It’s not about the destination. It’s about the journey
It has been a long time I didn’t update this blog since 2012. It almost 7 years from my last post in 2012. In this time, I will try to make every post written in English instead of Bahasa in order to increase my English skill (LoL :D). So, let’s talk about the Schengen Visa !
What is Schengen Visa?
Schengen visa is a visa that can gives you free access to 26 countries in Europe. Duration of stay is 90 days in 6 months period for tourist and business purpose. But please take a note that, not all European Union Countries can accept this visa. Only 22 of 28 EU Countries accept this visa, and 4 others countries who accept this visa is non-European Union.
Schengen Area
Who are members of schengen area? List of those countries are:
The European Union
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden
The Non-European Union
Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland
For application of Schengen Visa, you can apply it in any countries on above list. But you need to choose 1 country where you will apply your visa. To choose which country, you have 2 options:
- Select the country that will be your primary/main destination or the country that you spend the longest times/days in your trip (proof by travel itinerary and booking of accommodation) .
- Select the country that become your first entry in schengen area (Country where your airplane will be landed in schengen area)
Because I will spend my longest time in this trip in Netherlands, so I applied Schengen Visa via Netherlands. Since July 1st, 2016, its not possible to submit visa application in Netherlands embassy or consulate in Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan. The Netherlands’s Embassy has contracted out visa application process through external agency provider, VFS Global.
Step for Applying Schengen Visa
A. Prepare Related Document
First step that you need to do for applying schegen visa is preparation of related documents. What are the required documents? you can see the official completed check list required document in this link. As general, the required documents are:
1. A complete and signed Schengen Visa Application Form
You need to fulfill all of the questions in this document. For easy way to fill this document, Embassy of Netherlands provides a guideline and adviser in their website in this link. Its better to follow their guideline to prevent any mistake during filling this document. Follow this instruction how to fill their guideline.
Duration of intended stay in the Schengen Area : 90 days or less
Nationality : Indonesia
Type of Travel Document : Normal Passport
Do you have a family member who is an EU, EEA or Swiss Citizen : No
Country of application : Indonesia
After fill that, you need to click “Check Advice”. It will brings you to the page that show “Yes, you do need a visa” for your trip as image below. On that page, you need to click “Start Application” and it will bring you to application form guideline.
Basically, adviser application in Embassy of Netherlands’s website will guide you on each step of filling this document. If you are not using this website to fill your application form, you can follow this below reference to fill it.
- Surname (Family Name): Fill it with your last name as stated in Identity Card or Passport.
For example : Muhammad Budi Setiawan. Surname will be “Setiawan” - Surname at Birth (Former Family Name): left it with blank for Indonesian
- First Name(s) (Given Name(s)) (x): Fill it with your first and middle name.
For example : Muhammad Budi Setiawan. First name will be “Muhammad Budi” - Date of Birth (day-month-year): Fill it with your date of birth as stated in passport
- Place of Birth: Fill it with your place of birth as stated in passport
- Country of Birth: Fill it with country where you were born.
- Current Nationality: Fill it with your nationality.
- Sex: Fill it with your gender (Male of Female)
- Marital Status : Fill it with status of your marriage (single, married, separated, divorced, etc)
- In The Case of Minors: Fill it if you bring your child/children during your trip.
- National Identity Number: Fill it with your KTP’s number.
- Type of Travel Document: Fill it with “Tourist” if your purpose is for tourism.
- Number of Travel Document: Fill it with your passport number. Please don’t make any mistake on typing your passport number.
- Date of Issue: Fill it with the date when your passport was issued.
- Valid Until: Fill it with the date when your passport will be expired.
- Issued By: Fill it with Institution who publish your passport. I filled it with “Jakarta Immigration Office”
- Applicant’s Home Address: Fill it with your address as stated in your National Identity Card (KTP)
- Residence in A Country Other than The Country of Current Nationality? : Fill it with the country’s name if you are not living in your nationality’s country. Left blank if you live in your nationality’s country.
- Current Occupation: Fill it with your position in you office, or your current job. You can fill with “entrepreneur” if you’are an business man.
- Employer and Employer’s Address and Telephone Number: Fill it with your office’s address. if you are entrepreneur or home based worker, you can fill it with your home address.
- Main Purposes(s) of The Journey: Fill it with your purpose to visit schengen area. It can be tourism, business, visiting family or etc.
- Member State(s) of Destination: Fill it with the name of each country that you will visit in your trip. I filled it with Netherlands, Switzerland, Czech Republic and France.
- Member State of First Entry: Fill it with the name of country where you will enter schengen area at first. I filled it Switzerland because my plane will be landed in Zurich on my trip.
- Number of Entries Requested: Fill with how many entries that you need in your passport. If you only visit schengen area, you can choose “single entry”. If you have a plan to visit another country outside schengen area, and then back again to schengen area, you need “double entry”. But pratically, you can select “Multiple Entry” if you have a plan to visit schengen area again someday, so you don’t need visa application again.
- Duration of The Intended Stay or Transit: Fill it with how many days you will stay in schengen area in your trip.
- Schengen Visas Issued during The Past Three Years? If you ever get schengen visa at once, fill it with “Yes”. If you never get any schengen visa, fill “No”. I filled with “No” because I’ve never get any schengen visa before.
- Fingerprints Collected Previously for The Purpose of Applying for A Schengen Visa? Fill with “Yes” if you ever collect collect your fingerprint’s data before. If no, you should fill it with “No”.
- Entry Permit for The Final Country of Destination: Fill it with “Yes” or “No” entry permit of your final destination after leaving schengen area. If you directly go back to your home country or any country that doesn’t need visa for your passport, you just left it blank.
- Intended Date of Arrival in The Schengen Area: Fill it with the date of your arrival time in schengen area.
- Intended Date of Departure from The Schengen Area: Fill it with your departure date when leaving schengen area.
- Surname and First Name of The Inviting Person(s) in The Member State(s). If Not Applicable, Name of Hotel(s) or Temporary Accommodation(s) in The Member State(s): Fill it with your hotel’s name and contact information if you don’t have any family or inviting person in schengen area.
- Surname, First Name, Address, Telephone, Telefax, and E-mail Address of Contact Person in Company/Organisation: Fill it with your hotel’s address, contact number and email.
- Cost of Travelling and Living during The Applicant’s Stay is Covered: You can fill it more than one option for your covering cost during your trip. I filled it with “Cash” and “Credit Card”. If you have already booked your accommodation and transportation before your trip, you can select also “Pre-paid Accommodation” and “Pre-paid Transport”.
- Personal Data of The Family Member Who is An EU, EEA or CH Citizen: Fill it with blank if you don’t have any family members in EU, EEA or CH.
- Family Relationship with An EU, EEA or CH Citizen: Fill it with blank also you filled No. 34 with blank.
- Place and Date: Fill it with place and date where you fill this application form.
- Signature: Put your signature same as your signature in your passport.
2. Passport and a copy of personal detail page and any previous issued visa. And also any previous passport and it’s previously issued visa.
The most important thing for related document is your passport. Your passport must be valid at least for 6 months later, and should has at least 2 free page on your passport. You should copy your personal identity page and all visa/stamp on your passport. If you have previous passport, you should copy personal identity page and all visa/stamp on your previously passport. You can’t take your passport during visa application process.
3. Evidence of legal residence in the country you are applying from
For this document you can submit your National Identity Card (KTP) and Family Card (KK). Its better to translate you KTP and KK into english. You can see the example in this link.
4. A photo
You need to submit 1 printed photo with 35 mm x 45 mm sized. Your photo must follow Dutch photo requirement. You photo shall be not blur, focus, neutral background color (withe or light grey), no smile and etc. You can see photo specificaion in this link. if you don’t have time to prepare your photo before, don’t be afraid. In VFS, they provide photo studio service. it cost around IDR 50.000,-
5. Travel Itinerary
Travel itinerary is a must when you are applying schengen visa. Your travel itinerary should contain every date and day of your trip, your accommodation for each night, detail of place/country that you will visit, and your transportation. You can see my sample intinerary in this link.
6. A visa, passport or other travel documents which gives entry to your final destination after your visit to Schengen
If you have any planning to visit others countries outside schengen area and you need visa, you should attached the copy of visa for that country. If you directly go back to your home country or you visit country that doesn’t require visa, so you don’t need to submit this document.
7. Health Insurance
To choose the health insurance company, I found it so confusing. There are many insurance company that provide travel insurance for schengen area application. You can buy it offline or online with various price, benefit and covering scope. Health insurance must cover at least EUR 30.000 and must be valid on duration of your total days on your trip. If your duration trip is for 10 days, so your insurance should cover at least 10 days starting from your arrival date to schengen area and your departure date leaving schengen area.
At that time, I choose to purchase travel insurance to Tokio Marine Insurance (Travel Partner Insurance Program). You can buy it online here. I choose it because they provide the cheapest price among others. I took the “Gold Plan” and “Duo” package”. There is a discount when you combine policy of 2 peoples in 1 policy. And also they provide 20% discount for online purchased. So I cost IDR 368.000,- for 2 peoples. It means only IDR 184.000,- for each people for 12 days stay duration.
8. Documents proving that you will return to your own country after your trip
For this document, you can use Statement Letter from your company if you’re employee that describe you are employee of that company and you will return to work at company after your trip/holiday has been finished.
If you are a student, you can ask confirmation letter from your school or university that state you are a student of that school, and will return to study after your trip. If you are not working or self-employee, you can use your statement of business work (SIUP)
9. Documents proving your visit is for tourist purpose
To convince the embassy that your purpose to their countries is for tourism purpose, you need to submit below documents:
- Bank Statement
Bank statement contains of Reference Letter and Transaction Letter (Rekening Koran) at least for last 3 months. I use my Mandiri account for this document. For Reference Letter, it cost IDR 50.000,- and will be finish after 2 days. For Transaction letter, it cost IDR 2.500,- per page - Flight Ticket or Booking
For flight ticket, you can use dummy ticket that can be canceled anytime depend on condition. For me, I’ve already got the ticket with Etihad Airways that has been purchased due to promotion event 😛 - Hotel Reservation
For this hotel reservation, I use booking.com to book my hotel during my trip. Please remember, accommodation or hotel reservation should cover total days of duration on your trip. Don’t miss any day without hotel reservation! In booking.com, you can reserve a hotel without prepayment and can be canceled anytime (depend on condition). when you’re searching a hotel, dont forget to select “Free Cancelation” and “No Prepayment”. Some hotel may require credit card to guarantee your booking, but you will not charge until you come to the hotel or depend payment condition. After visa granted, don’t forget to cancel your hotel reservation to prevent charging of your credit card. And please also take a note of cancellation policy of the hotel.
B. Make Appointment
After collecting all required document, next step that you need to do is making appointment to submit you application in VFS Global. Please take a note that submitting document is only available on 3 months before your departure time (not more). If your submitting date beyond 3 months of your departure date, you will be asked to change your appointment date. So, make sure you appointment date has already in 3 months before your departure. There are 3 offices of VFS global where you submit your application. They are in Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan. You can start to make appointment in this link. If you are a first time user, you need to register first in their website. If you’re not, you can just login to their website and make an appointment.
- Select “Schedule Appointment” on left side bar.
- Fill the form with your destination country, residence, place of submitting your document and purpose of your trip as sample below.
- Click “Add Applicant” to input your indentity.
- Fill the form with your personal identity.
- Select “Continue” to continue the process to payment page.
- Then, you click “Continue” to purchase your appointment. Basically, this payment is VFS service fee. So you need to pay VFS service fee in the beginning since you make an appointment. VFS service fee is EUR 25. It will be changing in rupiah depends on exchange rate.
C. Submitting Document in VFS Global Office
For Jakarta area, VFS Global Office is located on Kuningan City Mall, 1st floor on Prof. Dr. Satrio street. You shall arrive at their office 15 minutes before your appointment time to take queue number. Please don’t be late more than 15 minutes of your appointment. You will asked to reschedule your appointment when you are late more than 15 minutes.
When I arrived in VFS Global office, I took a queue number and was checked by security. Inside their office, there are many representative for each embassy. Netherlands representative is located on the edge corner of their office. Unfortunately, at time, there were so many peoples that came to Netherlands representative and also there was a group of senior high school student that contain around 15 peoples. Unlucky for me that I have queue number after them. So it means, I would be waiting after them all.
After waiting for 1 hour, finally the officer called my number and I came to her desk. She checked my documents and confirmed some basic question such as how long my duration in schengen area, where is my first entry country, confirm all itinerary. Luckily, all of my documents were complete and she didn’t ask any additional document. After that, she input my application and ask me to wait again to pay the visa fee.
D. Payment for Visa Application Fee and Taking of Bio-metric Data
I’ve been waited for 10 minutes, and then another office called my queue number again in different desk to pay visa application fee. Netherlands visa application fee for schengen visa is EUR 60. At that time, I paid IDR 960.000,- (depends on exchange rate). After paid the fee, I need to wait again for taking bio-metric data. I waited around 10 minutes and my name was called by the officer. I entered to bio-metric room. She only took data of finger print for both of our left and right finger. Basically, after taking bio-metric data, your submitting application process is finish. You only wait until your visa granted.
E. Picking Your Passport Up at VFS
Usually, schengen visa application process takes around 15 days. After I submitted my document, I got a confirmation email that said my passport has already sent to Dutch Regional office Asia. It means that our passport has already sent from VFS to Netherlands Embassy.
We can check and track our application process in this link by put your reference number and your last name. Lucky for me that my visa has been released only 4 working days after my submission. Actually on Feb 12, I got an email that state my application reference is ready to pick up.
You can pick your passport up on working day at 14.00 – 16.00 WIB. You just need to bring payment receipt to pick it up.
So, that all about information how to apply shengen visa via VFS Global Netherlands.
Thank you….
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