Documents for schengen visa information for some nationalities, including Philippines

[NoQ]

For Philippine citizens (and no doubt others of certain nationality) not residing in Europe, the visa situation is a total pain. I've just submitted another application for my wife (Philippine citizen) for a tourist visa and this is what the embassy in HK requested (after sending us back for more documents than we initially brought with us)...

1. A completed visa application form.
2. A recent passport photo with a light background.
3. Passport, plus passport copy and copies of old passports with previous schengen visas. The old passports also had to shown, but were not kept.
4. Passport copy of husband if European.
5. ID card and copy. (ID card returned)
6. ID card of husband and copy. (ID card returned)
7. Insurance policy. In spite of having a good worldwide BUPA policy, they wanted a specific policy for Schengen visa so we bought an AXA policy.
8. Bank statements for last 6 months.
9. Husband's bank statements for last six months if husband is paying for visit.
10. Copies of travel reservations (we submitted return flight details to / from Madrid, Alsa bus ticket from Madrid, and flight ticket from SdC to Madrid).
11. Copy of contract of employment, with full salary details (or if a housewife a copy of husband's employment contract).
12. Copy of tenancy agreement.
13. A letter detailing reasons for visit and explaining who will pay all costs.
14. A full itinerary, including complete reservations.
15. Marriage certificate plus copy.

Vias fee - Free (!) if husband / wife is European.

Point number 14 took ages to work out, but we did it by using booking.com and writing to places where there was no online booking agency. It holds you to an itinerary, which is kind of the antithesis of the Camino, but at least it means you can take it easy over stages and know a bed has been reserved / paid for already. We are going to stay in hostales this summer Camino anyway, but most of the places on booking.com can be cancelled in advance once the visa has been issued. Though I'm not sure as to the ethics of this one.

So basically, it's a complete pain and takes absolutely ages to sort out and we are seriously considering petitioning the pilgrim office in SdC to issue a special certificate for those of us that have to go through all this bureaucracy and have actually succeeded.

 

[naplesdon]

Is this just for 3 months or an extended stay?

 

[NoQ]

All this for just a 3 month tourist visa.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I think once you submit your itinerary, you are not compelled to stick to it. Once you are in spain, you can cancel and rebook lodgings via booking.com. Usually, if you cancel within 3 days there is no fee. I use them all year.

 

[NicoZ]

Once you are in spain, you can cancel and rebook lodgings via booking.com. Usually, if you cancel within 3 days there is no fee. I use them all year.

You just need to make sure when you intially book that it allows cancellation . Many places offer free cancellation but others precharge. Others charge part of the stay. Some charge the first night.

 

[hikingmd_05]

I' m a Philippine resident with previous Schengen visas issued from Manila. I complied with almost the same requirements as yours. Incomplete applications wont be accepted with the visa fee not refunded. Like what was previously stated by others, I opted to utilize a hotel reservation (booking.com) with a free cancellation policy & cancelled the reservation once I got my passport with the Schengen visa. The validity of the visa starts on the day of arrival in Europe. The date of expiration of the visa will depend on the date of departure from Europe. That's why a detailed itinerary is required before a 3 month-multiple entry visa is granted. A personal appearance to the embassy is required. The questions asked are usually based on what was written in the application. The applicant's answers must jibe to what were written in the application form. Biometrics will also be done on the applicant.
That's why when the time will come when I'll appear before the Embassy of Spain for my camino, I'll try to convince the consul to grant me an exception to the 3 month visa because I plan to do my camino in 3 stages and with the consul's help, my dream of completing my own camino in 3 stages within 5 years would materialize.
Happy planning!

For Philippine citizens (and no doubt others of certain nationality) not residing in Europe, the visa situation is a total pain. I've just submitted another application for my wife (Philippine citizen) for a tourist visa and this is what the embassy in HK requested (after sending us back for more documents than we initially brought with us)...

1. A completed visa application form.
2. A recent passport photo with a light background.
3. Passport, plus passport copy and copies of old passports with previous schengen visas. The old passports also had to shown, but were not kept.
4. Passport copy of husband if European.
5. ID card and copy. (ID card returned)
6. ID card of husband and copy. (ID card returned)
7. Insurance policy. In spite of having a good worldwide BUPA policy, they wanted a specific policy for Schengen visa so we bought an AXA policy.
8. Bank statements for last 6 months.
9. Husband's bank statements for last six months if husband is paying for visit.
10. Copies of travel reservations (we submitted return flight details to / from Madrid, Alsa bus ticket from Madrid, and flight ticket from SdC to Madrid).
11. Copy of contract of employment, with full salary details (or if a housewife a copy of husband's employment contract).
12. Copy of tenancy agreement.
13. A letter detailing reasons for visit and explaining who will pay all costs.
14. A full itinerary, including complete reservations.
15. Marriage certificate plus copy.

Vias fee - Free (!) if husband / wife is European.

Point number 14 took ages to work out, but we did it by using booking.com and writing to places where there was no online booking agency. It holds you to an itinerary, which is kind of the antithesis of the Camino, but at least it means you can take it easy over stages and know a bed has been reserved / paid for already. We are going to stay in hostales this summer Camino anyway, but most of the places on booking.com can be cancelled in advance once the visa has been issued. Though I'm not sure as to the ethics of this one.

So basically, it's a complete pain and takes absolutely ages to sort out and we are seriously considering petitioning the pilgrim office in SdC to issue a special certificate for those of us that have to go through all this bureaucracy and have actually succeeded.

 

[Francois Hugo]

South africans also need shengen visa. They were however happy to accept compostella issued by local st james organisation, dropping the requirement for pre arranged accommodation. I suspect the rules will be standard accross countries.

 

[NoQ]

I think once you submit your itinerary, you are not compelled to stick to it. Once you are in spain, you can cancel and rebook lodgings via booking.com. Usually, if you cancel within 3 days there is no fee. I use them all year.

Yes, booking.com is a great site, though there were some gaps and I contacted some places directly for confirmed reservations (Via Trajana in Calzadilla, La Escuela in Laguna - just before O Cebreiro as the places I contacted in O Cebreiro said they were already full, Complexo Xacobeo in Triacastela and Pension Rua in Arzua). I definitely don't think it is fair to cancel places I booked direct just so I could get a visa sorted for the wife. However, I guess a fake itinerary with, say, 4 days in Madrid, 4 days in Cuenca, 4 days in Teruel etc etc would be a lot easier to negotiate.

 

[NoQ]

I' m a Philippine resident with previous Schengen visas issued from Manila. I complied with almost the same requirements as yours. Incomplete applications wont be accepted with the visa fee not refunded. Like what was previously stated by others, I opted to utilize a hotel reservation (booking.com) with a free cancellation policy & cancelled the reservation once I got my passport with the Schengen visa. The validity of the visa starts on the day of arrival in Europe. The date of expiration of the visa will depend on the date of departure from Europe. That's why a detailed itinerary is required before a 3 month-multiple entry visa is granted. A personal appearance to the embassy is required. The questions asked are usually based on what was written in the application. The applicant's answers must jibe to what were written in the application form. Biometrics will also be done on the applicant.
That's why when the time will come when I'll appear before the Embassy of Spain for my camino, I'll try to convince the consul to grant me an exception to the 3 month visa because I plan to do my camino in 3 stages and with the consul's help, my dream of completing my own camino in 3 stages within 5 years would materialize.
Happy planning!

Thanks and the very best of luck with your request. Fortunately they didn't charge for incomplete documents as the visa is free anyway. But sorry to say that the Philippine passport must be one of the most hopeless passports on the planet for travel (apart from to Asean destinations, Macau and Sri Lanka) as it's an almost similar palava for so many places. Lovely country once out of Manila, lovely people, but crazy bureaucracy and so many obstacles.

 

[hikingmd_05]

I came across to this article regarding the unfortunate experience of a renowned orthopedic surgeon in Ghana whose Schengen visa application lodged at the embassy of Spain in Accra was not granted. I hope his experience won't be experienced by pilgrims from Asia, Africa n other countries.
The application of the Shengen visa of a friend, who was a first time traveller outside the Philippines, lodged at the embassy of Spain in Manila last year was reconsidered after she was required to present a letter stating her reason why should she be given a visa.


http://graphic.com.gh/features/opinion/43976-letter-to-the-spanish-embassy-in-ghana.html