Schengen visa to France – step-by-step instructions for independent receipt

I’ll tell you in detail about the independent receipt of a Schengen visa in Moscow on the example of France, because we chose it exactly as the country’s main stay in the framework of the intended journey. It was our first experience in appealing to the Schengen visa, so the information will be especially useful for newbies. In addition, the article will be interesting for those who go to Europe by car, as well as we.

Now, when decorating a Schengen visa, you need to contact the consulate of the country to which the largest number of stays stay during travel, that is, if you have plans, for example, a visit to Germany (5 days), France (7 days), Spain (3 day), then for a visa you need to go to the French.

There are two options for obtaining a visa – independently by referring directly to Consulate-General and through Visa Center. We chose the first option. Why? First, because we already have a considerable experience of self-obtaining visas of various countries, secondly, because of the desire to avoid additional costs, because when issuing documents through the HC, it is necessary to pay additional fees – 29.5 euro per person. Thirdly, there is nothing complicated and terrible in this, especially if you are going to travel as an ordinary standard tourist. So the option with the visa center in the article will not be described.

Initial data:
– Independent reception of a visa in the consulate without the help of a visa center;
– Purpose of the trip – tourism;
– Applicant adult;
– Without children.

So, consider in all details the process of preparing for the Schengen visa, including the stage of document collection, the day of their submission and passport.

Action Plan to obtain a Schengen visa (France)

• You have decided on the overall direction, the country of the main stay (in our case it is France), dates of the trip and type of visa (in our case, a short-term Schengen visa).

I quote information from the official website of the Consulate General: «You may request a visa in the French consulate in Russia only if the main goal of your trip is related to France. Target «business trip» is dominant with respect to the goal «tourism»; In case of equality goals, the duration of the estimated trip is taken into account. In case of coincidence of the timing of the trip, documents should be submitted to the representation of the state through which entry into the Schengen zone will be carried out».

• In order to submit documents for a Schengen visa to the consulate of France in Moscow, it is necessary to first sign up for a meeting, calling the visa center (yes, even if the documents are handed over to the consulate). You can do it by number +7 (499) 703-49-74 (Mon-Fri from 9:00 to 18:00).
• It is better to sign up for the submission of documents in advance, especially if the trip falls on a high season, because sometimes it happens for several weeks, and then months ahead. However, it is worth considering that it can be done no earlier than For 90 days and preferably no later than 15 days before the expected trip. I was recorded on March 22 and I was offered to choose a date, starting from the end of the same month. As you can see, at the beginning of spring, there are no problems with the record. For those who go by car, There are nuances, read about them below.
• To write, you must prepare a valid passport, name the name and name as in the passport (Latin letters), the series and passport number, mobile phone number and email address. You can write not only yourself, but all other participants in the trip, in this case the submission of documents will be assigned at one time.
• The operator can at the same time ask all of interest questions regarding the filing of the questionnaire and package of documents in general. Below I will describe those moments that I have called in doubt with which I was helped to understand (the ladies were very responsive and friendly, called all kinds of questions several times and always received a detailed consultation).
• I will say on the way to say that closer to the day of filing documents to the mail specified when recording (or somewhat, if not only recorded) will come Record confirmation, which will need to be printed and take with me to the interview (we did not ask him, but it will be better). By the way, Andrei confirmation came a week before the visit, but I did not come to «Day on the eve» There was nothing, I had to call, check the correctness of writing the address of EL.mail, since everything was indicated correctly, I just sent a confirmation re-. So feel free to call if you come across the same situation.
• After recording for the interview, you can start Package documents.

The following documents are listed that must be provided Adult Citizens for receipt Short-term Tourist visa (ordinary passport).

List of documents that must be required:

1. Profile – Filled either pickup by hand or on a computer if you find a file in which you can print. I downloaded the questionnaire from the official website of the consulate and filled out of the hands of printed capital letters.

Attention! Templates of all necessary documents and examples of their filling are looking at the end of the article.

If you plan to go in Europe by car, As we need to provide the following documents (originals and copies):

• Driver’s license – You can our, as far as I understood, it is suitable, you can international rights (we had the last, there were still from traveling by states).
• Certificate of Vehicle Registration.
• PTS (not necessarily, but can be attached).
• Insurance on a car (green card or green card), or a letter of obligation to acquire it. Details about this item Read below, there are nuances.

• Help with work in free form (example of looking at the end of the article). The address and telephone number of the organization, the size of the salary, the name and the post of one of the certificate (sample at the end of the article) must be indicated.
• Help of income of the physician 2-NDFL.
• Extract from the bank about the status of the account or several accounts (debit card, credit card, savings account). Be sure to have an email address and phone bank, as well as signatures and prints. The relevance of documents­ – 90 days.
• Sponsored letter to cover the expenses for a trip by someone from the nearest relatives (it can be a spouse, parents, adult children, or grandchildren, grandparents. In this case, it will be necessary to provide a copy of the first page of the passport of the sponsor, confirmation of its income and confirmation of related links).

For individual entrepreneurs:

• Certificate of registration of IP,
• Certificate of registration with tax (INN),
• Extract from the IP account or with a personal account, or several,
• You can also provide an income declaration last year, but not necessarily.

Attention! Cash, credit cards, traveler checks, etc. not accepted.

For all originals, you do copies, they will remain in the consulate, the originals also do not forget to take an interview, they will need to provide a reconciliation officer.

Documents, if we draw up Schengen for the first time, you can only pass in person, as you have to go through the procedure Dactyloscopia (fingerprint surprise).

List of documents that can be taken optional:

• Previous passport if there are Schengen visas.
• List – Especially relevant for those who are planning a trip by car. Need to visually show your route and place overnight stays, you can also attach a map with your route. Example of the route leaf, look for at the end of the article.
• Documents confirming the availability of property.
• Anything else if desired if it does not need, you will be reported.

Note that in the process of consideration of the application, the consulate may request additional documents.

Visa Size (Tariffs): for citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia and a number of other countries – 2650 USD (on 01.04.2016). In case of urgent visa design (3 days before the trip), a double rate is charged – 5300 rubles. Prices are periodically changing due to the jumps of the euro course, current tariffs see here. You do not need to pay for a predetermination, you will pay it at the consulate immediately after passing the package of documents.

Schengen’s insure – Where, how and what to buy?

Registration of tourist medical insurance covering the entire period of the trip is a prerequisite when contacting the Schengen visa. Avoiding her purchase will not be able to avoid, which means you only need to decide where and how to buy an insurance policy. How we do? First, always give preference to buying an online policy, so as not to spend precious time on hiking in the offices of insurance companies, especially since there is no need. Secondly, we choose only proven insurance companies with good assistance (companies with which you have to cooperate when an insured event occurs). Here we have in Favorites Tripinsurance and Liberty.

We usually recommend our readers of insurance from trininshurans and even offer an affiliate discount on them 10%, but this time they chose to liberty insurance, because they have one point that the competitor is not «Technical assistance». I think that this item is very relevant for those who are going to travel by car, but it is not provided with all insurance companies, rather, even is an exception and liberty here one step ahead. The presence of this item in the insurance will slightly increase its value, but you, in the event of a malfunction, loss or damage to the vehicle, get compensation for the following expenses:

• Roadside repair and towing
• Delivery of spare parts for repair
• Accommodation for the time of repair
• Repatriation (Return) of the vehicle
• Transportation of passengers
• Providing driver

Plus, comparing many insurance options from different companies, Liberty’s policy turned out to be optimal in terms of price and quality ratio.

You can arrange the Liberty policy in just a few minutes, using the mold below. After payment you will receive an electronic insurance policy to you, which will need to be printed and put in a package of documents for a visa (the original in this case is not needed, the electronic policy is enough, it is made by all embassies and visa centers).

Attention! If you request a multivitz, insurance should cover at least the first trip, for the following trips, it will be necessary to present new insurance on passport control.

In more detail about insurance for Shengen and the selection of an insurance company, read in a separate article →

Booking housing for a Schengen visa

The provision of housing armor is also a mandatory point when making a Schengen visa. Most often, if the purpose of the trip is «tourism», Provided Hotel reservation. However, recently around the world is becoming an increasingly popular housing reservation directly from local hosts through special intermediary services, such as, for example, AirBNB. We ourselves gladly enjoyed them in previous trips to Mexico and the United States and have repeatedly recommended by their readers.

It turned out that in the European Plan AIRBNB works worse than other destinations running by us. The fact is that the European hosts turned out to be much less conspiracies, especially the French. I have long been looking for options suitable for all parameters, sent the owners of rental reports or directly requests for booking, waiting for answers for several days, staying in complete ignorance, and then received failures or «Requesting requests». The reasons were different – «Leaving these days on vacation», «I forgot / and update the calendar, these dates are no longer available» and T.D., most often in general without explaining the reasons. Neither in the states nor in Mexico did not come across such a thing, could always rejoice at AIRBNB, but here!

After spending a few days in picking options overnight night from Airbnb, spit, yes booked the main weight of accommodation in hotels through the search engine for ROOMGURU. By the way, until that moment they almost did not use, and then I decided to try and liked – offers much more options than similar resources (I will not show your finger), and not only numerous and variety of rooms in hotels and hostels, but no, no, yes, even housing from the owners. Thus, it disappears the need to search for accommodation on several sites and compare prices, RoomGuru will do everything – will be looking for all the well-known and familiar sites Booking, Agoda, Hotels.COM, HOMEAWAY AND DR. and will show all the prices in one place with the ability to apply various filters and sort suggestions for the price (all this without any surcharges and additional commissions, t.E. prices will be the same as if you were directly visited on Bucking, the Agoda and T.d, and sometimes, oddly enough, even cheaper). I looked at the more closely, it turns out ROOMGURU won the nomination «Best site for hotels in hotels in 2015». Like that! So I suggest try to try it in action:

You can also use the usual search form:

Attention! Do not forget when booking, specify all applicants. The last name and the name is better to write in Latin letters, as in the passport.

Read more about Booking of housing in Europe and what armor are suitable for obtaining a Schengen visa read in a separate article →

Green card design nuances

Going to go to Schengen countries by car – Add such an item as the need for a car insurance, which is called Green Card or «Green map». Everything would be nothing but there is a conflict of interest – On the one hand, if you have the opportunity, I want to make a visa as soon as possible (you remember that it can be done already 3 months before the trip), on the other hand, a green card can be framed no earlier than 30 days before the start of the term Insurance, T.E. Trips. It turns out that even having the opportunity to sign up for the advance submission of documents, you will have to postpone the receipt of a visa until 30 days left before the trip.

There was a time when some insurance companies agreed to arrange a green card not 30 days before the trip, but, let’s say, in 45 days or even earlier. Now such a focus will not pass. We personally communicated with employees of the RESO and ROSNO companies, and in both companies received a refusal, reasonable to what everything is done through a special program in a computer that simply does not allow insurance not by the rules.

What are the exits from the situation?

1. Sign up for the submission of documents to the consulate so as to arrange a green card 30 days before the start of insurance, and after, say, the next day, with a full package of documents to go to the interview. That is, if you enter the Schengen zone on June 1, you can buy a green card from May 1, respectively, the submission of documents to the consulate should be somewhere between May 1 and June 1.
2. If you wish to place a visa earlier than 30 days before the trip, you can provide a guarantee letter in the theory in the Consulate, in which you promise to purchase international insurance for the car for the entire period of the trip when it will be possible by timing. However, as the visa operator told me, without insurance, the package of documents will still be considered incomplete and it is better to try to purchase it in advance, that is, it is not clear, will take the warranty or not. If you still decide to try this option, look for an example of a warranty letter at the end of the article, where all templates. Write it, by the way, you can in our.
3. Buy a green card with a long coverage simply so that the validity period starts before the trip and plus covered its entire period. Will have to pay for the unnecessary time of insurance, but if there is an insurmountable desire to make a visa as soon as possible and do not twitch, then why not. We, for example, did. Dates of our stay in Schengen – From June 5 to July 11 (37 days). Submission of documents fell on April 20. Green card issued a couple of days before filing documents – April 18, it means to act it starts from May 18. Insurance bought for 2 months, it means it will end on July 18. So, overpaying, we achieved the desired result)) by the way, the green card can be issued only with «Step» in 2 weeks, t.e 2 weeks, 1 month, 1.5 months, 2 months and t.D. Thus, our overpayment was only 2 weeks. Bought, by the way, in reso. You can also buy a Green card in the already mentioned Liberty.

Filling out the questionnaire and preparation of documents: explanations of the employee of the VS

In the course of filling in the questionnaire and collecting documents, I had a number of questions for which I consulted with an employee of a visa center by number +7 (499) 703-49-74. When dialing, you will get into the voice menu where you can choose one of the items of interest, in this case it was «Communication with the operator».

1. We are going on the car that you need besides documents on cars?

Answer: Be sure to prepare a route list in which dates, cities, accommodation, address and contacts of housing should be spelled out. The route list can be made in our in free form (I just did in English). You can attach a map with the route for clarity.

What on fact: We had a route leaf in stock when an employee was informed when submitting documents, he replied: «Let’s have done». Thus, this sheet is not a mandatory document, but will be a good addition confirming your goals and plans.

2. Is it possible to book options on AirBNB as housing?

Answer: As a housing, you can specify the apartments from the site airbnb, in. 31 can be written just «Apartment», or then the name that will be indicated in the receipt (type «Cozy Studio in The Center»).

When booking, be sure to indicate the names and surnames of all applicants’ guests to the visa so that they are in receipt / confirmation of the booking (this applies to hotels).

If there are personal data of the owners, you may need a lease agreement. After I answered the operator that we rent housing is not directly from the owner, but through the AIRBNB resource, which is a mediator, and the lease agreement us simply nowhere to take, she said that then to specify all the data that the site would give.

What on fact: Together with the armor of hotels, several conviction receipts were served from the Airbnb website, no questions arose, no one asked for rent contracts. I just pointed out the name of the housing name, as in the receipt, the number of the owner’s phone and the address of its email type Ivanov-Ivan @ Host.Airbnb.Com.

3. Can I specify as a job «Freelancer», If the work is, but officially is not arranged anywhere?

Answer: Yes, you can. It will be necessary to provide statements from accounts confirming the availability of funds (sufficiently request of the balance, the movement of funds for 3 months. And no longer needed). As an address of the work in P. 20 questionnaires you can write your home or address and phone of the main customer.

For IP, which has no office, you can also specify the home address.

What on fact: I did, writing in my questionnaire in. 19 «Freelancer», And in P. 20 home address and the number of your mobile phone + attached statements. During the commissioning, the employee asked if I had a certificate from work, for which I replied that would not be, because I did not work anywhere. That is, in fact, I was as officially unemployed, there were no problems with it.

4. How to fill and print profile?

Answer: The questionnaire can be filled from both hands and print everything on the computer – does not matter. You can print on one side, and on both sides, the main thing is that there are no more than 3 pages (in the template from the site of the embassy profile on 2 sheets, from the site of the visa center – On 3 sheets, both options are allowed).

5. How to specify the country of destination and entry into PP. 22 and 23 questionnaires?

Answer: In P.22 You can not specify all countries through which you have to drive by car, but indicate only the country of primary purpose, t.E. the one in which it is planned to carry out the greatest number of days. In our case – France. As a country entrance in our case in. 23 Indicates Poland.

What on fact: I’m in P.22 listed all the countries of Shengen, in which spent the night, no comments on this occasion was.

6. Is it possible to provide unpaid hotel armor?

Answer: Yes, you can, most importantly, print a confirmation that comes to the mail and attach to the package of documents. Again, do not forget to specify the names of everyone who will live.

Summary: If you have any questions in the course of preparing documents, you can feel free to call. For the competence of the answers, I do not pass, but still not anyone else to ask anyone, except that shifting tons of information and other people’s reviews on the Vintsky Forum, hoping for their truthfulness and relevance, and it is better to navigate our article))

There was also a feeling that the workers of the visa center are condensed with paints and give such answers from which it can be concluded that everything can be more difficult than in fact (for example, a response about the lease agreement, if you book housing at airbnb). In the consulate, there was no such thing about anything and in general everything went fast and painlessly, the main thing seems to be all the necessary documents clearly on the list.

Procedure on the day of submission of documents for a Schengen visa (on our example):

1. The Visa Department of the General Consulate of France in Moscow is located at the address Kazan Alley,. ten. Nearest metro station «Oktyabrskaya» Radial.

How to reach the consulate of France from the subway:

Photo entrance to the consulate:

On the knock, the door opens a guard that asks to turn off mobile phones and gives a twin with the number of the window in which documents will be given. We did not ask confirmation printout, just found our names in the list and all but better to have it with you. The Consulate can come in 5-10 minutes before the appointed time, before coming does not make sense, because it will still cause a time and then, if no one is delayed in front of you, as it was in our case (the girl with a stack of documents was delayed for 10 minutes longer time).

I quote information from the official website of the Consulate General: «at the request of a decision should be taken within 10 calendar days from the date of receipt of the application. In some cases, a decision is made on the application may be extended to a maximum of 30 calendar days, in particular if there is a need for its further consideration».

A passport with a visa ready

To obtain a passport with a visa you need to ready the date specified in the voucher a day (or later) come to the same address and knock on the same door)) Pick up the documents have their own, the possibility to order a courier, how in the EC, no. Do not forget to bring your payment receipt, without the guard will not let you inside. Passports are issued with visas second window.

How to «read» Schengen visa

We Andryusiksom got their first Schengen visas (rah-rah!) Quickly and without any problems, not for nothing that they say that the Embassy of France in this respect, one of the most loyal. It, along with Spanish, recommended for processing the visa first as the most hassle-free. The French, as understood nearly all who turn to him for the first time, give semi-annual visas with unlimited entries.

What we have

We have multivisa for six months for a period of possible stay of 90 days. In our case, the term of validity begins the next day from the date, not the date of the start of the intended visit, it is worth take into account the. That is, in this case, a visa issued with validity from 22.04.16 on 04.18.16, while the ride is in June-July.

Visas we did exactly 2 days (20 April, we have handed over the documents, and April 22 have already received passports with visas ready). Agree, this is a mega-fast!

Incidentally, in the passport and carefully put just such a «Memo»:

Everything was much easier than we thought and much less nervous than the same US visa.

Official website of the Consulate General of France in Moscow: go →

Site service and Visa Application Center VFS Global: go →

Good luck in obtaining Schengen visas, dear readers!

Sheboldasik and Andrews

Document templates for a Schengen visa, and examples of their filling

All documents cite in English, I think, less relevant, if someone they still need the French they look for patterns on the website of the Consulate on the link above.

Application form for short-term Schengen visa in English

filling the sample questionnaire on the Schengen visa in English

Attention! The questionnaire must be three identical signatures. Fourth signature bet, unless the requesting multivisa. Andrei and I did not put a signature in the window as requested visa with single entry, but the employee at the time told us to sign the documents, and there, too,.