-Maranello-San Marino-Civitanova-Naples-Pompeii-Sorrento-Blue Grotto-Amfali Coast-Eboli-Alberabello-Bari (Italy) |
3 June 2016 | 3 June 2016 | 1 | Dubrovnik (Croatia) |
4 June 2016 | 4 June 2016 | 1 | Montenegro |
5June 2016 | 5June 2016 | 1 | Mostar (Bosnia) |
6 June 2016 | 8 June 2016 | 3 | Split-Rastoke-Zagreb (Croatia) |
9June 2016 | 9 June 2016 | 1 | Ljubljana (Slovenia) – Venice (Italy) |
10 June 2016 | 10 June 2016 | 1 | Milan (Italy) |
11 June 2016 | 11 June 2016 | 1 | Rome (Italy) |
I am employed at XYZ, Bengaluru since July 2010 and currently holding the position of ABC. Vacation from work has already been approved for the whole duration of this trip.
Please find the following documents to support my visa application enclosed herewith:
* Application form, duly dated and signed with passport-size picture
* Passports
* Employment and Leave certificates showing the date I’m expected to return for work
* Detailed itinerary
* Hotel booking reservation as proof of accommodation
* Payslips, Bank Statements, Statement of Account as proof of income, ITR, Credit card statements, Forex receipts
* Travel Insurance with benefits coverage of 50,000 Euro for each person travelling
* Plane ticket booking reservation via Qatar Airways for Bangalore – Rome – Bangalore on May 27 – June 12, 2016
I trust that you will find that everything is in order, and I remain at your disposal for any further information. Thank you very much for your time. I hope for a favourable response for my visa application. For questions and clarifications, please feel free to contact me anytime.
Sincerely,
Name
Mobile:
Email:
This format bought us Schengen Visa for Italy on our European Odyssey last year. Hope this post helps you in crafting your letter.
If you are planning to apply a Schengen Visa for Italy, then click here to read a post about the process of applying Schengen Visa for Italy.
Please note that right click is disabled on this page to discourage plagiarism. However, you can get the cover letter sample by entering your email in the box below to receive an editable sample of ‘Schengen Visa Cover Letter’.
Cheers!
If you liked this post, show us some love and pat us on our backs! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our Youtube channel!
Other related important reads:
Ultimate guide for Schengen Visa Italy from India
14 things to know before driving in Italy
Plitvice Lakes – Land of Falling Lakes, Croatia
Pin it for later:
Lovely article and timely we r applying for our visa in coming week. This article is very informative. Thank you to pen it down
Glad it was of your help 🙂
Hi Ashwini, I’ts a great help for me your blog since, I’m a first timer to travel. Would you mind please to share with me your email as i want to write you for more clarification? as I’m a bit confused.
Thanks and awaiting
Chona
Chona,
Please write into us at [email protected]
Hi Ashwini,
Thanks a ton for this article. we are applying for our visas next weeK, we intent to travel to Italy, switzerland and france. p.o.e. Italy. Some queries to be answered, as i am getting mixed replies for the same. Do we need to book all internal train travels i.e. rome to venice, venice to interlaken n henceforth. we have done no prepayment booking from booking.com for accomodations, hope thats valid.
Hey Maria,
There is no need for you to show the proof of travel inside a specific country. However, it is a good practice to mention how you intend to travel inside a country and between two countries. And this can be achieved through a cover letter!
And yes, no prepayment bookings from booking.com is valid. We always do the same 🙂
this article is very informative and helpful for visa
we Indians not blessed with highest rank passports which allows visa on arrival to most of countries. It seems so much headache when applying for visa.But if apply it in order as you mentioned issues can be resolved
Very true Mayuri!
Hi Ashwini,
I plan to visit my brother who stays in Germany, can you kindly let me know how should the invitation letter be all are the required details? Do share if u have any format for the same. Thank you.
Sorry for the late reply Vini. I do not have a format handy. I shall write a blog post on it soon.
Hi ashwini,
You have mentioned about Detailed itinerary, could you please explain this also, I mean how one should write it. Are we suppose to mention each and every thing which we are going to do each day?
Hai Harpreet,
If you see the sample I have provided, the itinerary we mentioned was one line with places we planned to go for that day. I think that should suffice and too much detail will make the cover letter too lengthy and unappealing. Hope I have answered your question!
YOUR ARTICLE HAS BEEN OF GREAT HELP…..HOWEVER ONE THING IS REALLY CONFUSING ME…. I AM PLANNING TO APPLY FOR FRANCE AND SWISS TOURIST VISA……PEOPLE ARE ADVISING TO GO WITH FLIGHT RESERVATION AND DUMMY HOTEL BOOKING FOR APPLYING THE VISA……IS IT SAFE TO DO SO…….
Yes Karan. Thats is true. Go through this post for more details. http://hoppingmiles.com/schengen-visa-italy-indians-citizens-checklist/
Hey … thanks for amazing info.
I have question
. Did you visit bosnia and croatia in same schengen visa … because they dont come in schengen country.
Even though Bosnia and Croatia do not come under Schengen Visa, these countries allow visitors with a valid Schengen Visa. For this, you need to have a Multiple Entry Schengen Visa.
Hey Ashwini I also applied for France from Delhi and my visa got rejected with same reason.
Now I am scared from which Embassy I should apply as I already booked my paid ticket and hotel
I submitted all paid hotel and flight tickets even for Europe, I think I am going on solo trip that may the reason not sure.
Any suggestion which country I should apply?
Hi Adhiman,
The rule goes by the fact that we need to apply to the country where we are staying for more number of days. If we are by any chance staying in two countries for equal number of days, then we need to apply to the Embassy of the country which will be our first port of entry.
Thanks for the article, this was helpful. Do you have any advice for writing an invitation letter? I want to give one to my brother to visit.
Sure Ezinne. I shall try to pen down that post soon 🙂
My name is Vivek. I would be travelling with my wife. So apart from booking two appointments, will there be a need to get two sets of required documents and two covering letters or only one set. Her application form would be different.
Yes.Two separate set of documents and seperate application forms. Cover letter can be the same but you need separate copies of that each too!
Hi…My schengen visa got rejected due to reason for travel does not seem reliable. I am reapplying for the same. Just wanted to know in the new covering letter do i write the letter as a fresh application or do i mention the previous rejection and give further justifications
Regards
Hi,
I am in two minds about it as I haven’t been in this situation. Why don’t you call the VFS helpline? They are the best folks to answer this question.
Hi i would like to read your thoughts about our story, please. We have been granted a Belgium Schengen visa my wife and i but after our departure date. We have reached out the Consulate to get our passports back, to our surprise Bangg! empty passports. The consulate officer told us that they couldn’t put our visas into our passport because it’s been granted after our travel date so what does it mean? do they have the right to do that after been approved? your thoughts will be appreciated , thanks
Honestly, If I were you, I too would have been disappointed. And yes, what they say is right. Because, the reason that a schengen visa demands a confirmed return flight is that they want to confirm that we come out of schengen area within a specific time frame. If your flight date has lapsed, that means you can’t commit to your promise of going and coming out of schengen area on the dates you have mentioned in the cover letter. So, a fresh application is recommended. But this time, be careful and apply as early as possible.
Thank you very much, i appreciate your reply.
By the way do we need to stick our-self with the same consulate?
That depends on your travel plans. Read this post if you are visiting multiple schengen countries and have a confusion as to which country to apply to : http://hoppingmiles.com/schengen-visa-italy-indians-citizens-checklist/
Hi!
Thank you for the link, very helpful. I have got another question, how can we proof that we have been granted a Schengen visa if we decide to go to Italy this time. As I mentioned before we have been granted, but we didn’t travel because the consulate didn’t stick our visas into our passport due to the fact that our departure date has passed,
Thank you in advance
There is no proof as your visas haven’t been stamped. Try a fresh application. All the best.
Thanks for sharing your knowledgeable experience, I really appreciate your care and concern Ashwini towards helping people.
I’m sending you an email for your further help as i applied for visa and got refused.
Hi Ashwini,
Really your post is very informative. I am planning to invite my wife to Paris as I’m already here from past 1 month. And when we asked for the details we have lot of opinions so more confused with what are the basic requirements.
We have been told that will require an Invitation letter from me inviting my wife to Paris. I tried to search for a format but not able to get it. can you help me on that?
Also if my wife provide 6 months bank statement for my salary account will it be ok for Consulate?
As I’m already in Paris I have stay booked till my return journey is it fine to provide the same with my name?
Even we have suggestion for my wife to not show that you are working to save document for leave approval which is quite difficult for her.
I have 1 question in mind as we didn’t planned any internal journey as of now and if we mention about the visit to different countries is it mandatory to show the details of the stay for other countries?
Looking forward for your reply which will help us.
Thank you
Hrisheekesh Pargaonkar
±33753190588
±917588436499
Answering your questions one by one.
q: We have been told that will require an Invitation letter from me inviting my wife to Paris. I tried to search for a format but not able to get it. can you help me on that?
a: Will try writing a post on that.
q: Also if my wife provide 6 months bank statement for my salary account will it be ok for Consulate?
a: They ask only for recent 3 months. Doesn’t count even if you provide more as they will remove extra months docs in VFS Office. Just make sure you have a healthy bank balance.
q: As I’m already in Paris I have stay booked till my return journey is it fine to provide the same with my name?
a: Guess that would suffice. Confirm once with VFS call centre.
q: Even we have suggestion for my wife to not show that you are working to save document for leave approval which is quite difficult for her.
a: Confirm once with VFS call centre.
q: I have 1 question in mind as we didn’t planned any internal journey as of now and if we mention about the visit to different countries is it mandatory to show the details of the stay for other countries?
a: Definitely yes. You can do temporary bookings in booking.com. If you have plans of visiting other countries, then make sure she gets a ‘multiple entry’ Schengen visa.
Hope this helps. Thanks
hello ,
my wife is the citizen of italy (permanant green card ) as such we got married on dec 2015
and now she is pragnant and in italy she wants to invite me for her delivery as such i m having her name on my passport , marriage certificate, my name on her passport issue from milan italy. and a doctor covring letter of her pragnancy form italy.
i need to know that how can i apply and a covering letter format.
and the chances of visa….really worried about can u help a part.
waiting for reply
Please contact your VFS office and they will be able to guide you better. Thanks and congrats on the baby 🙂
Hi,
Can you please put more light on the format of ‘Detailed Itinerary’
Hey Vikas,
Detailed Itinerary would be your confirmed accommodation booking printouts, flight tickets and inter city/inter country travel docs if any.
Thanks for the info here. One more thing i wanted to know that yesterday i called Thomas Cook for the Visa and they said that they can get it done and they will show the confirmed tickets & hotel bookings and as we get the visa they will cancel it and we can then book our hotels on our own. Do you think hiring them will be good idea or shall i do the visa process on my own.
It upto you Vikas. Totally your decision 🙂
Hi,
I was planning to go for a road trip in Europe, all planning is done from caravan to tickets. But all hopes are on visas. How do I compel them not to reject our visa. Please help. And if possible can u send me your mail. Thanks
If your planning is already done, then please apply visa asap. Follow the points given in the article and craft a convincing cover letter – that is the only thing we can do from our side to compel them. Subscribe with your mail id in the text box provided in the article and you will automatically get the mail.
Hi,
I am planning a solo trip to Amsterdam in coming June month for 7 days. Is it a fact that solo trip visas are mostly rejected ?
and I intend to travel in and around Amsterdam only. Would that be a problem considering it is a short itinerary for cover letter?
Thanks in advance.
Don’t think it’ll be a problem to acquire visa if you are only in and Amsterdam for the entire trip duration. Just make sure you have accommodation booked for all the days and mention what all have you planned to see over the 7 days.
Hi,
Thanks for the article,it is really helpful
I have some doubts
1)I can give just reserved tickets(Not paid)? Many airlines provide free reserved ticket which block the ticket for 3 days.
I have this question because on the main page of VFS website,they clearly mention that do not confirm your travel plans till visa is approved.So can i give reserved ticket(not paid) instead of a confirmed ticket(paid for)
2)The cover letter can be written on an A4 size paper write?
Thanks in Advance
Answering pointwise:
1. Will do but during the time of verification of your application by Embassy people, your ticket should be valid and should not be cancelled as they will verify it.
2. Should be printed on A4 size paper
Hello Ashwni
I find this post really informative, ad would like to clarify a few things w.r.t our trip
Me and my husband are planning for a trip to Swiss-Belgium (and make day trips to France and Amsterdam while staying in Belgium).
Our point of entry will be Swiss (will stay there for 3 nights) and then travel to Belgium( where we will stay for 5 nights). But while we stay in Belgium we intend to do a day trip to Paris and another day trip to Amsterdam. Our p.o.e will be Belgium.
Q1 – Which country should we apply the Schengen Visa for? – Swiss or Belgium?
Q2 – Also, both of us are working, but the way our budgeting works is I have more bank balance, and his is more like a current account, rather savings account. Keeping this in mind, what will give better chances of approval – applying together and showing both the bank statements or applying mentioning am sponsoring the trip?
Please suggest 🙂
Answer 1: Belgium
Answer 2: Both bank statements will be a good idea i guess. Please clarify with local VFS office
Hi,
I am planning to travel to Europe (Italy, Austria & Switzerland in that order) for a month in mid April with Italy being port of entry & main destination as I am spending 15 days there. I am travelling solo to Italy and then being joined by friends in Austria & Switzerland. Post that, I am heading to the US for 4 months where I am staying with my sister. I have a valid US visa. I also have previously traveled to the Schengen region 4 times in the last 8 years.
The tricky part is I am obviously travelling for this long as I have quit my job of 8 years and planning on taking a break for some time and find something once I am back.
My queries, hence, are:
1) Should I mention that I have quit my job in the cover letter itself hence declaring I wont have a Leave letter from my organisation.
2) Will I require any other document from my current employer (serving notice here) to support my claim? Shall i include one just to be sure?
3) I’m sponsoring my own trip, travelling solo & quitting my job for that- Will these 3 things pose to be possible reasons why my Visa could get rejected. If yes, what additional documents shall I submit to cover all bases.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks for writing in Rupal. Yes, your case is tricky. But tel me one thing, is your flight to US from India, after you come back from Italy or the flight is directly from Italy? Whatever is the case, please mention it in the cover letter. Yes, supporting documents to prove that you are leaving the job might work.
Again, convincing them that you are traveling to US later is essential. So flight tickets to US if available and shown, will make the job easy.
Hello,
I am Bangalore.. planning to travel to Ireland in the month of June. Since I didn’t get any post related to Ireland, I am posting few questions here 🙂 .
1. My daughter will be travelling with me, so we need her father’s consent letter since he is not coming with us. Do I need to get the letter Notarized?
2. I will be travelling with my friend , do I need to give proof of relationship with her?
2. My application letter should address to whom? Should it be
The Honorable Consulate
Embassy of Ireland
c/o Biocon Limited
20th K M Hosur Road
Electronics City PO
Bangalore 560100
(as found under Emabassy of Ireland, Honorary Consuls- India, Bangalore)
3. If you can help me with writing a detailed itinerary plan.
Thanks in advance! 🙂
1. My daughter will be travelling with me, so we need her father’s consent letter since he is not coming with us. Do I need to get the letter Notarized?
Father’s consent letter and permission letter from school. Notary sign not required.
2. I will be travelling with my friend , do I need to give proof of relationship with her?
Haha. No. You can’t prove if someone is your friend. There is no such formal document that exists to prove it.
2. My application letter should address to whom? Should it be
The Honorable Consulate
Embassy of Ireland
c/o Biocon Limited
20th K M Hosur Road
Electronics City PO
Bangalore 560100
(as found under Emabassy of Ireland, Honorary Consuls- India, Bangalore)
Yes.
3. If you can help me with writing a detailed itinerary plan.
Please check the post, I have mentioned the format. Follow the same with your plans and itinerary.
Thanks for reply 🙂 . One more question, Do i need to submit flight tickets/confirmation for visa application, though it’s not mentioned anywhere under required documents for visa.
I’m surprised that it isn’t mentioned. Return flight tickets are mandatory for any Visa 🙂
Hi …
Me and my wife are travelling to Austria and Czeh Republic for 16 days with 9 days in Austria and hence applying from the Austrian Embassy. I am also doing two day trips to Neuschwanstein Castle and Berchtesgaden Salt mines both being in Germany with our stay being in Innsbruck and Salzburg respectively on the day of the day trips.
In light of the above in the application form in Point 22 it mentions Member State (s) to visit should I mention only Austria OR Austria and Czeh Republic OR Austria Germany and CzehRepublic
Mention all the member states you are traveling to. Also check the multiple entry option in the application form
Hello
I am applying for a schengen short term tourist visa. I am applying through the Netherlands embassy as I will be staying there for the longest. I have some queries.
1) This is a solo trip. I am male,single and in mid 20s. I have been to singapore last month as a tourist. Should I mention it in the cover letter indicating that I have traveled solo before and attach visa and stamp copies? Or should I avoid mentioning it?
2) I work For an IT company with a monthly salary of about 35k. I have been working there for about 2 years. and will show about 2 lakhs in my salary account with salary slips and ITR for 14 days trip. I still feel that this might not be enough to convince the authority. I am thinking of attaching my mother’s bank statements and ITR along with a letter. The thing is, I don’t want authorities to think that my mother is the sole sponsorer of this trip as I earn a descent amount of money .I am more inclined towards a middle path by writing something like this in the cover letter-‘The trip will be sponsored by myself. I will also carry my Mother’s international debit card linked to her salary account to deal with any unforeseen circumstances. Her Bank statements,ITR and letter of consent are attached”.
Is this recommended? Or should I change some words like “unforeseen circumstances”Please Reply
Hi,
1. No need to mention Singapore trip. If you have been to Schengen countries earlier, then the application form asks for Visa number.
2. I feel 2L for a single person for 14 days should suffice. Attach your credit card statement to show that you have a credit card too.
Hi Ashwini,
I am applying for Schengen through the Belgium consulate. I intend to travel to Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris and I will be flying in and out of Amsterdam. Here are my questions –
1. I am travelling solo, for the first time to Europe or anywhere. I am quitting work at my current organization and have a 3 week break until I join the new company. Would be using this break to travel. Would this by any chance be a problem and lead to rejection? I have clearly stated in my cover letter about this and would be attaching the resignation confirmation and new job offer letter, and as well as confirmed return ticket and accomodation details (booking.com no pre payment reservations).
2. Is it okay to apply through Belgium consulate and not Netherlands (as my country of entry and exit is this)?
3. How long does it usually take to receive the visa? I am getting my tickets for 5th May.
Thanks in advance
1. Should not be a problem
2. If you are staying max number of days in Belgium, this is fine.
3. 15 working days is what they say.
Hi There,
Thank you so much. This is very helpful. I was hoping you could help me with some questions.
I am travelling to italy for a month with my boyfriend. During my stay in Italy i will be staying with my BF family for 18 days. During my stay there i will be attending a wedding and also seeing the amalafi coast. After the 18 days period we will be visiting Rome, Venice and Florence. I will be applying a visa for myself only since my BF is a Canadian Citizen. I hold a Permenant Residence here in Canada. I was told if i am applying for a private visa to not mention Tourism. I am currently working full time as an Account Manager but i will be resigning before my trip. This is because i will be going to College full time when i come back.
1) Do i have to let the embassy know that i will be going other places in italy? ( i was going to say i am staying with my BF family for all the 30 days)
2) Is proof of school letter station start date enough to show them that i will be returning( including my return flight)
3)If i am applying for a private visa do i have to tell them i will also be visiting Amalafi while at my sponsers?
4) I do not want to ask my sponser to get statements of their bank. Can i mention that i will be supporting myself as well and show my own bank account and sufficient funds. ( how much $ is needed to show for about 28 days) While i will be staying with my sponser?
Thank you so much!!
1. If you are traveling within Italy and not going out of the country, then its not needed to mention.
2. Yes. Should suffice. Mention that in cover letter
3. No need. Just mention in cover letter that you will be staying with your Bf’s family. Ask them for an invitation letter stating that they are inviting you to stay with them. Attach it with your docs
4. Showing your bank details will be enough. The amount depends on the country you stay. Ask your local VFS office or check their website for these details.
Hey,
I wish to apply for Shengen visa next week from France Embassy. I have already drafted a cover letter, would you be able to check it and let me know of any improvements? really appreciate.
TIA,
Shane
Please mail me to [email protected]
Hi,
I have WP120 visa for Switzerland and wish to get Tourist visa for my wife and son (3yr old) to stay with me for a period of 75 days. Can you please help me with covering letter and/or invitation letter that my wife should submit along with her visa application form. Trip would be sponsored by me but my wife also has sufficienct balance in her bank account.
Please do let me know if you have any other suggestions for visa application.
Thank you in advance.
I’ve already mentioned the cover letter format in this article. Please go through it thoroughly. Showing her bank statement is fine if she has good balance.
Hi,
Thanks for such an informative post….. great job
My query is that i am getting married on july 15th and leaving on morning of july 18th morning for a 7 day trip covering amsterdam, antwerpen & paris. the issue is i wont be having a marriage certificate while i apply for me and my to-be wife’s visa. I will be taking care of all the expenses for travel. i am not sure about which documents should i place for my wife’s visa application
Try attaching the wedding invitation card and mention the same in your cover letter.
Hi,
Did you attach invitation while submitting application ? Any other document that would require particularly to apply visa along with my fiancee ?
Hi
I have a query. I am a practicing as a advocate. as I only few months back started my practice so that’s why I never filled tax,itr etc. I want to visit Belgium(20 days) to visit my sister she is staying there with her husband. can my father sponser me for the same and please share format for sponser letter and cover letter
Cover letter is already in the post. In addition to Sponsor Letter, you will need an invitation letter from your sister inviting you to their home and they need to mention that you shall be staying with them. The format will be a usual formal letter format with your details, purpose and intent of travel.
hi,
I Am applying for a Shengen visa in germany, but will also be visiting hungary, austria, czech republic and poland, is the hostel reservation through booking.com valid, as in their email they show free cancellation date and also no prepayment required , so will those hostel booking will be valid. Also is it ok if i book a return flight from another country and city. Also One of my school friend works in berlin, and will be staying with him for couple of days, so is it ok to mention that in the letter to the embassy and do i have to get a letter from mentioning that i will be staying with him for couple of days and the whole trip will be self sponsored.
Also would like to know i have resigned from my current job , and will be look for a new job after my return from my vacation , so will that be ok.
Hi,
1. Hostel bookings are valid. Make sure you have your name on those.
2. Flight- Not an issue. Make sure you apply visa to the country which you will be staying the max number of days
3. Stay with friend – Yes, an invitation letter from him is needed. If you want to avoid the hassle, do bookings with free cancellation and then cancel those when your visa is stamped.
4. Job – Will not be a problem. Mention the same in cover letter. Also add a line that your family and work commitments are deep rooted here and you will have to return to your home country to fulfil those and you are visiting Europe just for tourism purpose.
Thanks!
hello,
I have got an LOI from a reputed airline in India,and they wants me to do a short term ( 75 days )course from Madrid.
once i get it done i will be employed by them.i have also received the invitation letter from the training centre from Madrid.
My dad is sponsoring my course fee and all other expenses for the trip.He is getting a loan from a private firm for the same.
Now to apply for the visa (business) they wants the IT returns or form 16 which my dad doesnt have. He is retired and used to be an NRI.
so my query is this, what other supporting documents can i produce ? (apart from my own personal bank statement and my dads )
Please call the VFS Helpline to get clarification on this.
Hello, thanks for the informative blogpost. I’m traveling with my friend who is applying as well for a short stay tourist visa at the French embassy, however we live in different states and plan on applying at the embassy in our respective states in Nigeria rather than as a group. Is it okay if I indicate that I will be traveling with my friend in my cover letter. (Note that all hotel reservations were made in both our names)
I think this should be fine. Can you please call VFS helpline and confirm with them?
Sorry but spelling mistake – The Honourable Consulate not Honorable.
Thanks for your concern 🙂 Please have a look at this: https://wikidiff.com/honourable/honorable
Hi, i have couple of questions.
1. I would be visiting 3 Schengen countries in one trip, should i be applying for a single entry or multiple entry visa? I plan to reach France then Switzerland then Iceland which are all Schengen members.
2. I would be applying the visa at France consulate (because it is the only consulate closer to me) by showing trip to 1 country only but i plan to visit 3 later on. Once the visa is issued, can i still travel as per my plan or is it a problem? I have read that once the visa is issued, you can travel to any Schengen country.
Thanks
1. Multiple Entry Visa
2. You can but if you show one country in your itinerary and tick the multiple entry option, there are high chances that they will approve it as a single entry visa. So make your move carefully.
Hi Ashwini
Actually i researched on it meanwhile and found that single entry visa means entry to Schengen members while staying in Schengen members. It doesn’t mean single country. So as long as you are staying inside the Schengen region (it can be one country or more) without going out of this region, single visit is sufficient.
Multiple visit means for example, India to France then to UK (which is outside Schengen) then to Italy.
I agree. Thats what we had been told when we went to Sweden last year where, though we had applied for ‘Multiple entry’ visa, we were granted only a ‘Single entry’ visa. So we too went by this defination and thought we can explore Paris for a few hours in our long layover at France, but the immigration folks didn’t allow us to step out of the airport a this was a ‘Single Entry’ visa.
For the same reason, we were scared if we would be allowed inside Iceland or not. But,in Iceland, we had no problems as we had flown in from Sweden which is a Schengen country. So, I cannot guarantee that the statement holds good, as I have been a personal victim to prove that definition wrong!
Hi,
I would be travelling to three countries France, Belgium and Netherlands in September. I’m applying at the Netherlands embassy. Onward flight is from India to Paris(transfer at Doha) and return is from Amsterdam(transfer at Moscow). Can you tell me if I should take a single or multiple entry Visa?
Thanks in advance
Mulitple Entry Visa
Hi Ashwini,
I’m a first time traveller to Europe, it would really help if you could tell me the reason why I would need a multiple entry visa if all the member states I intend to visit are in the Schengen area. Also, what reason should I mention about this in the cover letter
Thanks
Please check the above comment
Sir,
I am Sudip Panday from Nepal
Will you please give your email address so that I can ask some of the personal information regarding visa application ?
Please write to us at [email protected]
Hi my mom went her son home Italy two time with my father ,now she is trying to go alone , so she is
housewife. is she can show enough money into bank for her expenses ?
Yes. She can show money in her account and can self sponsor.
Hi Ashwini!
My wife is resident of Finland and she is inviting me and my mother for a visit visa.I am currently working as Assistant Manager Mechanical engineer in a private firm and also have last 05 years ITR and all other official working documents,.I am applying through Netherlands embassy.I have some queries.
1. I book an appointment with my mother but she is paying for her whole trip she have strong bank statement,Pension slips and agricultural as well as residential property so is it fine to put my application with her? or should we apply separate as our insurance and applications are separate too.
2. Finnish embassy is not in my country and Netherlands embassy is accepting applications on behalf of Finland. So whom should i address in my cover letter? Finland embassy or Netherlands embassy?
3. About travel Itinerary,I am travelling to Finland and then we have plan to visit Sweden and i also have booked a hotel in Sweden through Agoda.com, so should we just write our visit to finland and sweden? and do we need to mention places in finland and sweden we intend to visit?
Ps. I will stay in Finland for almost 1 month and my mother will stay for 2 months.Please answer according to that In Itinerary question
Thanks,
Need your suggestions soon as i have appointment on this tuesday
Answering your question pointwise:
1. Mention in cover letter that you both are travelling together but have different sources of income which are stable and strong, hence applying separately with different set of documents but will be staying and travelling together.
2. In a similar situation, My sister applied Iceland visa last year through Denmark embassy as it is one which processes Iceland visa in our country. Her cover letter started like this. FYI, she got her visa approved in time.
July 20, 2017
The Honorable Consulate
Embassy of Denmark
11, Golf Links, New Delhi
Delhi 110003
India
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to apply for Schengen Visa to spend a holiday in two European countries – Iceland and Sweden,
this August 20 to September 2, 2017. I am applying through your Honorable Consulate Denmark as Iceland is my main destination and will be staying here maximum number of days and will be flying in and out of Reykjavik.
Myself and my wife are travelling together on this trip. Tourism is the main purpose of our visit, to see the beautiful landscapes and experience the rich culture and heritage offered by both the countries
Our detailed itinerary is attached inside. Brief itinerary would be as follows:
Arrival date | Departure date | Days | City(Country)
20 August 2017 | 21 August 2017 | 1 | Stockholm(Sweden)
21 August 2017 | 31 September 2017 11 | Reykjavik – Bruarfoss – Vik – Hof – Detifoss – Husavik – Latrabjarg -Reykjavik (Iceland)
1 September 2017 | 1 September 2017 | 1 | Reykjavik (Iceland) – Stockholm(Sweden)
……(continues)
P.S: Above itinerary was in table format. Couldn’t paste it in the same format. Please make a table.
3. I hope the above snapshot of my sister’s cover letter would have given you an idea about the answer for this question.
P.S: An invitation letter from your wife with her proof of residence must be attached with both of your documents and don’t forget to mention in the cover letter that you both are being invited by her and that the invitation doc is attached.
hello, i applied to france embassy and i got rejected today.
me and my husband planning to travel France ( Paris) and Netherland (AMsterdam) from 4th Nov to 11th Nov. i am working and i have all documents from ITR papers to work leave letter and enough funds in account.
Problem is my Husband only got 1 year ITR paper that is 2018 and he is working as share trader and handle clients but as freelancer. so how to show sponsor and what to mentioned on cover letter. who can be sponsor??? we both have funds in accounts but as he is freelancer is it going to hamper our visa decision?? can you please guide me how to make changes in our profile and get visa for france second time?? what all documents we show as to show ties to come back to home country??? i have my all bookings done. Flights and hotels all booked. i want visa to go.. please guide me
Try mentioning that you have strong family ties back here in India. Have a home and job to join back(for you) and projects to finish(for him). Otherwise, I guess, you have all req documents in place.
Hi,
I’m from Mumbai & intend to travel to the Czech Republic for a few days. I am a confused as to whom the cover letter should be addressed, should it be addressed to the Embassy in Delhi or to their Honorary Consulate in Mumbai?
Don’t think that would matter as much as the content inside the cover letter. Either one would do
Hi Ashwini
Me and my husband are planning to Go to Prague and Italy in Jan.We are applying to Prague as we are staying there for max. no of days as well as it being the country of entry.
The issue is I have been working for only 1.5 yrs and have 1 yr IT return document. Also my account shows liquid cash of 1.5 lakhs (FD of 1 lakh is there too but not liquid)
Husband only got 3 year ITR paper and also approx 3 lakh cash in account.
I am mentioning that I am working also submitting all docs(statements, NOC etc)
So whom to show as sponsor on my cover letter ?? Should I show self/joint/ husband as the sponsor on my letter?
Please let me know.
You can say that you are sponsoring yourself.
Hi. Great Post. I have dropped you an email for further queries on my solo trip to Europe coming Feb. Hope to see a response.
Thanks.
Hi , Thanks for your valuable post.
I just wanted to know one thing , do I need to download the application form from the VFS Italy and then fill it out with a Pen.
Otherwise there seems no other option, because attached is a PDF file on the website. The only option seems to be download the file and then fill it up with Pen. Can you please guide me to the correct way,
Yes, download it and take a print and fill it by hand.
Hi,
Thank you for bringing up such a wonderful post.
I have question before proceeding further for Schengen visa. I stay in Bangalore and my parents stay in Odisha. Their passports are issued recently in Odisha. Can we all apply together in Bangalore Vfs? If yes, do I need to mention that parents stays with me in Bangalore?
P:S, I have to show their bank statement as well in support to show sufficient finances.
They can apply with you I guess. Please call VFS helpline and confirm
Hi Ashwini…I read all your comments respective of all questions you gave useful tips. So helpful. Thanks.
Here is my Question……
I planning to travel with my minor kids to Malta…If i will get the Malta visa,
can i book the ticket to France to visit the places in france and return from France.
If you plan so, please mention the same in cover letter and do all the bookings. Last time, we had a 6 hour layover in Paris and officials there did not allow us to go out though France was in Schengen and said that we did nit have a multiple entry visa. So mention that in cover letter and ask for a multiple entry access.
Hi, can you please help me with ‘covering letter for long term student visa’?
I am from India and would be traveling to Italy for masters.
Can you share if any examples?
The format is the same except the itinerary in the table form. Convince them that you are going there to study with all the related documents.
Hi Ashwini, i want to apply for a Schenegen Visa from French embassy. I am travelling with a group of 9 friends. Do i need to mention their names or passport numbers in the cover letter or attach their passport copies in the documents?
Well, 9 friends. Hmm.. Don’t think its required. It’ll be too much information and can confuse the embassy officer!
Hi. I am visiting germany for a conference (business visa) and i have hotel bookings for all the days in Berlin. But if time permits i might visit france and amsterdam.Now my doubt is..do i need to mention about the probable countries i might visit in the visa application form question no.22 where the column asks for ‘Member state (s) of destination’ ?
If you are going by road to France and Amsterdam, Then I dont think you need to mention that as there will rarely be checks on the road inside Schengen area. Otherwise, I guess, you must have to.
Hi ashwini,
i’m kranthi and Am applying for Student Visa( D-Visa) to Spain. I almost Completed with my Documents part . Preparing for Cover letter and this blog really helped me . Do you have any suggestion format for Student Visa as such a Sample Cover letter. Because the program Duration will be 18 months . i dont have any Accommodation proof because i have to go and find it out. But college gave me confirmation letter saying they will provide Accommodation but they didn’t mention address in specific .Should i mention this in my Cover letter
Yes. Please mention this in the cover letter.