Schengen visa is a European visa that allows tourists travelling in Europe to have an easy entry from one country to the other.
26 countries in Europe, have signed a Schengen Agreement that made them being part of the Schengen Area and at the same time allowing their citizens to travel freely between them.
Update : It is now mandatory to get COVID Insurance when you travel Abroad. Click the below link to get your COVID Insurance at cost price.
The countries which have signed this agreement are known as the Schengen States or Schengen countries. You can easily get a Schengen visa from Bangalore for your European trip to any of those 26 countries.
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What is a Schengen Visa?
Schengen visa is a single endorsement that allows you entry into any of the 26 Schengen States. The specific states that you can visit will depend upon your travel itinerary.
A Schengen visa is issued on the basis of your port of entry or on the stay period with the most number of days. This visa will be termed as France Schengen visa, Italy Schengen visa, or Switzerland Schengen visa, etc.
How to Apply for Schengen Visa from Bangalore?
Schengen visa has offline processing which requires a personal interview and biometrics for first-time travelers. Since the applicant must personally visit the VFS, you must be aware of the documents required and the procedure for application.
Blinkvisa, a startup can guide you on the process of Schengen visa application in Bangalore. The assistance comes from a visa expert who can fill up the application form, verify and scrutinize the documents and arrange them properly.
Getting a Schengen visa is a bit tough and getting an appointment for the visa interview is tougher. Blinkvisa can ensure that you will get appointment for interview at the Schengen visa center in Bangalore at the earliest possible date.
How does Blinkvisa work?
Blinkvisa helps you save both your time and money.
Save time!
By helping with the visa application filling, Blinkvisa is saving you hours. It will take long for you to complete the application form since it requires so much information. Additionally, you must have a bunch of documents ready with you when you visit the VFS Global in Bangalore for the visa interview.
Blinkvisa offers pickup and drop facility for collecting the passports and documents to enable visa experts to fill up the application form on your behalf. Once the application form is done, it will be emailed to you for verification. If everything is correct, we will print out the application form and arrange the documents as needed. When everything is prepared well, you will get them back through our drop service, at your home.
Save Money!
Blinkvisa gives you a 100% cashback on the entire vise fee. The money will be credited to the BlinkWallet. You can use this money to book flight tickets, hotels, and even activities at your destination.
You have to pay an initial amount of INR.500 to kick start the processing. As soon as you pay this amount, your BlinkWallet account will have the entire fee amount credited in it. You can use this amount while booking flights, hotels, etc to get attractive discounts.
Want temporary flight, hotel or insurance for your Schengen visa?
Additional benefits of taking Blinkvisa assistance
Blinkvisa can also help you with preparing a travel plan for the European trip. Blinkvisa can help with both the visa and the itinerary. A Schengen visa application must have a travel itinerary for visa approval.
You will get a travel plan that is tailor-made for you, free of cost. A travel plan prepared by experts would help you utilize your time more effectively.
Schengen visa application
Here is some key information that you need to be aware of when you are applying for a Schengen visa from Bangalore
Processing time
Schengen visa processing time in Bangalore would be anywhere between 7-15 days, depending upon the country you choose as your main destination. Even though you can travel to all the other countries in Schengen Zone, you still need a specific country through which you can apply for the visa.
Schengen visa validity
Schengen visa, issued by any of the Schengen counrty will have its validity depending upon the applicant’s travel plan. You are most likely to get only as many days as you will be mentioning in the application form. When you get the visa, you must not delay the travel too much. In fact, it would be better if you do not make any changes.
Stay period
Stay period is the allowed time period one can stay in the country. The Schengen visa allows a stay period of only those days which are in the itinerary. Unless you have a multiple-entry visa, you may not be able to stay for a longer period than that is necessary.
Number of entries
You will get a choice between a single-entry Schengen visa and a multiple-entry visa. You must specify your choice while submitting the application.
In case you are applying for a multiple-entry visa, you must show the proof in your itinerary that you plan to come back to the same country within the specified travel period. The by default entry type is single-entry unless specified otherwise.
Schengen Visa from Bangalore
When you are applying for a Schengen visa from Bangalore, you need to visit the VFS Global office to provide biometrics and for submitting the application form. The address of VFS Bangalore would be
VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd
Global Tech Park No 11 First Floor
O’ Shaughnessy Road, Langford Town
Bangalore Karnataka 560025 India
You may visit this office for many of the Schengen visa types such as
- Germany Schengen Visa
- France Schengen Visa
- Switzerland Schengen Visa
- Italy Schengen Visa
- Norway Schengen Visa
Schengen Visa Fees
When you apply for any Schengen visa, the visa fees would be the same for all countries. Regardless of which jurisdiction you choose to submit the application form, the fee remains the same.
The major factor would be the age of the applicant that decides the visa fee amount. The visa fee differs from the age of the applicant. In other words, the visa fee is different for young children, children, and adults. The age categories are children under the age of 6, up to 12 yrs and those who are above 12 yrs are considered adults.
Schengen visa from Bangalore includes the visa fees, agency fee, and GST when you choose Blinkvisa. The Schengen visa fee through Blinkvisa would be
- Adults (Above 12 yrs)- INR. 7680
- Minors (below 12 yrs)- INR. 4430
- Minors (0-6 yrs)- No visa fees
| Category | Visa Fee | Blinkvisa fee | GST | Total |
| Adult | 6500 | 1000 | 18% | 7680 |
| Minors | 3250 | 1000 | 18% | 4430 |
Schengen visa requirements
Schengen visa requirements are generally the same for all applicants, except for the financial documents. Only the primary applicant needs to submit the financial details for a family.
- Original Passport with at least 6 months validity and two empty pages
- Respective Schengen visa application form duly filled and signed
- Two recent passport-size colored photographs of the size 35 mm x 45 mm. It must be in a matte or semi-matte finish with 80% face coverage taken against a white background and without border
- Personal covering letter explaining the entire travel plan (Sample Personal cover letter for Schengen visa)
- Copy of updated Bank Statements for the last 3 months with attestation (Online printout is not accepted)
- IT Return proof / Form 16 for last 3 years
- Confirmed Flight Tickets (mandatory)
- Hotel Reservations (mandatory)
- Travel Insurance (minimum coverage of EUR 30,000)
Additional documents
Apart from the above-mentioned documents, there might also be a few additional documents. These may change with the applicant’s profile.
If you are employed
- Original leave sanction certificate
- Salary slip of the last 3 months.
For self-employed
- Business Registration License/MOA/Partnership deed/GST certificate/IT returns
- Company’s updated bank statement of last 3 months
- IT returns of the company for the last 3 years
If retired
- Original pension pay order certificate
- bank statement for the last 6 months if you are retired from a private company
For students
- Copy of student ID card issued from the respective institution
- Bonafide certificates
For minors
- Birth certificate copy
- NOC on 100/- stamp parent from parents or the non-accompanying parent, as applicable
- Copy of any ID proof of parent(s)
If visiting a friend or relative
- Invitation letter
- Inviter’s ID passport or PR
- Address proof in the form of an Electricity bill, Utility bill, etc.
Visiting under sponsorship
Sponsorship will be required if the applicant is not having enough funds for the trip. In such cases, they can take a sponsor who is ready to take up the expenses. The applicant needs to show proof of sponsorship and other documents to ensure the Embassy that the visitor can take care of the travel expenses.
Here are the needed documents under such circumstances.
- Sponsorship letter
- Sponsor’s national ID proof like Passport, PAN card or Resident permit
- Updated bank statement of last 3 months
- Income tax returns for the last 3 years.
Apply through Blinkvisa
- Approach Blinkvisa and pay an initial amount of INR.1000 to book an appointment.
- An executive will come to your place and collect your passports and copies of your documents. They are necessary for the visa expert to fill up the application form on your behalf.
- Once the visa expert fills in the application form, the same will be emailed to you for verification. You must verify the details and immediately inform them if there is any change required.
- When you have verified the application, the executive will return the passports and documents back to you at your home, at your convenient time.
- The documents and the application form would be arranged properly and an appointment would also be fixed for you.
- Now all you need to do is to visit VFS for the interview and pay the visa fee there.
At the VFS Global
- You need to have an appointment for each applicant for the visa interview.
- Reach the VFS Global at least 30 minutes before the appointment time so that you reach on time and can relax a while.
- An executive will receive you and collect the documents. There, the documents verification happens and once it is done, you can move on to the biometrics counter.
- At the biometrics counter, give the fingerprints of all the 10 fingers for all applicants above the age of 12.
The Schengen visa interview is crucial as your visa application can be rejected on the basis of the interview. The interviewer may ask you a number of questions about yourself or your job profile. You must answer them confidently. Most importantly, you must be able to convince the consulate officer that your trip is purely for tourism.
If the consulate officer gets suspicious about your returning to your origin country, he/she may reject the visa.
Common Schengen visa interview questions
- Who will pay for your visit?
- Are you married? If yes, what does your spouse do? For how long have you been married?
- Do you have any children? If yes, how old are they, what do they do and where are they?
- Do you have any close family or friends in the Schengen area? If yes, when did you meet the last time?
- Where do you stay?
- What is your educational qualification?
- How will you travel from one place to another?
- How do you guarantee me that you will come back?
- Which company do you work for?
- What is your profession?
- For how long are you employed with your current employer?
- Could you please show me your company profile?
Schengen Visa FAQs
What is a cover letter?
Schengen visa cover letter is a document that summarizes the details of your travel to the Schengen area. In the cover letter you should explain:
- The purpose of your trip
- When and where you intend to travel
- How your trip is going to be funded
- Per day itinerary plan of your trip
- Duration of the trip
Is the Schengen visa a sticker visa?
Yes, a Schengen visa is a sticker visa. It will be stuck in your passport.
Can I extend my Schengen visa when I am visiting there?
No, you cannot extend the Schengen visa from anywhere. You will have to return when the visa expires. You can always apply for a new visa for another visit.
How long can I stay in the Schengen area with my multiple-entry visa?
If you have a multiple-entry visa, you can stay in the Schengen area for a maximum of 89 days. This stay limit is for 6 months. In other words, you can only stay for a maximum of 90 continuous days in 6 months’ time.
How can I check the status of my Schengen visa application?
You can check the status of the Schengen visa application on the VFS website. You can type in the VFS reference number and date of birth to check the same.
I am applying for a Schengen visa along with my family. How many appointments do I need to book?
Each applicant needs separate appointments for the interview. But you may get it on the same day and together as well.
What if I miss my appointment at the VFS?
In case you miss your appointment on the scheduled day, you will need to book a new appointment after 24 hours from your original appointment date.
Is a visa interview and biometrics mandatory for all?
A visa interview and biometric data are not required if you have visited any of the Schengen countries after 2nd November 2015. Once you give your biometrics, it is valid for the next 59 months. Moreover, if the applicant is less than 12 years old, biometric data is not required.