Applying for a Schengen Visa (Europe Visa) - Italian Embassy

Updated: August 2016
This blog entry pertains to the Schengen Visa application for my Europe 2011 trip (Denied-Reapplied-Approved)
For my Europe 2013 trip, I lodged my Schengen Visa Application in the Spanish Embassy (Approved).
For my Europe 2016 trip, I applied for Schengen Visa in German Embassy (Approved).

I am not a visa officer nor a visa agent. This post comes from my own personal experience. I prepared and submitted the visa application myself.

I love being a Filipino but I so hate being a Philippine Passport Holder. It is a hindrance to my travel plans. For travelers like me, we have to undergo the nerve-wracking visa application process.

Philippine passport holders are required to apply for a Schengen Visa when entering any of the 25 member states:

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
Switzerland

Some FAQs:

When can you apply for a Schengen visa?
You can apply at LEAST three months before your planned entry in any of the Schengen member state. However, due to the number of applications processed, the appointment date is usually set almost a month after the lodgement of your application.

Where do you apply for a Schengen visa?
Taken http://www.ambafrance-ph.org/IMG/pdf/C_TOURIST_AFFAIRES_EN.pdf
For a visit to one Schengen state, visa applications must be lodged at the Embassy/Consulate of that particular Member State. If the visit includes more than one destination, visa applications must be lodged at the Embassy/Consulate of the Member State whose territory constitutes the MAIN destination of the visit(s) in terms of purpose or the length of stay. Based on my itinerary, I have to lodge my application in the Italian embassy.

How much money should you have in the bank?
I found this link online which discusses the proof of funds required of each country. I didn’t really use this because I have my own budget for this trip which I believe is a more accurate reflection of the amount I will really be using for this trip. In my case, let's just say I had more that enough for my trip.

Visa Application process:

• Check the requirements of that embassy. This can be found in the embassy’s website.
• Contact the embassy where you will lodge your application.
• Gather and submit the requirements.
• Wait and pray for a positive decision.

Requirements of the Italian Embassy for Tourist Visa includes (but not limited to) the following:

1. Passport with no less than 3 months validity over the visa expiration;
2. Accomplished application form with one recent picture (2X2) with white background;
3. Original and a photocopy of all documents required for each applicant.
4. Certificate of employment or Business registration certificate and financial statement.
5. Approved Leave of Absence indicating duration of leave.
6. Bank certification for dollar and peso accounts accompanied by their corresponding passbook, statements of account. If available, traveler’s checks and international credit cards.
7. Declaration of annual income (ITR).
8. Confirmed round trip ticket upon release.
9. Itinerary, confirmed round trip flight booking and hotel vouchers or hotel booking under the name of the traveler.
10. A letter of invitation addressed to the Embassy, (format of this letter may be secured at the Italian Embassy or downloaded from www.ambmanila.esteri.it ), in case the traveler will stay in a friend’s or relative’s residence. The invitation may be made by an Italian national or a foreign resident legally staying in Italy. A document of identity or permit of stay should accompany the letter of invitation.
11. For all minors, an Affidavit of Support and Consent from both parents. In addition, a DSWD clearance for minors not traveling with parents.
12. Travel insurance

List was obtained from the website of the Italian Embassy. The list is non-exhaustive. Aside from some of the items which are applicable to me, I also submitted additional documents that established my net worth and roots in the Philippines. Examples: statements of account of mutual funds, stocks owned, credit card statements.

For the travel insurance, make sure that you will obtain one which is an accredited insurance agency by the Schengen Country. The Italian Embassy also required to add 15 days to the number of days of your entire trip; for me: 24 days + 15 extra days = 39 days covered by the insurance. I got mine from Blue Cross. It was quite easy and what I liked about it is that I simply sent them a scanned copy of the accomplished application form and then I just had to pay online. I paid around $120 or Php 5,000+. They sent the original policy via mail in a matter of days. Totally hassle-free.

The process differs from each embassy. I can only share about the application process in the Italian Embassy:

• Call their premium hotline. The call costs Php 32 per minute (yes you read that right) excluding other charges and they charge higher if you call using a cellphone I believe.

• They will provide you the pick-up date of the documents via a courier. You will place all your requirements in a long brown envelope. Pay attention to the labelling of the envelope.
• They will ask you to include a checklist with a standard clause (I can’t recall the verbatim phrase)
• Take note of the date of the pick-up. In my case, this was scheduled almost a month after my call. It is best to lodge your application at the earliest possible time.
• Take note of your tracking reference number. You can track this in the courier’s website.
• You will pay the courier Php 430 (as of July 2011) to the courier when they pick-up your documents

The visa application costs 60 euros which is non-refundable even if your application gets denied. The hotline will advise you the rate in pesos or to call again when your pick up date is near to know the Php conversion you will use. You have to pay this using a Manager’s Check (MC). Take note of the payee that will be used in the MC.

Looking at my profile, I do not have “favorable” chances of being granted a visa:

• A single Fiipina traveling alone with no sponsor.
• I had no prior visas. I’ve only traveled to 3 ASEAN countries before my Schengen Visa Application.

But since I was determined to push through, I still opted to pursue this trip, and this application.

Reading some articles about this topic, I usually encounter these concerns:

What is the chance of getting a Schengen visa if....
- I have a relative sponsor/friend/boyfriend in
- I have 1 million pesos in the bank
- I have a China/Korea/Japan/US Visa
- I’ve traveled all over Asia.

Dreams should not be based on chances.Despite my profile not being favorable, I still went ahead with my application.

If you never take chances in life you'll miss out on the best things.

Are you pursuing your dream because of "a good chance"? Or because you want it?

When will you know about the result?
The processing takes 15 working days. I know how nerve-wracking this could be. What kept me sane was praying. I also kept visualizing my trip. However, after 15 days, I got the result (just a week after my birthday) – I got denied. :( I was heartbroken.

What is your application gets denied?
I’m sorry you got denied. Luckily, they do not require an elapsed period of reapplication. Find out the reasons why you got denied. I got a checklist which looked something like this:
http://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/kosovo/documents/eu_travel/annex_vi_visa_refusal_form_en.pdf


  
They cited that my visa refusal was due to:
#2: Justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not provided
#3: You have not provided proof of sufficient means of subsistence, for the duration of
the intended stay or for the return to the country of origin or residence, or for the
transit to a third country into which you are certain to be admitted, or you are not in a
position to acquire such means lawfully 
#9: Your intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the expiry of the visa could not be ascertained

My purpose was clear, my funds were sufficient, and I just need to convince them that #9 is not true. I think that if you are a solo female traveler, you are immediately labeled as a "red flag" = possible mail order bride or a candidate for human trafficking. Am I annoyed? Heck, YES. Can I blame them? Not really. 

So my game plan was to just reapply, and refute the reasons for refusal. Sounds simple? Nope, not really. 

Contact the embassy how you can re-apply. Proceed with the reapplication if you have additional documents to address the reasons you were denied. Luckily, my prayers were heard and I was granted a chance to reapply for a second time via personal appointment.To book the personal appointment, the embassy's hotline provided me an email address to send my request. They said that it will be the embassy's discretion if they will answer your email. I prayed hard that they would reply. After less than 24 hours, I got a reply scheduling my appointment after a week or so.   

I came with more documents establishing my rootedness in the Philippines. Examples: life insurance policy, domestic flights after my trip to Europe, car's Certificate of Registration. I did not beef up my travel funds because I was confident I really had enough in the bank - and I don't know where to get more funds just for show-money anyway. In my opinion, there is no "magic document" that you can produce that will reverse the refusal. The visa officer will consider all factors surrounding your application. Gathering all the documents again was nerve-wracking for me. But I had hope.

During the interview, the visa officer asked me extensively about my itinerary. I had no problems answering these because I crafted the itinerary myself. I had to repeat my answer a couple of times that I was really really travelling alone: I had no relatives in Italy, I do not have an Italian boyfriend. I reiterated that I had a good job in the Philippines that gives me good income so that I can afford to travel. The interview lasted for 25-30 minutes. Take note that your answers may be heard my the other applicants in the waiting area. Just keep calm and project confidence. Do not lose patience especially if the questions are repetitive. I think that's how they do their job, they really test how consistent your answers are.

In hindsight, I would have travelled extensively to Asian countries first before applying for the Schengen visa. Oh well, everything worked out in the end.

I got approved! Thank you Lord! :) :)
 
What if I apply at another embassy?
I don’t know. I didn’t do that because my itinerary didn’t change – Italy was still my main destination. You are probably blacklisted anyway.

Is the embassy strict?
They should be. Andami din naman kasing Pinoy na siraulo. I’m not judging those illegal immigrants and mail order brides since everyone wants a better life for themselves or loved ones. The thing is, there are others who suffer the consequence. People like me who have big dreams and sincere intentions. I don’t know if we can still change that. We have to deal with the process of this visa application as a result of the actions done by the past generation.

It was a photo-finish moment. My visa was granted on Thursday afternoon.  My flight was on Monday evening. I only had three full days to prepare everything. *GASP*

Good luck with the application. To those with the sincere intention of getting a tourist visa, I hope your visa application will be approved!

If God brought you to it, he will bring you through it. 

2016 Update: I am still annoyed with the Schengen visa process but I've come to accept it. It is one of the most infuriating visa process that I just have to deal with every time I want to travel to Europe.

I apologize if I will not be able to answer all questions/comments/emails regarding this denied-then approved application. I think I've written down everything I know and recall about my experience in this post. Hopefully, that will be enough to help you guys out.