Odyssey Tours and Travels has an experienced documentation team to assist clients with processing tourist and business visa applications for almost all countries in the world including the EU countries that form part of the Schengen visa.
Meet the documentation team and see the range of visa consultancy services that we offer our clients.
Quick Search:
Countries that form the Schengen:
Schengen refers to the EU passport-free zone that covers most of the European countries. It’s the largest free travel area in the world. The countries that make up the Schengen are:
- Austria
- Belgium
- 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
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Romania
The Schengen Visa:
The Schengen visa is a short-stay visa (upto 90 days) that allows a person to travel to any of the member countries of the Schengen Area for tourism or business purposes.
The Schengen visa enables its holder to enter, freely travel within, and leave the Schengen zone from any of the Schengen member countries. There are no border controls within the Schengen Zone.
C Category Visa:
Applicant who wishes to travel to Schengen country for period of less than 90 days for the purpose of Tourism, Business Meetings, Exhibitions & Conferences, Family Visits, Short Term study & research, Search & Cultural categories can apply for this category.
D Category Visa:
Applicant who wishes to travel to Schengen country for period of more than 90 days for the purpose of Job, Study, Joining Partner or any Dependent can apply for this category.
Conditions to apply for the Schengen (type C category) Visa:
Duration of Stay:
If you are visiting multiple Schengen countries then you need apply visa from the country in which you are staying for the maximum number of days.
First port entry:
If you are visiting multiple Schengen countries but staying equal number of days in all countries then you need to apply from the country in which you’re entering first
Purpose of visit:
If you are visiting multiple Schengen countries but staying equal number of days in all countries but your purposes are different, then you have to apply from country which has main purpose.
For e.g. If you are visiting Switzerland (For Tourism) & Germany (for Family Visit) then you have to apply visa from Germany.
Also travelling to a non-Schengen country?
If you are ALSO travelling to a non-Schengen country like United Kingdom, Romania, United States etc, you have to first apply for the non-Schengen country visa first before applying for the Schengen visa.
When to apply?
You must submit your application to the consulate at least 15 days before your intended journey and no earlier than 6 months beforehand. You may have to book an appointment before lodging the application.
Validity & Conditions of C Category Visa:
Depending on your reasons for visiting the Schengen countries and the frequency of your visits, the Schengen consulate can issue you a single-entry visa, double-entry visa, or a multiple-entry visa.
The validity of your single-entry visa depends on the number of days you stated you are going to be in the Schengen zone on your visa application form and the actual decision of the consulate that issues you the Schengen visa.
If you are a frequent traveller you may apply to obtain an EU visa valid for up to 5 years, but you have to keep in mind that you cannot stay within the Schengen Area for more than 90 days in a 180-day period of time even if you hold a multiple-entry visa for Europe valid for up to 5 years.
Schengen Visa Fees:
| Sr. No |
Particular |
Fees |
| 1. |
Consulate Fees |
Rs.9600/- (Euros 90)
Rs.4800/- (Euros 45) for child between 6 – 12 years of age
|
| 2. |
VFS Charges |
Rs.3100/- |
| 3. |
Odyssey Service Charge |
Rs.2000 + 18% GST |
Note: These are generic Schengen visa fees but the actual consulate fee payable will depend on the country of application.
Check the details of your visa:
Upon receiving your passport from VFS with the Schengen visa, please ensure that all the information is accurate, including your name and the visa’s validity period. If there’s a mistake on your visa, the airline may not let you board your flight or you may be refused entry into the Schengen area.
Is there a mistake on your visa?
Notify the agent at VFS Global immediately. If you notice the mistake at a later stage or if your visa was sent by courier, please contact VFS Global immediately on receipt of your passport.
Understanding the validity of your Schengen visa:
The fields 'From' and 'Until' on your visa tell you how long your visa is valid for.
- ‘From’: the first day that you can enter the Schengen area
- ‘Until’: the last day by which you must leave the Schengen area
How long can I stay in the Schengen zone?
The field ‘Duration of stay’ on your visa tells you how many days you may stay in the Schengen countries, within the period of validity mentioned at 'From' and ‘Until’. This is a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period. If you get a multiple-entry visa, you may leave and return any number of times within the 180-day period, but the combined stay within the Schengen area must not total more than 90 days.
If you overstay, you risk a two-year visa sanction for all Schengen countries.
How long does the application take to process?
The normal processing time for a visa application is 15 days. This period may be extended up to 45 days if a more detailed examination of the application and/or additional documents are required.
Under certain conditions, family members of EU or EEA citizens falling under the Free Movement Directive are eligible for a free and accelerated visa procedure.
Basic Requirements for Schengen C Type Visa:
Tourism / Family Visit
- Valid Passports (Valid + Expired) issued within the previous 10 years and valid for at least 3 months after the date you intend to leave the EU. Any passports with observations are not acceptable
- Travel Insurance coving whole travel period with minimum coverage of US$ 50,000
- Air Ticket / Itinerary with intended travel dates as well as internal travel arrangements
- Stay Confirmation / Hotel Bookings
- Photographs (2 copies of 35X45mm, white background, 80% face covered, dark clothes, without specs & no smile. Ears should be visible)
- Personal Bank Statement for last 6 months with sufficient funds & attested by bank
- Personal ITR for last 3 years
- Occupation Proof
- Invitation letter with invitee’s documents
Business Visit / Conference or Exhibition Visa
- Valid Passports (Valid + Expired) issued within the previous 10 years and valid for at least 3 months after the date you intend to leave the EU. Any passports with observations are not acceptable
- Travel Insurance coving whole travel period with minimum coverage of US$ 50,000
- Air Ticket / Itinerary with intended travel dates as well as internal travel arrangements
- Stay Confirmation / Hotel Bookings
- Photographs (2 copies of 35X45mm, white background, 80% face covered, dark clothes, without specs & no smile. Ears should be visible)
- Invitation Letter with other documents or conference registration
- Employer Cover letter with other necessary documents
- Personal Bank Statement for last 6 months with sufficient funds & attested by bank
- Personal ITR for last 3 years
- Occupation Proof