Mistakes travelers should avoid when applying for a Schengen visa in 2024

Applying for a Schengen visa in 2024 is not an easy task, it has never been. The application process involves collecting several documents, attending an interview and paying a fee.

As of June 11, 2024, the Schengen visa fee has increased from €80 to €90.

However, many people find it easier to get a visa if they only pay attention to a few common mistakes that will result in the application being rejected.

Most of the time, these mistakes are made due to lack of knowledge, or the applicant does not understand the importance of documents meeting the criteria set by the Schengen country they wish to visit.

We asked the founder SchengenVisaInfoBessard Bajrami shares a list of the most common mistakes made by Schengen visa applicants based on his experience.

Below is a collection of these common errors. By avoiding them and ensuring that your application file complies with the requirements of the Schengen authorities, you can greatly increase your chances of getting a Schengen visa.

1. Collecting required documents based on a random list provided by a friend

Many travelers, especially first-time Schengen visa applicants, make the mistake of seeking advice from family members or friends who have obtained Schengen visas in the past, and go through the entire procedure verbatim.

The documents required for a Schengen visa differ in many cases from one country to another or from one embassy to another. In addition, visa requirements are regularly reviewed and updated by Schengen Area embassies around the world.

People who receive a random list from a friend or family member and start collecting documents accordingly often make the mistake of leaving out important, newly added requirements, or documents required by new criteria.

All Schengen visa applicants are advised to collect documents based on the list published by the embassy of the country where they are submitting their application.

SchengenVisaInfo also has a complete list of documents required for Schengen visa applicationRegularly reviewed and updated as per official sources.

2. Does not meet passport requirements

Having a passport valid for a few more months isn’t enough, and some travelers have learned that the hard way.

The European Union has specific and strict passport rules for Schengen visa applicants:

• The passport is valid for another six months beyond the date of their planned visit to the Schengen area.
• The passport holder must have been issued a passport within the last ten years on the date he or she plans to leave the Schengen country of destination.
• The passport must have at least two blank pages, but they must not be added later to the passport.

Those who fail to meet any of these rules are rejected from obtaining a visa.

Additionally, travelers planning to obtain a three- or five-year multiple-entry visa should be aware that they may not do so if their passport’s validity period is shorter than the required visa’s validity period. Obtaining the latter.

Instead, in most cases, they get a visa that is valid for a short period of time before their passport expires.

3. Filling the application form with information inconsistent with other documents

Each traveler must fill out an application form for a Schengen visa (download the application SchengenVisaInfo page) This is the first document required. Many travelers make the mistake of putting different information in the application form than in other documents.

For example, if their passport is valid for another six months, some people put in the application that the passport is valid for longer than that. In other cases, they write the visa validity period on different dates than the travel insurance or accommodation dates.

Such mistakes, especially when done intentionally, will automatically result in the visa application being rejected.

Get clear instructions from experts on how to fill visa application form SchengenVisaInfo.

4. Applicant does not have (entitlement) travel insurance

Declining to buy travel insurance with the idea „Nothing happens to me” is a huge mistake. The embassy doesn’t care if you are someone who never gets sick or is very careful about accidents. Schengen travel insurance worth €30,000, which covers repatriation in the event of death, is required for each person.

In many cases, people get travel insurance for a shorter period of time than they plan to spend in the EU or buy it with less coverage than they need.

In cases where repatriation in case of death is not covered, the requirement of travel insurance is deemed not to be met, no matter how much coverage is provided for other accidents.

Travelers always have the option to buy schengen travel insurance online at very low cost Help Europe Or Insurance.

5. Submitting an application too early or too late

As with everything else, the time limit for filing an application is regulated by the Schengen Visa Code. Accordingly, you can file the application six months prior to your intended trip and the latest is 15 working days prior to your intended trip.

Trying to file an application a year in advance is not going to end well, even at the most overcrowded embassies.

Same goes for late filing of application. Those who have received a visa within a very short period of five days from a particular embassy, ​​there is no great risk that the visa application will be delayed or not accepted due to late submission of the next visa application.

So every traveler should ensure that he or she submits the application well in advance, but not less than six months before their planned trip.

6. Applying at the wrong embassy/embassy/visa centre

Another common mistake among those planning to visit multiple Schengen Area countries with a single visa is submitting an application to the wrong embassy.

In cases where you wish to visit two or more countries in the Schengen Area with a single visa on a single non-stop journey, the application must be submitted as follows:

• At the country’s embassy you will go first, if you plan to stay an equal number of days in each country. That is, if you plan to spend five days in Austria, five days in Germany and five days in France, but you will enter the Schengen area via Austria, you must submit an application to the Austrian embassy.
• You will have a long stay at the country’s embassy, if you plan to stay different days in each country. That is, if you plan to stay in Austria for three days, Germany for five days and France for seven days, you must submit an application at the French Embassy.

You can use the visa guide SchengenVisaInfo Find out which embassy or consulate to apply to!

7. Not bringing money to pay the application fee

This is not a mistake that can get your visa rejected, but may cause you some unnecessary trouble.

On the day of the interview, many people do not bring cash to pay the Schengen visa fee, thinking they can pay by card or online. This is not possible as all embassies, consulates and visa centers require the traveler to have the exact amount required for the visa in cash.

Trying to pay with large banknotes can also be a problem, especially if you are one of the first applicants of the day. To avoid any headache, it is best to have the correct amount for each applicant.