How to Apply for a Schengen Visa in the Philippines

by Shawi Cortez

  
Previously, I wrote about my boo-boos when I applied for a Schengen visa in the French Embassy. Here, we take another look on how to apply for a Schengen visa, but in the Austrian Embassy.

The Austrian Embassy is discouraging applicants to have their visa application processed by travel agencies, as they have higher risks of refusal.

The visa application has to be filed in person, with all the authentic documents in hand.

When I applied for a Schengen visa last year (2012), I only had to request an appointment through an email.

However, in a recent visit to their website, they have implemented a new system if you wish to schedule for an appointment. To book an appointment online, please visit https://appointment.bmeia.gv.at/?Office=Manila

What are the requirements for a Schengen visa?

After successfully booking an appointment, prepare the following documents to bring with you:

1. Application form completed & signed by applicant or legal guardian

2. Passport (+ photocopy of data page and previous Schengen visa) valid 6 months beyond expiration of requested visa and with at least one blank page to affix it

3. Old (expired) passports

4. 2 recent & identical color photographs
35mm x 45mm in dimension, well contrasted, frontal facial view, neutral facial expression, mouth closed.

5. Marriage certificate, if applicable + photocopy

6. Flight reservation, corresponding to intended duration of stay stated on the application

7. All-risk travel insurance + photocopy, valid for all EU-countries, Norway and Switzerland, with a minimum medical coverage of Euros 30.000,--, and valid for 15 days beyond your travel itinerary.

Be informed that you may be asked by the immigration authority to present a valid insurance policy upon arrival.

Apart from all major insurance companies in Austria, the following Philippine carriers are accepted (in no particular order & subject to change without notice):
- Fortune General Insurance Corp.
- Federal Phoenix Assurance Co.
- Blue Cross
- EVEREST Int’l Group Admins.
- MAPFRE
- MAA Insurance
- Paramount Life & General Insurance Co.
- World Wide Travel Insurance Plans
- PNB General Insurers Co., Inc.
- ACE Secure
- Malayan Insurance
- BPI
- MS Insurance Corp.
- Standard Insurance Co.
- ASSIST Card
- UCPB General Insurance Co.,Inc.
- CHARTIS Philippines Insurance, Inc. (for Travel Guard, formerly AIG Assist Travel Plans)

8. Proof of accommodation at your travel destination(s)
e. g. hotel reservation(s), lease agreement of host, extract from land register of host

9. Sufficient financial means
- bank certificate, recent
- bank book dating back one year + photocopy
- proof of employment
- leave of absence, approved by employer
- pay slips of previous 6 months + photocopies
- business license (in case of self-employment) + photocopy
- tax statement for the previous year + photocopy

10. Consular fee in cash, non-refundable and payable upon submission of application
(please provide exact amount)

How much is the Schengen visa processing fee?

€60, payable in cash, depending on the prevailing Peso rate.

Any suggestions on what to wear to the interview?

Smart casual. You don't have to overdo it, other applicants even came in jeans.

What do I expect during the interview?

Compared to my French embassy Schengen visa application, my interview here was more relaxed. Perhaps due to the Austrian's hospitable culture, they are more interested in relationships. The ones who came before me were asked personal questions. When it was my turn, I was asked about how I was related to my sponsor host.

Are the interviewers strict and scary?

After my experience with the French Embassy, I made sure that I brought all my documents. Austrian embassy is not really strict with that. The interviewer even returned some of my papers, saying "Nah, we don't need that." I only had one missing document (my host's residence permit), and he said, "I'm gonnna give you a Request for Amendment, you can just send that to us through email within a week. Once it's in, that's when we start processing. You don't need to come back to submit it."

How long does it take for the Schengen visa to be released?

5 working days. Part of the suspense here is that they don't tell you if you've been approved or denied. When I received a call from the Austrian Embassy, all they said was that my passport was ready for pickup. I had to wait until my passport was actually in my hands, and I had to leaf through the pages to find my coveted Schengen Visa.

Any further suggestions?

Lessen your chances of getting denied: Like most embassies I guess, you have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that you intend to come back to your homeland, and not overstay in their country.

General Information

Here are downloadable forms from the official website of the Austrian Embassy for more information on Schengen visa requirements:

Schengen Visa Form (doc, 237.5 kb)

 Visa Requirements Austrian Embassy 2012 (pdf, 246.25 kb)

General Information on Schengen Visa (pdf, 21.79 kb)

Read More

You Know You're in Europe When...

Whichever part of Europe you visit, there will always be these mainstays. You know you're in Europe when you are surrounded by the following...

Read More

Germany: How to Pour German Beer Like a Local

Earlier, I promised you a video of a friend attempting to pour herself a glass of beer. Here it is!







Don't you just adore her? 


Listen to her spiels:


"I can be German you know"


"I am a genuine German girl now"

@--->------

Thanks Teacher Nancy for this precious video!

Read More

Frankfurt: How to Be a German for a Day

They say, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". But let's not. Let's do as the Germans do!

Let's get out of the tourist trail for a while and pretend we're locals. Here are seven things you can do to, ahem, fool others that you blend in. Frankfurt has the highest percentage of immigrants in Germany (at 35%) anyways, so locals won't be able to tell if you're one of them or not. ;)

1. Scarf Down Some Bratwurst. 

In English, grab yourself some sausages. I had mine at some stall downtown. They serve it on a bread which, for me, was a bit on the tough side that I wanted to ask, "Are these for people or for birds?" 

Considering it's called "fast food", good luck eating it fast enough. If you think you'll have problems chowing down the entire thing in 5 minutes, then you better request them to slice your "wurst" in bite size pieces. They'd gladly serve it in a paper plate for you.

my rindwurst on a really tough bread

grilling those mouthwatering sausages

2. Earn from plastics.

Yeah, you know if there's one thing that Ilocanos and Germans have in common, it would be frugality. 

Unwasteful. In Germany, you could even convert your trash into cash! Whenever buying softdrinks in the grocery, keep an eye on those PET bottles with an icon of bottles with a curved arrow pointing to the left. Purchasing these specially marked containers mean that you have "topped up" 50 eurocents to it. It therefore encourages you to return or recycle the bottles to get back your fund. 

look for this refund icon

A trip to the recycling machine is also an amusing experience. Once you put the bottles in, the machine scans the barcode, and prints a receipt which you can show at the checkout counter. Your refund is automatically deducted from your total purchases. Hm, I forgot to ask if you can literally cash it in.

3. Own a cuckoo clock.

Sorry Switzerland, but you do not own the cuckoo clock. Word has it that the original was built in Black Forest (nope, not the cake!), Germany.

a more modern cuckoo clock

4. Save on communication. SMS, don't call.

For only 15 eurocents, your call can go a long way, erm, in short message sending. Public phones here not only allow you to make a voice call, NOW you can send your contacts a text message! 

public phones

yes, you can SMS in a public phone!

5. Bike your way to the mall.

If only to save more on transport costs, Frankfurt is one of the bike-friendly cities. They're so friendly you can even park them inside the malls! 

bike, bike baby!

park your bikes in the mall

6. Have wheatbread and emmental cheese for breakfast.

My hosts told me that local women who wish to shed off a few extra pounds polish off some wheat bread (vollkornbrot). They come in discs or squares and are compact and with a moist but crumbly texture.

the brot (bread) with some Käse

vollkornbrot = wholemeal bread

My guess is that pairing it with cheese will defeat the purpose. What do you think?

7. Pedal your way to a mug of beer.

Alright, so this is more of a touristy thing to do. Maybe the local thing to do would be to learn how to pour yourself a glass of beer.

pedal for a beer

In the next post, I will share a videoclip of my Filipino-American friend attempting and succeeding in pouring herself some ;)

Read More

EUROLINES Bus Stations: Are Their Facilities Traveler-Friendly?

After having been to eight (8) European countries via Eurolines bus, I have seen enough of their bus stations to be able to give you a rundown on what to expect. Some are just traveler friendly, others are harsh. Read on to find out.

Read More

Budget Travel Around Europe using EUROLINES PASS: Your Guide to a Pleasant Bus Journey

Once you have purchased your Pass online, make sure you print it before leaving home. 

Book your first journey at least a day ahead of your scheduled travel. Eurolines stations usually has one window for sales/booking, and two windows for check-in. 

Get your ticket from the Sales window. They shall print out your ticket for the journey.

Read More

Budget Europe: Getting Around European Countries

If you're planning to backpack around several European countries, the cheap options you have for travel are:

1. Eurail (train pass for international travelers)

2. Cheap flights (easyjet or ryanair)

3. Bus

Taking the bus is usually the last thing in mind for most backpackers, but it was the simplest option for me.

Read More