How to get a Schengen Visa?

It requiers some work to get a visa, especially for people going abroad for the first time. I won't be able to write about each country specifically because I don't have much knowledge. This time I will just talk about 'Schengen Visa' in general. First of all, let's have a look at the countries that belong to the Schengen area:

Countries with a Schengen Visa:

Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Liechtenstein.

You are reading the right text if you are considering going to one of those countries. Documents may differ depending on the embassy and side companies that you are applying to. Thus, I think it would be wrong to tell about exact documents. Besides, you can take a look at the embassy website and side companies to know about the exact documents. Probably, the hardest visas to get are German, Austrian and Dutch visas. They have stricter procedures if you apply from Turkey as there are a lot of Turkish immigrants. They mostly require extra documents. On the other hand, Italy has one of the easiest visa procedures after the economical crisis. They are not that strict about it as they know they need every tourist they can get.

Visa permission depends completely on the people who work at the embassy. You can exchange ideas with experienced travel companies before applying. They will inform you about the documents and procedures. The most important criteria in the embassies is genuineness. Visa is granted to the a person who has some property in Turkey, has established his or her own life and does not want to set up a new life in a foreign country. Thus, it is easier to get a visa after the age of 40's. The consulate is more interested in your current financial situation than your monthly salary income. You should not have any problem getting a visa if your documents are ready. In the case of a first visa, the consulates always make an appointment and want to discuss it. It may be really important for students to pay attention to their attitude during those interviews. If they sense some kind of negativity during the interview, they may start asking several different questions. So calm down, you are just going away for 6 months.

Summary

What to do before going to the visa appointment:

1. Check your passport validity.
2. Apply at least one month before the trip.
3. Don't apply without all the documents needed.
4. Pay attention to the kind and size of photos they are asking.
5. Be careful with getting the visa of country you are entering first.
6. Make sure you have your travel health insurance that will cover your stay.
7. Stay calm during the interview.

Here are some websites where you can apply for a visa:

• Idata
• Vizeci

I hope this information will be helpful. Wish you all the best!

Translator's Note: These information are mainly for getting visa from Turkey. But I don't think the process would differ that much for other countries. I omitted the parts were only for Turkey.

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