Schengen Visa for Germany
Hi people, I have some specific questions about getting a Schengen Visa for Germany. First of all, I am German citizen, my fiancee is Indonesian. We would like to travel to Germany for vacation (14 days) and would stay with my family. Now, I have heard some stories about difficulties for getting a visa. A friend of mine wanted to travel to Belgium (having relatives there) and nearly ended up blowing 1500 Euro for a flight ticket as she failed 2 times to get the visa, but had to show the flight ticket in advance. My question is, does the same apply for Germany? I tried looking at the German embassies website, but there its all stated in a nice, smooth way not even indicating what kind of guaranties you have to give. Since I am not so keen on buying flight tickets for the two of us and blowing 2000 Euro or more cause she does not get her visa granted (the logic is totally absurd to me, normally you get your visa first, not even the fees are refundable, and then book your flight), I would like to know if there is any way to get around that? What kind of guaranties will I or my family have to give? She is employed at a major hotel chain here and has a permanent contract, which probably works in our favor. Me and my family own properties in Germany, which also should serve as guaranty of sponsorship, but what more is there consider? What are your experiences and what are the fees for such a visa?I would be very thankful for some advice. Kind regards
Daniel
1
You might get more replies if you posted on the Western Europe branch.Anyway, check the website for the German embassy very carefully: you should find an application form and a list of the documents that you need to submit with an application. Check whether the website is provided by the German government itself, or by the visa processing company VFS. VFS are not very careful about details and sometimes give misleading or incorrect information on their websites, so if possible double-check with an official source. Don't rely on travel agents (an Indonesian student at my former university was given hopelessly wrong information by the agent she employed to arrange her visa).
I would be very surprised if they ask for an air ticket, for the reason that you give (I know that the UK, my country, does not). Note that if she would be staying with your family, you will need to obtain a document from your local police station or town hall.
Finally, what you need is a tourist visa for Germany. The fact that this visa also allows visits to other countries in the Schengen zone is not relevant.
2
You have to sign a declaration of commitment (Verpflichtungserklaerung) - the form should be available online - and get her a special insurance policy (health and liability). The latter will cost you about 200-300 euros. Big insurance companies do this kind of insurance for Schengen-Visa applicants.http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/Infoservice/FAQ/VisumFuerD/14-Einladung.html?nn=480902
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About to apply for my Schengen visa at the Portuguese consulate in Goa, India. They do state that you have to show a reservation for applying for the visa (you gf will have to go in person for the collection of biometric data) and at the time of picking up the visa, she will have to show a confirmed ticket. This same information was also posted on the VFS site I believe for France. However if you try making a reservation online on your own without booking a ticket its impossible (if anybody knows a way around that let me know). I went to a travel agent to make a reservation and she said for most of the airlines that came up for the places I wanted to fly to they had to do an instant booking. She went on to say that I would have to show a confirmed ticket. I found that hard to believe, plus I suspect she just wanted to make a sale. They add nearly a 2% charge to the cost of the ticket which can end up being a lot. I will have to try a different agent. I was hoping to get a reservation go in for an appointment and talk to someone at the consulate about the ticket issue. If I had to buy a ticket I could then do it on my own and skip the 2% agent's commission.BTW, to improve your chances of getting a visa, she needs to show somehow that there is a good reason for her to come back to Indonesia, such as ownership of property, good job... She will also have to get travel insurance which is inexpensive. And it might help if your family sponsors her rather than you. They can state on a letter (and she too will have to provide a cover letter) stating that she is a good family friend that they got to know in Indonesia. If you did it they might suspect that she's going to Germany to settle down.
4
Just quick thought as friend was doing similar to go to Switzerland, though their plans changed: if the visa is only valid for the specific flight/ticket you applied with it doesn't work so well, but you can reduce the risk by buying a fully flexible/refundable ticket. They cost a lot more but if the visa is issued, you can cancel and book a standard ticket to get money back and if it isn't issued, you don't lose out. I've done this in the past for when needing to have outbound flights for visas.5
My Indian husband travels to Europe regularly, and always has to have a confirmed ticket submitted with his application. One time (submission to German Embassy) he was rejected because we applied to the wrong country (germany was our entry point but not where we were spending most of our time). The airline was actually very good. They changed our ticket twice free of charge and then gave us a reasonable refund beyond that stipulated on the ticket.So, it is entirely possible that you need the full ticket - whether it is logical or not, embassies don't really care. Plus, a confirmed, paid for ticket gives a better indication of someone's willingness to return. A blocked ticket can easily be changed.
