The first time I applied for a Schengen Visa was not complicated.

Many people in the developing countries like the Philippines have a hard time applying for a Schengen visa for some reasons. In my opinion, this happens due to inconsistencies in the declared information of the applicant and the lack of knowledge on how to correctly process it. Of course you have to bear in mind that the Embassies are keen in knowing how you will survive in your destination. In general, the visa officer processing your documents will have to look at the following:

• Your personal background as a visa applicant
• Your financial capacity
• Your main purpose to your destination

Applying for a Schengen Visa is not so complicated provided you know exactly what you need to provide before you submit your visa application to the Embassy.

I will discuss how I did my application in my next post. For now, lets have an overview of the Schengen Visa.

A Schengen visa is issued to a traveler in lieu of the following:

• an intended stay in the territory of the Schengen States of a duration of no more than 90 days in any 180 days period (“short stay visa”),
• a transit through the international transit areas of airports of the Schengen States (“airport transit visa”).

If you are outside the EU, you can apply for a Schengen Visa in your home country in the Embassy of your target destination or an appointed organization by the country of destination to process your visa.

If you are non-EU citizen, you may need to book your flight to arrive directly in your country of destination unless it is specified in your visa application that you are allowed transit to other EU countries. I might have missed on this ( I will explain in my next post).