How to Apply a Schengen Visa? | Schengen Experience

Hello everyone, I wanted to share my Schengen visa experience here before my trip. Actually, I didn’t think I could get it before, but when I applied twice, I was able to get the visa the next day. I wanted to share this experience with you as well.

I applied through Slovakia because I had a plane ticket to Slovakia. If you’re going to apply, it’s important to apply through the country where you will be spending the most time. For example, if you’re going to Slovakia but will be spending most of your time in Poland, it’s better to apply through Poland. This was told to me by someone who works at VFS Global, and I wanted to share it here based on my own experience.

The official VFS Global website varies by country, and I’ve added the one for Slovakia below. Before you prepare your documents, be sure to check the VFS Global website for the country you’re applying to.

The official documents required may vary depending on the country, so I can’t give you a template, but I’ve included some of the most important documents from my own experience below.

The documents I carefully prepared were:

• A Cover letter (a well-written letter explaining why you’re going and describing your travel plans). It doesn’t have to be in English. Some countries accept Turkish. But I chose to prepare it in English.
• Visa application form available on the website in the documents section.
• Round-trip plane tickets
• Reservation information for where you will be staying. I made cancellation reservations through Booking.com just in case. I could cancel them at any time in case of any problems.
• They generally want to see your daily budget in €. For Slovakia, it was €57, so I calculated my € budget as STAYING DAY * 57 €. This budget varies depending on the country you’re going to.
• I got health insurance. I got a one-year policy in case I apply again. You can get this online from companies like Anadolu Sigorta, and you just need to print out the documents. I presented them in Turkish.
• Then I added the other documents they mentioned on the website, such as criminal record, residence permit, etc.

I submitted my documents and started the process.

The visa fee was €80, and I paid an additional €16 for VFS Global service fees. The fees may vary depending on the period. If you want it to be shipped to your address, there’s an extra fee of around €10. You can also receive it in person without paying. I paid this fee in cash and in euros.

My visa was issued the next day. This is my personal experience, and I had no previous Schengen visa history. I hope everyone who applies will have a positive result. I would definitely appeal and try my luck again if I were rejected. Of course, you can guarantee your chances by working with an agency, but personal experiences like this are more important to me.

Thank you!

See you🤗!

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