Saturday, March 08, 2014

How to Apply for Schengen (France) Visa as Philippine Passport Holder

The quest to visit all Schengen Member States 2013-2024 as Pinoy Solo Backpacker

* maximum of 6 months validity after issuance with period of stay of under 90 days
Schengen visa is a special document that allows a Schengen visa holder to travel freely within the 26 Schengen zone (European Countries) member states. Apply for the Schengen visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the Schengen country where you spend the most time.
26 members of the Schengen Agreement are (1)Austria(2)Belgium(3)Czech Republic(4)Denmark(5)Estonia, (6)Finland(7)France(8)Germany(9)Greece(10)Hungary(11)Iceland(12)Italy(13)Latvia(14)Lithuania(15)Liechtenstein(16)Luxembourg(17)Malta(18)Netherlands(19)Norway(20)Poland(21)Portugal(22)Slovakia(23)Slovenia(24)Spain(25)Sweden and (26)Switzerland.
* A “Schengen visa” is required to visit one or more of these Member States. This visa is valid in all Schengen states for a stay of up to 90 days within a six-month period for a visit, tourism or business only, but not for employment or family reunification purposes.
* If you get a multiple entry Schengen visa, you may leave and return any number of times within the 180-day period, but the combined stay within the region must not total more than 90 days. Important is the date of the actual entry, not the beginning of the visa validity. 
Valid Schengen Visa holders of most of the nationalities can transit/visit other European countries of (1)Albania(2)Bosnia and Herzegovina(3)Bulgaria(4)Croatia(5)Cyprus(6)North Macedonia(7)Montenegro(8)Romania(9)Serbia(10)San Marino and (11)Moldova. Some of these countries provide maximum 15-days stay in any period given in the Schengen Visa duration.

Schengen States visa applied in France Embassy (Oct. to Dec. 2013)


coverage map of Schengen visa

APPLYING FOR SCHENGEN VISA AS ORDINARY CITIZEN IN THE PHILIPPINES
Warning: Applicants submitting incomplete files are at a high risk of denial
http://www.ambafrance-ph.org/Visas,1261

requirements:
1. Signed application for Schengen visa form with photo (35mm x 45mm, white background, Absolutely no eyewear and headgear in any form) + 1 extra photo.
2. Valid passport (3 months' validity from the end of approved duration stay) and Photocopy of valid and former visas
3. Cover letter explaining the purpose of your trip as well as dates and places to be visited
4. Details about the trip: (1) Proof of accommodations, (2) round trip flight ticket booking (please do not purchase your ticket unless visa is granted) and (3) complete itinerary with departure and return dates
5. Proof of employment (if any): Certificate of employment with monthly salary and leave of absence approved by employer and if self employed, official business registration for current and previous year.
6. Proof of income : (1) income tax return from previous year, where applicable, (2) recent bank certification and (3) photocopy of the last three months statement of account of the same bank account
7. Identity / Marital status: (1) photocopy of the first page of your valid passport and all relevant obtained visas, (2) If married: photocopy of your marriage contract and birth certificate authenticated by the NSO. If single: photocopy of your birth certificate authenticated by the NSO. For minors, notarized affidavit from one or both parents if they don’t travel with the child
8. An international insurance (medical expenses and repatriation) covering the entire period of the person’s intended stay and valid for all Schengen states. Minimum coverage should be EUR 30,000.


France embassy in Makati city, Philippines

appointments:
may be set (1) by phone (857 69 24) between 2:00pm to 4:00, Mondays thru Thursdays; or (2) via email (visa.ambafrance.manille@gmail.com) Kindly provide the name of the applicant, email address and/or contact number as well as the purpose of the trip. Appointments made through email must be confirmed either by an email reply or a by a phone call from the visa section. Please wait for this confirmation before coming to the embassy.

address:
16/F Pacific Star Bldg Makati ave cor Sen Gil Puyat ave Makati City
Tel. 857 69 00 – Fax 857 69 51

visa fee:
Fees are non refundable and are to be settled in cash, in Philippine pesos based on the prevailing embassy exchange rate at the time of application. Applicants must bring the exact amount on the day of their interview. €60 (php3,600)


combining 10 states with France as the airport of entry (UTC 01:00)

visiting the 9 Europe countries (October 2013)


backpacking 14 countries with Germany (Frankfurt) as the airport of entry/exit (UTC +0200H)

sightseeing the fridge magnet collections Europe 2015

AS AN OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKER IN STATE OF KUWAIT
Original documents must be presented with a photocopy. 
http://www.capago.eu/FR-KW/index.php/en/gb-your-visa/gb-steps-to-make-visa

I chose France as my country to spend most of my travel time due to the following reasons;
1. France has an average list of visa requirements
2. France has lots of major tourist spots to conquer
3. Paris flight is available in all major international airlines worldwide

requirements:
1. Signed passport; valid for at least another 6 months after visa expiry date. visa for final country of destination (if applicable)
2. Proof of residence; copy of civil ID and Kuwait residence valid from at least 3 months from date of departure from the Schengen visa.
3. One application form filled in completely.
- I filled up the online form, much presentable and recommended.
4. Two photos (3.5 cm X 4.5 cm size should not be older than 6 months) with a white background.

- 8 photos at any photo studio at a price of 1.5 KWD
5. Proof of employment; original salary statement stating full name, position, date of engagement & salary. 

6. Work Permit Certificate
- (N/A if working in Ministry/government)
7. Proof of funds; current salary bank statement for the last 6 months
- applied on over the counter at NBK (2-pages costs 2 KWD). 
8. Confirmed hotel reservation (Confirmed booking ticket; Embassy will not accept voucher) with full address of the hotel, i.e. name of the hotel, street & street no., zip code and city or invitation (private, business).
- I booked all of my accommodation via hostelbooker.com with no booking charges (confirmed total booking fee of 14.85 KWD).
9. Proof of Transport; original of your roundtrip flight ticket (leaving & returning to Kuwait). If you plan to visit many countries, you need to provide the WHOLE ITINERARY of your trip (details of transportation used).
- My flights include KWI to CDG via Kuwait Airways, FCO to TLV via EasyJet, TLV to KWI via Turkish Airlines (confirmed total roundtrip ticket price of 100.6 KWD). My submitted do-it-yourself itinerary for 23-days on 4 countries of Schengen States.
10. health insurance policy with a minimum coverage 30,000 Euro. The medical insurance must issue a one-page statement specifying: policy number, name of insured person, validity and schedule of benefits.
- I availed the Al-Ahleia Insurance for only 19.5 KWD on 6-months duration starting from departure date. 
11. Proof of payment of Capago service fees.
- paid via K-NET during appointment for 36.205 KWD with passport delivery service

CAPAGO new office in Kuwait (for France Embassy)

Schengen visa photo standard size (45mm x 35mm) (left) travel insurance for Schengen visa requirement (right)

appointments (Sunday to Thursday only):
For submission of the visa applications     :     08:30 AM to 04:30 PM
For collection of the passports     :     10:00 AM to 04:30 PM
Call center :     09:00 AM to 05:00 @
+965 2227 0555 infofrance-kwi@capago.eu

address:
Al Raya Mall, Tower 1 26 th floor, Alshuhad Street, Sharq, Kuwait City 

visa fee (CAPAGO):
Visa fee per application       8.65KWD
Delivery (door to door)        5KWD
Short Stay visa                    22.55KWD (1-90 days on 6 mo. period) 


BREAKDOWN OF EXPENSES FOR VISA REQ'MTS;


photo (3.5cm x 4.5 cm) 2 KWD
bank certificate (statement of account) 2 KWD
confirmed hostel bookings (all places) 14.85 KWD
confirmed roundtrip flights (all flights) 100.6 KWD
travel insurance (30,000 Euro minimum) 19.5 KWD
visa fee (CAPAGO standard fee) 36.205 KWD
TOTAL: 175.156 KWD($613.05)


5 comments:

  1. hi sir pwede ba kumuha ng schengen visa kahit walang itinerary for future visit lang like a year pa?? thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @jimmusan; nope, I think it is essential especially kung more than 1 country ang bibisitahin mo.

      Delete
  2. Well written blog. Everything is clear and concise. It helped immensely as I didn't have any idea on applying for Visas for myself and my spouse. We were planning to visit Denmark next month. Thank you France Visa Appointment

    ReplyDelete
  3. I couldn’t believe this post would be a solution to my problem. Was unable to find the right path on how to get the Portugal Visa Appointment. But I finally got the information that I needed. Kudos to the team.

    ReplyDelete

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