[Re-post from my old blog] Schengen Visa Application: The Interview

Schengen Visa Application:  The Interview
First Published: April 21, 2012
Author: Ann S. (meowthmoments.wordpress.com)
Content revisions:  minor


What you're about the read is a first-hand info. Though questions may vary per applicant, I'm sharing this to give you an idea on what to expect.  I'm no VISA expert, and I don't offer authoritative advice for any VISA application.  My posts related to VISA application are based on my personal experience.

In any tourist visa application interview, a consular office probably has these primary objectives before granting you a VISA: to assess whether an applicant or his/her sponsor is financially capable to spend for the trip; and to ascertain the applicant's return to home country (hindi magTagoNgTago or TNT - a Pinoy slang for an illegal settler in a foreign land; insufficient or no legal documents to legalize stay in a state or territory.)

It was one of those days when driving in Makati CBD was a breeze. I arrived at Pacific Star a bit before 7:30AM, and I got a parking slot along the narrow street between the old Equitable Bldg. (now BDO), and Pacific Star - and the space was right across the building. Positive vibe! =)

Pacific Star's guest registration is at Basement 1, and it opens at 7:50AM. At exactly 8AM, I was at the Embassy, and the guard was calling out names of applicants. The guard gave me a stub.  I was Applicant #1 for that day.  Next step...

1. Reception Area.  I was asked to leave my mobile phones at the front desk, and in exchange, a claim stub was given to me.I was advised by the security officer to double-check my documents as I wait for my name to be called for the first interview.  (Interview is in two-fold).

2. The first interviewer - a polite French officer. He asked for my cover letter, passport, flight and hotel vouchers.  I handed the documents to him. He began skimming, and spent extra seconds examining my valid US visa (attached to 1 of my 2 passports).

Officer:  How long do you intend to stay in France, Ms. Sales?  Only in France?

Me:  10 days maximum, may be I'll go on a site trip to Brussels and Amsterdam.

Officer: Okay.  Please prepare the payment. 60Euros, that's P3,430.00 in Philippine Peso. Exact amount, please.

I handed him the payment, and he issued a receipt, with text in French. 

Officer:  Thank you for the payment, Ms. Sales.  (He gave me back the documents.) Now, you need to go back to your seat.  The second interviewer will call you and will ask for all the documents, so you need to take them out of that folder.  Have a nice day!

I said 'thank you', as courtesy.  I went back to my seat, and I prepared the documents as advised.  In about 3 minutes, I was called to another booth for a second interview.

3.  The second interviewer - a no-nonsense, fierce-looking Filipina. Rumor has it that Filipino employees of the Embassy are not that friendly. Somehow, there's truth to that rumor, as I could hear some applicants getting yelled at because of incomplete documents. Most of the applicants would get rattled, instead of getting the feeling that they were being assisted. The officer asked for all the documents.  Then she quickly checked each document - starting from the cover letter.  She took my biometrics and photo. She informed me that the documents would go to their file, and she asked whether I would need photocopies.  I did not bother because I obtained the documents specifically for this visa application, and I scanned the docs for my personal electronic backup (paperless!).  She checked again my bank account statements, passports - carefully examined the details of my past visas, especially the valid US visa.

Officer:  Do you work in HK or in SG?

Me:  No. I'm just a frequent visitor. 

Officer:  (She suddenly became friendly, when she saw my Certificate of Employment) Oh, so you work for SM?

Me: Yes, for almost seven years now.

Officer:  (Stamped my receipt) 5-working days for the visa.  It is Holy Week already, long holidays, you may claim your visa on April 10, 11AM. You may send a representative, with authorization letter.  Here's your passport.  Kindly check again the details in the receipt.

Me: All correct.  Thank you.

At 8:20AM, I completed the interview process.  It was quick and painless.  I was also able to claim my visa, as scheduled.  =)

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Related posts:

Schengen Visa for Pinoy Tourists
Paris Part I: Kuting in Paris - Lost in Translation

[Re-post from my old blog] Schengen Visa Application for Pinoy Tourists

As I'm still setting up a new home (sweet home) for my blog here in Blogspot, I'm going to repost my top articles - those I published back in 2012 through my Wordpress blog.

Here's my top article last year, which I think is being used as reference by blog readers in 70+ countries.  This one earns web hits almost everyday from the day I published it, 11 April 2012. I'm hoping this article will still be able to serve its purpose of giving Pinoy tourists an idea on how to obtain a Schengen Visa from the French Embassy in Manila. 

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Schengen Visa Application for Pinoy Tourist
Intial Online Posting Date:  April 11, 2012
Author:  Ann S.  (meowthmoments.wordpress.com)
Content revisions:  Updated web links

Traveling or even the prospect of travel could cost you some good nights' worth of sleep; especially when it is about traveling to a territory, which requires you to obtain a visa prior to a formal entry.  If you are Pinoy traveler with a Philippine-issued passport, then you're in for a lot of pre-travel 'adventures' just working on the VISA alone.

I applied for several VISA in the past, and fortunately, those applications didn't get rejected.  Each application process required effort.  I just feel inclined to share with you, the step-by-step process in applying for a Schengen Visa. This Visa is valid  in 25　territories, covered by the Schengen Agreement: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. 

1. When to apply - at least 90 days before your planned entry to a Schengen territory.

2. Where to file - for multiple destinations, file your visa application to the Consulate of your main destination, or where length of stay is the longest. If length of stay per destination is almost equal, then file application to the Consulate of the first country in your itinerary.

3. Set an appointment with the Consulate / Embassy. Be ready with the following info:　 applicants name, email address and contact number, purpose of travel, preferred travel dates and length of stay, and preferred schedule of interview.

I applied through the French Embassy.  I made an appointment through their visa hotline.

Starting April 10, 2012, applicants may reach the Embassy through its call center hotlines: for PLDT/Smart/Touchcard Subscribers 1 (909) 101- 3333;  for Globe/Innove/Touchmobile　Subscribers 1 (900) 101 - 3333; and for Bayantel Subscribers 1 (903) 101- 3333. Calls are accepted Mondays through Saturdays, from 8AM - 6PM. Call charge is Php32.00 per minute, excluding VAT and applicable NDD charges for calls made outside Metro Manila. These hotlines are intended for calls made within the Philippines.

The French Embassy conducts interview for Visa applicants, Monday - Friday, 8AM -12NN.

4.  Prepare your application form and supporting documents.  Please do take note of the turn-around time when requesting for certain documents. Here is the list of required documents:

*  Application form - You need to fill this up: for short-stay VISA (30-90 days) http://www.ambafrance-ph.org/IMG/pdf/Formulaire_SCH_eng.pdf; for long-stay visa (over 90 days) http://www.ambafrance-ph.org/IMG/pdf/Formulaire_LS_eng.pdf

Attach (paste) a 45mm x 35mm ID picture / white background / no face cover /   no headgear / no eyeglasses / no frowning / 'Mona Lisa' smile only. Clip (paper clip) another copy of your ID photo to the application form.

*  Cover letter explaining the purpose of travel and itinerary.

*  Itinerary and flight reservation - you do not have to buy tickets yet, just contact a travel agent who can provide you with a travel voucher free of charge.  You may also try http://www.klm.com for free reservation - they could hold the ticket for you for a certain number of days.  Hotel voucher - you may book through http://www.agoda.com, where a good number of hotels allow free cancellation; and if you're an HSBC card holder, that's less 5% for every booking made via HSBC website - click travel promos, and then follow the link to Agoda website.

*  Travel insurance - a minimum insurance of EURO 30,000, cashless settlement, with toll-free hotline, coverage valid in 25 Schengen territories. For a list of Schengen-accredited insurance providers, you may follow this link - http://www.ambafrance-ph.org/IMG/doc/Assurances_contacts_site_internet-2.doc

You may also apply online.  I applied through http://www.bluecross.com.ph.  A Schengen package is about Php 2,500.00.  If you plan to buy a policy from BPI MS, a coverage will cost you around Php 4,000.00.

*  Financial documents / proof of income - (1) latest bank certification, (2) bank account statement indicating transactions/balance in the last three months - You have to request for these documents preferably from your branch of account. The bank will require you to fill up and sign a request form, and you have to indicate hat the certificate is for your Schengen Visa application.  At BPI, they could release the certification in an hour or less - for accounts, which you opened online (example: BPI Direct and BPI Trade - the lead time is about 3 - 5 banking days. You may also include your Mutual Fund / Equity Fund Statements, if available.  (3) latest Income Tax Return (ITR).

* Proof of employment - (1) Certificate of Employment, indicating tenure / position title / annual compensation; (2) approved leave of absence (I just photocopied my approved VL, as signed by my boss, using our company VL form); (3) For self-employed, official business registration for current and previous years.

* Proof of Identity - (1) Passport, valid for at least 6 months from the planned date of entry; (2) photocopy of the first page of passport,  all travel visas obtained;　(3) NSO-authenticated birth certificate -  a hassle-free request may be facilitated online http://nso.citizenservices.com.ph lead time is 3 - 4 days;  (4) If married, bring a photocopy of marriage contract.

*  Non-refundable visa application fee, cash basis to be settled in Philippine Peso (PhP) only. 

   Short stay visa (30 - 90 days), EURO 60.00 or about PhP 3,250 at prevailing forex exchange rate;

   Long stay visa (over 90 days), EURO 99.00. 

   Bring smaller bills and coins (P5.00 / P10.00). The French Embassy in Manila accepts exact amount only.

5.  Interview - for applications lodged through the French Embassy, interviews are conducted at their office - 16F Pacific Star Building, Buendia cor. Makati Avenue, Makati City. Please be prompt. If your interview is scheduled at 8AM, Pacific Star's guest registration at Basement 1 opens at 7:50AM. You need to register first with the Admin at Basement 1, before they allow you to go up to the Embassy located at the 16th Floor.

Note: Most of the time, the French Embassy approves/denies application on the spot. For approved applications, the average Visa issuance lead time is 5 working-days. The interviewer will tell you when to claim your Visa. The Embassy may or may not require you to leave your passport while you wait for the Visa.

For other Visa-related matters, you may visit the French Embassy website Visa section: http://www.ambafrance-ph.org/Visas,1261.

I hope you find this informative. Don't get overwhelmed with the requirements.  Go through each step, as if you are in a travel drill of some sort. Patience is a virtue.

In my next blog entry, I intend to write about my experience during the actual interview at the French Embassy. =)


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Related posts:

Schengen Visa Interview
Paris Part I : Kuting in Paris - Lost in Translation
Paris Part II : Traveling Tourists