Visa Application for a South African Citizen traveling to a Schengen Country
Which embassy do you need to apply at?
It will either be the country that you enter first or the country you stay longest at. If your longest destination is Madrid and Barcelona, with 5 days in total in Spain; and you enter France for 1.5 days then another for 1.5 days; – you apply at the Spanish Embassy.
How much does a visa cost?
R756 currently, but obviously prices can change.
What documentation do you need to submit?
Get the Schengen Visa Application form for Spain.
Proof of financial means. Copy of passport.
Copy of flight and accommodation details.
Now make a second copy of everything.
How long before the time can you apply for a visa?
You do need to get your flight tickets etc first – that happens max 6 weeks before flying.
After that, go for it! How long before you get your visa after submitting your application? Usually 5 days.
A few days ago I went to the Spanish Embassy in Pretoria to apply for my visa. I was really surprised at the speed at which they processed applications – and how easy it was. I was dreading getting there and having to fall in a long queue – but fortunately there was only a 5 minute wait!
See more tips & read the latest update here.
Apply for visas here
Travelstart - We're South Africa's leading online travel agency, we make it easy to get the best prices on flights, hotels, car hire and flight + hotel packages. Book & pay for cheap flights online across all airlines to create your perfect itinerary at the lowest airfare. We're backed up by a team of experienced consultants to ensure customer service is never far away, find out more at www.travelstart.co.za
They are slightly flexible on this. If the embassy you’re “meant” to apply at is very busy, you can try the other Schengen country you’re in.
Hey Susann!
If I might add a sidenote – and I am not sure if it counts for all Consulates or Embassies – remember to take the EXACT amount of money with you… these guys do not have change.
We recently applied for our Shengen’s for France. It went quite smooth, except for the stuffy waiting room.
Rule of thumb is, Schengen country you are longest in or enter first
Well, it is always better to have the exact amount – just to make sure you don’t hold up the queue!
im a south african working in london. i want to go travel europe for a few months early next year. where in london would be the best place to go apply for the schengen visa? any info would be lekker!
Hi Kane,
I’m actually not too sure – maybe contact one of the visa offices of the countries you want to travel to, they would be able to direct you in the right direction.
If you are married to a EU citizen then you and your children can get the visa for free.
Is it true if your married to an EU citizen then the Schengen is free?
Justine
I want to go ski in France in December. I bought a flight ticket to London, as I will be meeting friends there before we go to France. Will my e-ticket to London be suffiecient to applay for a schengen visa?
Hi Stefan,
You will need to contact the embassy to make 100% sure.
The e-ticket is fine, just print it; get your passport out; proof of employment; proof of sufficient funds – and proof of any accommodation bookings.
In London, you will have to have some proof ready if they ask what your plan is while in London
Hi Everyone. I live in the UK, OVC helped me come over. The OVC in London help people as well with the Schengen Visa to tour Europe, please find attached the website, these people are great and they are cheap when you do everything in Pounds. good luck
Can a South African get a Schengen Visa in London
Hi Jaco,
Yes, my daughter got her Schengen Visa over there when she went to France.
Hi Vanita
Would you mind helping me out by telling me what your daughter did??thanks
I am currently in New york, I need a shengen visa, what is the best thing for me to do? I know there is a consulate in Miami, but that is too far away, is there one in new york? or closer than miami?
Hey Johnny, check the answer we gave to this question on our Facebook page.
I have a Schengen visa valid until 9 Jun 2010. I am travelling to Europe again on 8 Jun 2010. I tried to get a new Schengen visa from the Portuguese consulate in Durban last week but was told that I could not apply for one before the existing one expires i.e. 9 Jun. Flights etc. are booked for 8 Jun already. Anyone know about this rule?
Hi Danie! I have heard of this before, though I think previously the visa was extended by the consulate or at least the previous visa should have been voided and a new one issued. Perhaps try the Embassy in Pretoria for more guideance as they are higher than the consulate in Durban:
(012) 346 8224 / 4285
Hi! I am going on holiday on 9 June 2010 to London, I need a Schengen visa for Paris. Can I apply in London with a South African Passport? How how will it take? Leaving for Paris on the 14 June 2010.
hiya, I’m a south African, I was happily surprised by my girlfriend when she brought me a ticket to Spain for my birthday. not knowing that I needed a visa to go there as i live in England and have indefinite leave to remain.
but when we researched it we knew we had to get one. So first thing we did was get all the information in order to go to Spanish consulate to get the visa, which we we’re told was £76!!!
It took us 4weeks to get an appointment where they told us we had wrong information… ! so to start again it would have to take us another 4weeks to get another appointment.. we just didn’t have the time, so I got hold of a visa agency who said they could get it for me at a cost of £150! we got told we had all the information possible. and that they were happy to send on the application to the Spanish consulate.
it was rejected 4 times, with the fourth time having no reason as to why they rejected it and with the 5th time being accepted, with exactly the same information as the 4th time… I was due to Leave England to Spain, 10th June 2010 at 5.35pm… ! the Spanish consulate only released my passport the the agency at 4.30! there is nooo Way travelling to Spain is going to happen!
To be truthfully honest, I was told that the Spanish consulate don’t like giving south African and Indian passport holders their visa’s…and now no agency wants to work with the Spanish consulate because they are pains in the arse to get visa’s out of!
I still haven’t been told why.. but good luck to anyone that is south African and wanting to go to SPAIN!!
I still want to go to Spain but I shall be waiting till I’m a British citizen till i attempt that again!
Hi. I want to fly to New York end of the month (around 27 Dec) and the cheapest flights I could find either stop over in Madrid (Iberia), Cairo (Egypt Air) or Dubai (Emirates). Do I need a transit visa for all these countries, how long does it take to get and how much do they cost? Also if I have an onward ticket, but my stopover is quite a few hours, will I be able to leave the airport with a transit visa (as apposed to an airport transit visa) ? Thanks.
Hey Francois, if you’re travelling to the US, you won’t need a transit visa for either of these countries. The rule is generally if you’re continuing on to your destination on the next available flight and you don’t exit the transit area, you won’t need a visa.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for the information..If I want visa early I mean with in a month due to some emergency..Is there any procedure for that?
Certain embassies do cater for emergencies – but this is usually dependent on how busy they are. If you have an emergency, it’s best to give them a call ASAP to arrange the visa, clearly stating the reason why it’s an emergency, also if you have any supporting documents, that helps too!
Hello! I was wondering if someone can help me. I work on yachts and I am doing a delivery from South Africa to France in April but need a Schengen Visa to enter France, the problem is that I will not be able to give them flight information since I am goin on a boat. I do have a letter from the captain saying I need the visa for the delivery, but I am not sure if that is enough to get the visa. Please help. Thank you.
Please help me out! We are planning to go from RSA to London (our base) for 10 days in March – in the 10 days we want to fly to Spain and Amsterdam – 2 days each – but will not make any formal flight or hotel bookings until we get to London. Is this a problem? And do we need both British and Schengen visas? And how do we get Schengen visas if we don’t have formal plans?
Hi Vanessa! Sounds like an exciting trip you’ve got planned. You will need both a UK and a Schengen visa if you’re going to both the UK and Europe. The general rule for the Schengen visa is that you have to have all your travel plans pre-paid before applying for the visa. They may (I stress MAY) make a special exception for you if you have a good reason and show more than sufficient funds available for the trip. Generally though, they will require you to have formal plans. I would suggest speaking to the consulate of the country you’ll be spending the longest time in for their advice as it’s ultimately up to them whether they give you a visa or not.
Hope this helps!
Hi! We are in a tight situation regarding your question. Maybe you already got a answer. But here goes. We are flying to Belgium with BA via Heathrow. You DO NEED a UK visa even if you are only in transit. We are flying on 19 February and only find this out when we applied for our Schengen Visa. The interesting thing is that you cannot get a UK visa without proof of your schengen visa, and you cannot get a schengen visa without proof of your UK visa. Funny world we are living in. We only have about 10 working days to sort this our.
i need an emergency visa>which is the best to try, german or spanish embassy and do you have the webiste please
Hi there! I would suggest trying the German consulate on (012) 427- 8999. Their website is http://www.pretoria.diplo.de where you can find out more info.
My daughter and I are leaving for Spain from South Africa end of April and require visas. Where do I go and what do I do?
Hi Shirley, you can apply through the consulate in Pretoria directly if you’re there, their website is http://www.embassyinsouthafrica.maec.es or you can contact a visa agency like http://www.visa-express.co.za for help via their couriering services. Hope this helps and enjoy the trip!
Hi Nick
What a fantastically helpful website! I came across this page while searching for info regarding Schengen visas via the Spanish Consulate and several of the questions on here have been very useful to me so far.
However, my current dilemma is probably somewhat unique and rather silly! My boyfriend recently booked our tickets to Tenerife and when he booked the flights, he accidentally printed my surname twice! So it comes up on the flight ticket as ‘Melissa Johnson Johnson’ but my passport only says Melissa Johnson. I don’t have a middle name. To change the name on the ticket with RyanAir will cost £100! It’s not like it’s a completely different name, and I’m hoping that common sense will be used and they’ll realised that it is unlikely that this error means there are two different individuals involved with this ticket… But I know visa officials can be incredibly difficult about these things, so do you think this will be a problem? Also, my boyfriend accidentally selected the title Mrs for me when making the hotel booking – I am actually a Miss. Very silly errors indeed!
Also, for my previous visas to get to the UK I always used a consultant as they always said the process was tricky and wording along with documentation was everything. Do you think this is just as pertinent for Schengen Visas? The docs seem pretty straightforward for this one. I am a full time student in London.
So stressful! My flight is 28 April so hopefully all of this can be sorted by then.
Looking forward to your response and thanks again for providing an excellent website.
Hi Melissa! So envious of your trip to Spain, what a wonderful country!
Your situation does sound like a tricky one. The surname issue is usually a problem for the flight more than the Schengen visa, though yes, it can cause issues if the names are different – after all the ticket is your proof that you, under your name, have a return ticket to the country in question, proving you are leaving again.
The only concern I can foresee the Spanish consulate having is that the airline may give you hassles – especially leaving the country (it’s not been unknown to happen that airlines let one in and give grief letting you out, though this is very rare). What I would do is first check with Ryanair if they would let you board both in London and in Spain with the name as it is. If this is the case, try getting it in writing. Submit a copy of this (email should suffice) with your application for the visa. If they won’t give you anything in writing, pay the 100pound and just play it safe!
Regarding the hotel, the title really shouldn’t be a problem, you’ll probably find that the hotel company will change your title if you’re very worried about it, but it’s not really an issue for visas or even tickets. After all, it doesn’t show on your passport. So long as you’re not down as a Mr Melissa Johnson you should be fine!!
Remember, each consulate is different, so I can never give you a guaranteed answer. We always recommend contacting the consulate directly for the most accurate information and advice.
I’d suggest you get moving on this immediately, you’re getting pretty close to D day and if you don’t have everything sorted ASAP you could end up having to postpone your trip.
Hope this all helps! Enjoy Spain!
Hi Nick
Thanks a million for your advice and info. Getting onto Ryan Air about the tickets today. I’ve been trying to get in touch with the Spanish Consulate here in London, but they do not deal with visa info via their number – you have to call VFS Global, the agent that assists with Spanish Visas. So I called them and the very unhelpful consultant says I can’t make an appt via the phone as there is no Consulate in London, only in Manchester! But there is – I just spoke to them on the phone twice and have been on their website! Ludicrous. I repeated my problem, but again she just said as I’m not in Manchester, she cannot book the appointment for me and I must book via the website. I went on the VFS appt section and the first slot is 16 May
way too late.
I don’t even want to go via an agent – the process looks simple enough to do by myself directly with the consulate. Only problem is actually getting an appointment with them directly.
I’m just wondering if there is anyone else here who applied for a Spanish Schengen Visa whilst residing in London?
SO stressed.
Hi Nick
Trust you well
I need some information please ! I am traveling to Paris on the 1st of August 2011 where my fiancé and I will spend 3 weeks in France..he is a french citizen. After our three weeks in france we will drive to Madrid, Spain…where he will study for 6months. I will stay with him and he will be supporting us both financially I will probably end up working in a nightclub, or bar.
What visa and where do I apply ?
Another question if I decide on getting a tourist visa can I then apply for a long stay or working for visa once I am in spain ?
And since he is the financial supporter do I need to have any requirements before I can obtain my visa? And when do you think I need to apply ? As flight tickets are not book yet and he will only start looking for accommodation once we in france
Please help / advice me which would be the best options
Hi Ashley!
Thanks for getting in touch!
I think the best thing for you to do is to speak to a visa agency or the consulate for this one. It would be simple if you were already married and it would be simple if you were only visiting France for holiday, but you’re wanting to essentially live in another European country with your French fiancee. This may raise a few eyebrows with the consulate – but I do think you may be able to get that sort of visa in any case, you’d just need to go about doing it the right way.
Personally I don’t think they’d give you a visa if you were going to claim income from work in the EU. But, I would suggest contacting people who deal with many sorts of visas on a daily basis for their advice and assistance – my suggestion is visa express, you can call them on 0861 289 270 to speak to a professional. I’d recommend asking for someone who can advise on long-stay French visa applications.
Hope this helps!
Hey nick ! Thank you for your quick reply ! I called them I’m on my way to the spanish embassey now in pretoria
One last question if you listed by the ITC…does that have any affect on you getting a visa ?
Hey Ashley, sorry for the delay in replying to you! I’m really not sure how being listed with the ITC will affect your chance, never had that request before. Sorry! Hope you come right though, sounds like a great trip
iam a South african would like to and work anywhere in europe can you please advise me about the working permit and the requirements
Hi Pinky. Working in Europe legally as a South African is very difficult. You will first need to find a company which is willing to employ you, and you will need to have a skill which the EU needs (with relevant qualification & experience). The company who wishes to employ you will also need to prove that there is no one in the EU who can do the job instead of you. Only then can you go ahead with a highly-skilled migrant visa. Occasionally, if you can speak a European language (eg French or German or Dutch) you may be able to work in the EU as an au-pair – but you will need to apply for that sort of work through an au-pairing agency, you will have to search for one online.
hi – we’re planning to travel around europe for about 2 months, possibly going on a contiki at some stage while based at london staying at family.
we only know about a week or so of the travel details, that we’re going to be in amsterdam for 3 days, france for 3 and switzerland for 3 days…
then with the contiki, we’d obviously spend more time in certain countries than in others
how can we find out which embassy would be best to go apply at? and what do we do if we haven’t fully planned the entire trip?
are there any embassies that are ‘easier’ in terms of getting a visa?
thanks
Hi Alan. Sounds like quite the trip you’ve got planned. Schengen countries expect you to have your travel plans sorted out before you travel most of the time. In some cases the embassies might let you into the Schengen area without confirmed accommodation & travel plans, usually you will need either someone standing surety for you in a Schengen country (a sponsor) or you will need a lot of personal finances to show you won’t be a burden on the state. Even this does not guarantee anything. If you’re going to be on a Contiki, you will probably need to have booked and paid for this before you depart on your trip and apply for your visa.
The embassy/consulate you apply through will usually be of the country you are spending the most time at, if it is equal time in each, you apply through the one you enter first.
As for which consulates are easier to apply through, this is debatable however, I have heard that the Italian is probably the most flexible. I would suggest contacting a visa agency like http://www.visaexpress.co.za and asking their advice – they often have contacts at various embassies/consulates which makes applying through them a little easier.
Hope this helps.
Hi, i would like to ask if there is anyone who can swap appointments date with me for Netherlands Visa, i am in South Africa Pretoria and i urgently need to got to Netherlands as soon as the 12th of June 2011 for Business.
Please if there is anyone out there that can help i would really appreciate it.
Hi Hopewell, I’m not sure if this is possible, but hopefully someone might be reading this who can help you out. Check with the Dutch consulate if they allow this too.
Hi Nick,
I found your site by accident and wow! You seem to be the most clued up person I’ve yet to contact!
I’n not looking for advise, as such, more looking for hope, I suppose!
We’re taking our two small children to Disney Paris for the 1st week in July ’11, then to the UK to visit in-laws and then onto Spain to visit my sister. We already have our UK visas, application was a breeze. We had to apply via the Spanish consulate in Spain (we’re in Spain for the longest period) for our Schengens, since we live in KZN. We’ve done everything via a travel agent and they use a visa agency in CT. The applications was sent in on the 16th of May and then declined because we didn’t have unabridged birth certificates for the children… Went to Home Affairs, applied for the documents, it will take 6-9 months to process! Spanish Consulate said they’ll accept the receipt of the application.Good news then, except that the next available appointment is only on the 8th of June! Now I’ve just received an email stating, and I quote: The Spanish Embassy is working as per appointment and departure dates.
The Embassy is upgrading their system till 08/06/2011 and only priority passengers, leaving before 20/06/2011 will be attended to.
For all those travelling after the 20th, visas will be attended to after the 08th, according to departure date.
Apparently they’ve received 100% more applications than the same period last year.
That’s all nice and I assume there’ll be enough time to process ours before our travel date, which is 01/07/2011? But what if they need more documentation and I have to courier more stuff to CT? Then it has to be processed and then still couriered back to us? I hate leaving stuff till the last minute. Who updates a system during the busiest period of the year?
See you’ve already helped without even answering, you gave me the oppurtunity to vent my frustration!
Thanks!
Hi Louise! Wow, that sounds like a raw deal! To be honest, from my experience, there’s often a lot more fright than bad news with visas – they tend to scare people more often to make sure applications are done timeously and usually deliver on time in the end. They should make a plan considering they’re doing this all at the busiest time of the year, you won’t be the only people in this position, I can guarantee you that. Maybe find out who the visa agency is and give them a call yourself to keep up the pressure. I would also suggest contacting the Spanish Consulate yourself once their systems are online again – this may also help to put on the pressure from all sides. Be calm, polite and persistent
this might make them want to get you off their case without being nasty about it! Oh, and having been a travel agent for many years, I know that your agent will be stressing about this too very much, so keep the pressure on them too – they shouldn’t forget about you!! Sending you all the “hope” I can, it sounds like a fantastic trip!!
Hi
I need a UK and French Shenghen Visa as my first entry is France after my stay in the UK. Please tell me how much money I need to have in my bank account? At this stage I have like R11 000.00 in my bank account to show on the days of my visa application appointments.
Hi Mario, this varies depending on what accommodation arrangements you have for each of the destinations. France is more concerned with money for foreign exchange/living expense money for your stay in that country and the UK is more concerned with your financial well-being and the likelihood you will return to SA. Generally you are required to have about R400 per day of your stay at your disposal for your living expenses. It is however up to the consulate whether they are happy with that amount, so double-checking requirements with them when you make your appointment is essential.
Hi Nick, Im going to london for two weeks in august. I would like to visit belgium and/or holland for a couple days while im there. Its not a definite plan, but if I do decide to go, would I be able to get a shengen visa in London? If so, do you know how i would go about it?
Thanks in advance
Hi Lyle, for this one you have to apply before you leave South Africa. You’re only allowed to apply for a Schengen visa in London if you have permanent residency or a work permit there. I would suggest buying a cheap ticket for the London/Brussels (www.travelstart.co.za) return or, pre-buying a return Eurostar train ticket (www.eurostar.com). Once you’ve done this, book cheap accommodation, perhaps even backpackers (if you intend to cancel it) in Belgium as proof of accommodation. Once you’ve done this you can go about applying for your Schengen visa as normal. Sorry I couldn’t have better news for you, unfortunately us South Africans have gathered a reputation for disappearing into the woodwork of countries on the cheap, so they’re strict with us now!
SOS Saw how everybody is so impressed with your advice!!!My daughter is in France BUT her Schengen Visa will be expiring in a few day how can she renew in Europe it as she wants to travel to Spain as well?Thanks
Hi Mari, generally one is not allowed to renew a schengen visa – if she is working over there (eg aupairing), it may be possible though. I would suggest she contacts the foreign ministry in France (http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/) for advice if she intends to stay longer, generally though, this is not permitted. Under no circumstances must she stay longer than her visa permits though, if she does this, she will be blacklisted and this could affect her entry not only into Europe in the future but many other countries too.
hi Nick
someone told me i need to complete a “a new entrant form” since it will be my first time to a schengen state (spain) – though i cant find any informatiopn regarding this – is he correct?
thanks.
Hi Russel, to my knowledge there isn’t such a form, everyone has to fill out the same form no matter how many times they have been before. On all the resources available to me there is no mention of a “new entrant form”. I hope this helps!
hi..could you please advise me…I am a german citizen living and working in belgium …Im going to marry my childhood sweetheart in south africa…but not sure what visa he needs to come to belgium…could you please help me…
Hi Helena! Generally they will issue him a spousal visa, but you will need to provide proof of marriage etc in order to apply for that visa for him. With these sorts of visas, it’s always best to deal with a professional. The guys at http://www.visa-express.co.za have a lot of experience in visas and they can advise you if they are able to help and what documents are needed in order to make the application.
Hi nick, I’ve got a south african passport and have lived in the uk for 7 years. I would like to go to Spain for the first time for a week. Can I do the appropriate paperwork in London? And do you know how long it takes? Thanks
Hi Holly! Generally you have to apply from your home country – but seeing as you’ve been in the UK for some time, I suspect you have a work permit or permanent residency there – if this is the case, the embassy should allow you to apply from London, you’ll probably need to appear in person though. Find their contact details here: http://www.maec.es/subwebs/Consulados/Londres/en/home/Paginas/home_cglondres.aspx
Nick
Hi Nick, I have a delegation leaving for Poland this month August and they will be transiting in Germany and staying 10 days in Poland, please advice me which embassy they must apply their schegen visa. please note they are using official passports.
Hi Bussy, Poland and Germany form part of the Schengen area, meaning you’ll need a Schengen visa. The rule is that you apply through the country you’re staying the longest in. Since the travellers will only be a couple of hours in German and 10 days in Poland, they’ll need to apply through the Polish consulate/embassy for their visa. Hope this helps!
Hi Nick,
I need to apply for an emergency Shengen VISA for Spain as my colleague has taken ill and I need to take to place at a confrence.
If I apply for an emergency VISA how long does it take should I have my documents in order.
Hi Conrad, I’m afraid it’s hard to tell, it should take a couple of days, but it really depends on how busy the consulate is and if they have the manpower to process the visa quickly. Get in touch with them directly to get the most up-to-date info on the current waiting period.
Hi there do you know what the cost of a schengen visa for Holland is currently? Thx.
Hi Alister, the price is 60 Euros, but it’s payable in Rands and the rate changes regularly, currently it’s R638 total, payable in cash usually.
Hi Nick,
Im a South African living and working in Gibraltar,I am married to an EU(British)citizen,now my problem he lives in Spain and i cant cross the boarder without a visa.A friend of mine who is also a South African and living in Spain said she was only showing her marriage certificate and always with her husband,the embassy i used to use to get a visa is Italian but its costing me a lot of money and its not a guarantee that they will issue me a visa.I have been issued a visa about 3 times,my worry is if i apply again,they may ask why am i always going there,even though i dont go.Is there any way i can get a visa for free as i have read that im supposed to be getting it free,as im married to an EU national.I also found this link somewhere when i was checking http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-family/index_en.htm
Maybe you can highlight things that can help me,to do and to be aware of.
Another thing,they keep saying the law may not apply to third world countries,I believe we are a third world country,or am I wrong?
Any information you have will be appreciated.
Thank-you
Hi Portia! Thanks for getting in touch. As far as I know, you are allowed to get a free visa if you’re a spouse of an EU citizen. They will likely want you to apply through the country you’re going to though as they will need to see that you’re actually in that country. This it the case when applying here in South Africa in any case. The difference between your friend and yourself is that she was living in Spain, within the Schengen area, you’re coming from outside the Schengen area and therefor need a visa to enter. If you’ve used the Italian consulate before, you could continue to do that, it’s true that they can deny the visa, but since you’ve had a few schengen visas the chances are much smaller. To be honest though, it’s going to be best to get the answer from the horse’s mouth, if you can speak to border control or the foreign affairs department in Spain you might get a more reliable answer. I’m afraid I have little experience with visas of a complicated nature like this. I hope I was able to help a little.
hi nick
wonder if you could help . my partner is german and i‘m south african . we plan to get married in south africa in 2012 and then move to germany . what are the requirements we need to get married . we were told that we would need to wait for 6 to 8 weeks for our marriage license before i could go to germany . is this true ? would i need to apply for a visa to go to germany after we marry ? pls any info will be very helpful . thank you
Hi Sammy! Thanks for getting in touch. I must admit I have no experience with marriage and immigration type issues like this. As far as I know you will definitely need this marriage certificate and you should still require a visa to visit Germany until you apply to immigrate to Germany. For that accurate answer you’re going to have to talk to immigration lawyers and specialists. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you with a more concrete answer, I just don’t have a large amount of experience with this.
I just applied my visa to Netherlands. After collecting my application,the visa office told me to call back in two days to see the status of my application. Is that normal to other applicants?
Hi TK! Thanks for getting in touch. That sounds pretty normal to me. It’s actually quite good that they will follow up on the status of the application and not just wait till the end when the embassy gives it back.
If I have a valid schengen visa obtained from the Dutch Embassy will it apply to entry into Spain ? I was meant to be in transit in Amsterdam and now will be in transit in Spain – and is a visa required at all if I’m just in transit ?
Hi Nicole, thanks for getting in touch. This should be okay, but it depends on what’s written on your visa. If it states that you’re just transiting the Netherlands then it might be an issue, but if it says you’re transiting the schengen states then you should be okay.
Hi, Im wondering if I can ask some advice. I am going on a cruise at the end of april 2012 of which the main schengen country will be Italy. In the next month or 2 I will also apply for a UK visa. The problem i have is that I will not know whether to get a flight ticket from South frica or from UK to italy, before I get the results back from my uk visa application. I can thus not apply for the schengen visa before i can get the UK visa back to book and use for my schengen visa application. My concern is that I will have to wait too long for the UK visa, and that I wil then not have enough time to apply for the schengen visa, as i read it can take up to a month. Does anyone have any advice, or is there a way to get the schengen visa more than three months in advance, eg. before apply for the uk visa. Or is it possible to get a temporary south african passport in caser i do not get my passport back from the UKBA in time.
Thanks
Jack
Hi Jack! Thanks for getting in touch. Okay, you cannot use a temporary passport to apply for a visa for the UK or Europe, they don’t accept them. You can also only get a temporary passport while you wait for a permanent passport to be printed, not if you have one already.
All this aside, I would suggest applying for the UK visa first, they are pretty quick in getting it done – it usually takes about 4 days (sometimes up to 2 weeks), you should be able to apply for that in Jan or Feb no problems. Just note that the UK will likely require you to have your flights to Italy booked before you apply. Once this is done apply for your Italian Multiple Entry Schengen Visa. I would make the appointment for that visa application the moment you get your British Visa back (obviously no more than 3 months before your departure). The Italian consulate has a new visa handling agency which should make the application process quicker – even if it is a little pricier. Hope this all helps!
Hi Nick, I’m wondering if you could help shed some light on what the best approach (in terms of obtaining a visa) would be in my situation. I am a South African citizen living in Cape Town and planning on cycling across europe in July/August 2012 (expecting to take about 2 months). Starting in France and heading east through switzerland, germany, austria, slovakia and finishing in hungary. I could alternatively start in netherlands and head south through belgium (before heading east), if that would make getting the visa easier. As far as I understand I need a multiple entry visa. My main concern is that I will not be able to provide accommodation plans as this is not really feasible on a cycle tour and I plan to camp at the nearest camp sites each day. I therefore assume I will need a letter from someone in the country I am starting in, saying that they will host me for the duration of the trip, but how would I obtain a multiple entry visa in this case? and is it likely that they will grant one for two months? Should I perhaps have letters from people in the first two countries saying I am staying with them each 1 month? any insight would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Matt
Hi Matt,
sounds like quite the trip you’ve got planned! I think the best people to give you advice on this would be a visa agency like http://www.visaexpress.co.za . To be honest I have not had a lot of experience with visas like this, but I have heard of people being granted visas without hard and fast accommodation plans, providing they have much more than “enough” money for the trip.
You will generally get a multiple entry visa regardless of if you are applying to a country on an invitation letter or not. I went to Germany a couple of years ago and was staying with a friend there and asked for a multiple entry visa and they gave it to me, I also went to the Netherlands on that trip which was not planned.
The issue for you though, is that you will likely be flying into and out of two different countries on your trip and so would need to show how you will be getting there.
I have spoken to our travel consultants here and they say that most countries force cyclists to go on organised cycling tours rather than a kind of DIY trip. I would suggest you speak to visa express to get their advice one where and how to apply for this type of trip.
Hi Nick!
I’ve been reading some of your posts to try see if anyone has asked a similar question! I am a South African living in the UK. I am married to a UK citizen. Having had to get 2 visas before just to be here, I am really dreading applying for the Schengen visa! I am wanting to travel to Italy with my husband for about a week around the 21st Feb. Is it true that the Schengen visa is free if you are married to a UK citizen? Would i need to travel to london for the visa? also, last question, when would you suggest making the application as it is around the corner? Many thanks in advance!
Cindy
I am currently holding a spouse visa, not sure this has any relevance to my question
Hi Cindy! Yes, visas can be a bit of a pain! If you’re married to an EU citizen, the consulate fee is not charged. I am not sure how the application system works in London, as some of the consulates here in SA have handling agencies which charge an extra fee. I would suggest you apply now for your visa, if possible, as sometimes there are waiting times for appointments.
Hi Nick!
Thanks for providing such useful and knowledgable feedback.
Regards,
Matt
Hi, I have obtained a visa as I will be working for my company in the UK for 12 months. I am hoping that during that period I will be able to visit one (or more) of the european countries. However, I will not know what my dates for travel will be due to work commitments and will need to fit in any european visits within the time period.
Without knowing exactly what my departure / return dates would be, would it be possible to obtain a schengen tourism visa. I was led to believe that as at the time of applying for the schengen visa you would need to furnish exact dates and places you would stay
Many thanks
Greg
Hi Greg,
As far as all the info we have at our disposal, you need to have all the dates of your arrival & departure, various booked and paid accommodation etc etc all done before you apply. Usually the consulates will give you a visa based on your date of arrival in and departure from Europe. Since you will have to have your flight ticket booked and paid for at the time of application (which you will show them when you apply), they will base all dates of your visa on this document.
I’m not 100% sure, but you MAY be able to apply for that visa from the UK (the Schengen visa). I would suggest contacting a visa agency who may have some experience in this to see if they can assist. (www.visaexpress.co.za) However, if you are going to be coming back to South Africa in the interim, you could always apply here at a later stage for the visa. But chat to visa express for advice.