The Schengen Area refers to a large part of Europe, including the current 29 Schengen member countries. Travel between these countries is free, and there are no border controls for movement among the citizens of Schengen members. These countries have made travel for their own nationals very easy and simple, but they are strict for foreign nationals who need a visa. Most Schengen Area countries are members of the European Union, except for 3 countries: Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway, which are not EU members, or Ireland and Cyprus, which are EU members but are not part of the Schengen Agreement.
Citizens of Schengen member countries, citizens of the European Union, foreigners who have residence in one of the Schengen countries, and citizens of 55 non-EU countries such as Japan, the UAE, Canada, and Australia who do not need a visa for travel under 3 months can travel and move within the Schengen Area countries without restrictions and without a Schengen visa.
Iranian nationals must obtain a visa to travel to the Schengen Area and can travel without restrictions in all Schengen countries until the end of their visa’s validity. Usually, you must obtain a visa from the first Schengen country you intend to enter or the country where you will have the longest stay.
Types of Schengen visas
There are different types of visas for entering the Schengen Area, and the type of visa varies according to the purpose of the trip and the traveler’s entry conditions. This is called the Uniform Schengen Visa (USV).
This visa is a type of entry and travel permit issued by a Schengen country. Depending on the validity of the visa, the holder can stay and travel within the Schengen Area for a minimum of a few days up to a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. This visa is divided into 4 categories A, B, C, and LTV according to the purposes of travel:
Limited Territorial Validity Visas (LTV):
Schengen visa type A
It is an airport transit visa and is issued to someone who wants to travel between 2 non-Schengen countries but has to make a stop at a Schengen airport to change their flight. The passenger cannot leave the airport to enter the Schengen Area and is only permitted to stop and wait for their connecting flight at the same airport. If you need to leave a Schengen airport to go to another airport within the Schengen Area to change your flight, then you do not qualify for a transit visa and must obtain a regular Schengen visa.
Schengen visa type B
It is a Schengen transit visa that allows an individual to pass through the territory of several Schengen countries by car or train for a maximum of 5 days in order to enter a non-Schengen country.
Schengen visa type C
It is a short-stay visa that allows an individual to reside and travel in Schengen member countries according to the visa’s validity period. Currently, this type of visa has 2 types: single-entry (you can only enter the Schengen Area once) and multiple-entry. With a multiple-entry visa, there is no limit on the number of times you can use it during its validity period, but you can stay for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period per entry. Multiple-entry visas can be valid for 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, up to a maximum of 5 years.
Types of Schengen visa type C
The most common and most frequently issued visa by Schengen countries is type C. This type of visa is further divided into several other models according to the traveler’s reasons and purposes, the most important of which are tourist, business, sports, and medical visas.
Schengen Tourist Visa
Business Visa
Schengen Sports Visa
Italy Schengen Medical Visa
Applicant requirements for obtaining a Schengen visa
Given that every year the Schengen Area countries impose stricter conditions for issuing visas, a visa applicant must have good conditions and criteria to be able to obtain a visa. The most important influencing parameters are as follows:
- Having sufficient financial means, high bank account turnover, and property deeds has a positive effect.
- Age and marital status (most European countries are very strict with single individuals under 30 who have no previous travel history to Europe).
- Employment documents: work experience of more than 10 years, job position such as doctor, lawyer, manager of an organization, or owner of a successful business, history of insurance and tax payments.
- Defining the purpose of travel: such as your itinerary and travel details.
- Having travel history, especially to European countries.
- Having a valid and relevant invitation letter.
- Note: If the applicant is young, has no travel history, lacks strong financial means and a high-level job position with work history, they should not hope to receive a visa.
List of documents required for Schengen visa
The documents and information we provide to the embassy to obtain a visa are the most important factors for receiving the visa. Incorrect documents or false information can lead to visa rejection and deprive you of receiving a visa for years. Bank documents are among the most important documents that must contain correct and clear information about your financial transactions. Here, the documents required for the visa are listed.
- Original passport of the applicant with at least one year of validity and all old passports containing visas.
- Copy of all passport pages that have visas or stamps.
- Completion of the personal and family information form for each applicant separately.
- 2 new color photos, 3.5 x 4.5 cm, with a white background.
- Original birth certificate
- Certificate of enrollment/attendance if accompanying children.
- Notarized consent letter for accompanying children who intend to travel without one of the parents.
- Bank letter with 6-month account statement in English, stamped and signed by the branch.
- Deeds of ownership, documents related to investments, share purchases, bank deposits.
- Bank balance for a tourist visa: The minimum bank account balance during the entire 6-month period should be at least the equivalent in Iranian Rials of 8,000 euros for the head of the family, at least the equivalent of 4,000 euros for the spouse, and at least the equivalent of 2,000 euros for each child in the parents’ bank account. That is, for a family of 2, a minimum balance equivalent to 12,000 euros, for a family of 3, equivalent to 14,000 euros, and for a family of 4, equivalent to 16,000 euros.
- Government Employee: Employment decree, staff ID card, insurance statement, and salary slips for the last 3 months.
- Private Company Employee: Certificate of employment, insurance statement, and salary slips for the last 3 months.
- Employers/Business Owners: Company incorporation announcement and subsequent changes, insurance statement, salary slips for the last 3 months, proof of tax payment.
- Doctors: Medical license, medical council card, clinic license, latest tax and insurance payment statements.
- Engineers: Engineering association license or building permit.
- Factory Owners and Self-Employed Individuals: Operating license, business license, commercial card, insurance, proof of tax payment.
- Retirees: Retirement decree and pension slips for the last two months.
- Flight Tickets: Round-trip flight reservation.
- International Travel Insurance: Covering medical expenses up to at least 30,000 euros.
- Hotel Reservation: Hotel reservation or an invitation letter from relatives or friends, if you are staying at their home during the trip.
- Invitation Letter: If you have an invitation letter, it must include the details of the inviting person and the visa applicant.
- All documents must be officially translated into English.
- All documents must be in A4 size and not be attached to each other with clips, pins, or staples.
- For the embassy, official translation by a certified translation office is acceptable, but we recommend that the documents also be legalized by the judiciary and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to increase the embassy’s confidence in the correctness and authenticity of the documents.
Schengen visa fees per person
Each applicant usually has 3 types of costs for obtaining a visa, which include:
- Embassy fee: This fee is total for the embassy and the fingerprinting center. It is free for children under 6 years old – 70 euros for ages 6 to 12 – and 110 euros for those over 12 years old.
- Document translation cost: This varies depending on the number of documents and the language of translation.
- The fee for the travel agency that is going to handle the visa application process for the applicant.
Schengen visa interview
Visa service center staff (such as VFS, VISMETRIC, and BLS) will take your digital fingerprints on the day of your visa application and may interview you. Alternatively, they or the consulate of the embassy you applied to may contact you in the following days for a telephone interview to determine whether you meet the conditions for obtaining a Schengen visa and whether your documents and plans are appropriate for the type of visa requested and the purpose of your trip. We mention some possible questions.
- What is the purpose of your trip to our country?
- Why do you need a 1-month or 3-month visa?
- Why do you think we should grant you a visa?
- What will you do if your visa is rejected?
- Do you intend to visit a friend or relative living in the Schengen Area?
- Are you traveling with your spouse?
- What is your occupation, and do you have a company letter?
- Who will pay for the travel expenses?
- How can you prove that you will leave the Schengen Area before your visa expires?
- Have you had any previous Schengen visa applications?
- Do you have children? How old are they?
Schengen visa validity period
The validity period of a Schengen visa and the number of days you can use it are different, and are as follows:
Validity Period: The visa validity means the time frame during which you can start your trip and must exit the destination country after your trip ends. For example, on a 1-month visa stating from February 10th to March 10th, you can start your trip from the visa start date, i.e., February 10th, and must leave the Schengen Area by March 10th at the latest. Visa validity is usually for 20 days, 45 days, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3, 4, and 5 years.
Days of Use: This is the number stated on the visa, indicating the total number of days you are allowed to stay in the destination country and the Schengen Area.
Schengen visa application process
Steps for Schengen Visa through PAREX Company
- Consultation and Contract: Review of the applicant’s conditions and documents by PAREX consultants – Drafting and signing the contract between PAREX or PAREX’s representative and the applicant – Preparation and translation of the applicant’s documents and delivery to PAREX.
- Document Preparation by the Applicant: Obtaining a new passport or renewing the old one – Completing Schengen visa information forms – Preparing employment, property, and financial documents, and translating all documents by the applicant.
- File Completion by PAREX: Completing the applicant’s file by PAREX – Preparing and optimizing the applicant’s documents such as: hotel and flight reservations – Completing forms.
- Completing the Visa Application Stage: Obtaining an embassy appointment.
- Fingerprinting: Submitting documents, fingerprinting, and interview in person at the embassy.
- Receiving the visa decision.
Reasons for Schengen visa rejection
Anyone’s visa may be rejected for various reasons, and these reasons can be different for each person. Here we mention the most important reasons for visa rejection.
- Applying for a visa with incomplete, fake or ambiguous documents
- Incomplete or inconsistent information in the file
- Having an open immigration file in a Schengen country
- Women being pregnant
- Not leaving a Schengen country before the visa expiration date on previous trips
- Having a previous rejection record in a Schengen member country
- Having a long history of imprisonment, a criminal conviction, or security or criminal issues
- Insufficient financial documents and bank account balance
- Lack of appropriate foreign travel history
- Not having a suitable job or not having family and property ties in your own country
- If your first-degree family members have previously applied for asylum in a Schengen area country.
- Having medical issues or a specific illness that would impose treatment costs on the destination country
- The invitation letter being unsuitable due to incomplete documents or the inviter's weak financial means
- The purpose of visiting that country is not convincing, or your travel time is not appropriate for the stated purpose
Fixing Schengen visa rejection
If your visa application is rejected, you have the right to appeal. Within the 15 to 20-day period mentioned in the rejection letter, you can write an email to the consulate of the destination country. In response to the shortcomings or reasons that led to your rejection, attach sufficient and relevant reasons, documents, and evidence so that perhaps the officer in charge of your file might change their opinion. Alternatively, you can appeal through a court in the destination country within 60 days. However, in most cases, an appeal does not change the outcome. Of course, you can reapply, and there is no limit even for multiple attempts. However, to get a positive result and not be rejected again, you must make fundamental changes to your file and rectify any defects or deficiencies that caused the previous rejection. If you cannot change the deficiencies, then you must wait until your circumstances improve and reapply with different and better documents and conditions.
Useful information and tips
PAREX services for the Schengen visa
- Assistance in obtaining a Schengen visa.
- Completing visa documents and forms and obtaining an embassy appointment.
- Receiving business, exhibition, conference, sports, and artistic event invitation letters.
- Organizing tourist tours in Italy and throughout Europe.
