STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE FOR SCHENGEN TOURIST VISA

       What is a Schengen Tourist Visa?​

• A Schengen tourist visa (Type C) is a short-stay visa that allows non-EU travelers to visit any of the 29 Schengen Area countries in Europe for up to 90 days within a 180-day period for tourism, visiting family, or business purposes.

• Country list within Schengen area:
  🇦🇹 Austria, 🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇭🇷 Croatia, 🇨🇿 Czech Republic, 🇩🇰 Denmark, 🇪🇪 Estonia, 🇫🇮 Finland, 🇫🇷 France, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇭🇺 Hungary, 🇮🇸 Iceland, 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇱🇻 Latvia, 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein, 🇱🇹 Lithuania, 🇱🇺 Luxembourg, 🇲🇹 Malta, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇳🇴 Norway, 🇵🇱 Poland, 🇵🇹 Portugal, 🇸🇰 Slovakia, 🇸🇮 Slovenia, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇸🇪 Sweden, 🇨🇭 Switzerland​, 🇷🇴 Romania, 🇧🇬 Bulgaria.
   

    Who must apply for Schengen Tourist Visa? 

• If you're non-EU nationals or not under exemption country list, you must apply for Schengen Tourist Visa as an entry permit to visit to a country in the Schengen area for tourism purpose. Check this list for nationals must apply for Schengen tourist visa.

  When to apply for Schengen Tourist Visa? 

• You're allowed to submit your Schengen Tourist Visa in-advance 6-month ahead your intended trip itinerary (based on your departure flight).

• Schengen Visa Application Processing Time: 1-3 weeks (standard). However, most of people usually get their visa result within 1-2 weeks.

 

    How much does it cost for 1 Schengen Tourist Visa Application? 

• According to the European Commision, Schengen Tourist Visa Fee (for the Embassy) is 90EUR, not included VFS/TLS service fee (~27EUR).

• Generally, if you self-prepare your application, the estimated total cost would be average ~150EUR, including Schengen Tourist Visa Fee (90EUR) + VFS/TLS fee (~27EUR) + your own cost of printing/noterization/legalization service for required documents (~30-50EUR).
   

    Can I self-prepare my Schengen Visa Application successfully? Answer: Yes, you can 
    Your Stress-Free Schengen Visa Journey Starts Here - Click here​

• Step 1: From your trip itinerary, choose the Embassy country that you will apply for Schengen Tourist Visa - Choose the Schengen country that you will have the longest travel days among your total travel period of time.
  For example, your travel itinerary includes 10 days, in which France (5 days), Italy (2 days) and Switzerland (2 days). Then, France is the country that you will submit your Schengen Tourist Visa Application.
   

• Step 2: Access into VFS website and the country Embassy website to download the checklist for required documents.
  Keywords how to search on the Internet: VFS [your nationality country] [the Schengen country name]. 
  For example, you have Thai nationality and you want to apply for Schengen Visa from France, so you will search VFS Thailand France.
   

• Step 3: Prepare the required documents based on Embassy Check-List. 
  Schengen Visa requirements vary for each Embassies. In general, they usually require the below documents:
  1. Passport (Valid for the next 6 months)
  2. Former Passports + Photocopies of any previous Visa (to show your historical travelling profile)
  3. Schengen Visa Application Form: either filled-in by hard copy or online fill-in form system
  4. Two biometric passport-sized photographs 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm
  5. Accomodation Booking Confirmation
  6. Roundtrip Flight Reservation (No need to purchase/pay for the flight tickets before getting your visa result; you can still reserve a flight booking without/with extra fee, depending on the airline policy)
  7. Employment Proof (Business owner - Business Registration Certificate & Corporate Tax Report; Corporate employee - Labour Contract; Freelancer - Service Agreement Contract with clients; Student - Student Certificate/ID)
  8. Financial Proof (Bank Statements for 3-6 most recent months)
  9. Travel Insurance (Total value is more than 30,000EUR and must cover all 27 Schengen countries)
  10. Detailed Trip Itinerary (Your travel destinations, travel activities, where you will stay during the trip)
  11. Cover Letter (Not compulsory for most embassies, but it is recommended if this is your first time application)
   

• Step 4: Book appointment on VFS/TLS website to submit your applications.
  You will pay the Embassy fee (90EUR) and VFS fee (~30 EUR) on the appointment date directly to VFS officer.
  ​

• Step 5: On the submission date, VFS/TLS officer will do final recheck on your application. If all required documents is sufficient, you will be invited to a private room for them to take your bio-metric information including a face scanning and finger scanning.
   

• Step 6: You will receive a confirmation email from VFS/TLS that they have received your application.
   

• Step 7: Waiting for your visa result in the next 1-3 weeks.

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    Which country usually has high rejection rate for Schengen Visa?
 

      Based on statistics data published by European Commission for Schengen Visa issued in 2025 (Link)

• Top 6 countries with highest rejection rate - Not recommended for First-time Schengen Visa Application 
  Malta (38.3%)
  Belgium (26.1%)
  Estonia (24.6%)
  Portugal (23.4%)
  Sweden (23.3%)
  Denmark (21.7%)
   

• Top 6 countries with lowest rejection rate - Strongly recommended for First-time Schengen Visa Application
  Slovakia (9.63%)
  Italy (10.8%) 
  Romania (11.48%)
  Austria (11.9%) 
  Latvia (12.25%)
  Switzerland (12.49%) 
   

• Top 6 countries with average rejection rate 
  Germany (13.08%)
  Finland (13.4%)
  Iceland (13.8%
  France (14.3%)
  Greece (14.5%)
  Spain (14.6%)