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Schengen Visa is not difficult to get, and it is also true that getting a
rejection for a Schengen Visa is not difficult either, if you are not careful. In this post, we will understand the most common mistakes for which people have faced refusals.
Common Mistake: 2
Common Mistake: 2
Itinerary not conforming the purpose of the trip
Itinerary conforms to your purpose of travel, most refusals happen because people do not understand the importance of a watertight itinerary. Most common mistakes people make are -
- Do not break up the itinerary day-wise: When you have day-wise plans, it shows you have researched enough and have genuine interests in traveling. You may not account for the days when you're traveling across
- Do not write down enough activities: I have seen itineraries with activities like relaxing in the hotel, walking in the city. While it can be written as ~ taking a walking tour around the city and visit historical monuments. List down all the possible activities you want to do in that city, if you're short of ideas then use google planner or TripAdvisor but please include relevant activities. Like if you are in Rome, write about visiting the Colosseum, Roman Forum, a night walk, and pub crawling
- Lack of tourist activities: If your purpose of travel is tourism, then the itinerary needs to have tourist places. Include historical sites, Opera houses, etc. Make it look touristic, even you don't plan to visit them all - After all, one cannot go to Rome and not see the Colosseum?
- No mention of inter-nation travels: Do mention the dates when you are traveling from one country to another
- Anomaly in the provided information: Itineraries with missing days, missing hotel bookings on dates can raise eyebrows and may lead to refusals. Missing key information like hotel name, address, phone number. Always mention the hotel details with the booking number. As part of the scrutiny, the Visa Office may call the hotel to check on bookings and then they will need the booking reference number
- Flight/Train/Bus booking details: Flight details should mention the PNR, airline, timings. Inter-nation travel with train and bus should contain the service provider and booking reference number along with the dates of travel. If you plan to purchase tickets ad-hoc then appropriately mention that.
Common Mistake: 2
Itinerary conforms to your purpose of travel, most refusals happen because people do not understand the importance of a watertight itinerary. Most common mistakes people make are -
- Do not break up the itinerary day-wise: When you have day-wise plans, it shows you have researched enough and have genuine interests in traveling. You may not account for the days when you're traveling across
- Do not write down enough activities: I have seen itineraries with activities like relaxing in the hotel, walking in the city. While it can be written as ~ taking a walking tour around the city and visit historical monuments. List down all the possible activities you want to do in that city, if you're short of ideas then use google planner or TripAdvisor but please include relevant activities. Like if you are in Rome, write about visiting the Colosseum, Roman Forum, a night walk, and pub crawling
- Lack of tourist activities: If your purpose of travel is tourism, then the itinerary needs to have tourist places. Include historical sites, Opera houses, etc. Make it look touristic, even you don't plan to visit them all - After all, one cannot go to Rome and not see the Colosseum?
- No mention of inter-nation travels: Do mention the dates when you are traveling from one country to another
- Anomaly in the provided information: Itineraries with missing days, missing hotel bookings on dates can raise eyebrows and may lead to refusals. Missing key information like hotel name, address, phone number. Always mention the hotel details with the booking number. As part of the scrutiny, the Visa Office may call the hotel to check on bookings and then they will need the booking reference number
- Flight/Train/Bus booking details: Flight details should mention the PNR, airline, timings. Inter-nation travel with train and bus should contain the service provider and booking reference number along with the dates of travel. If you plan to purchase tickets ad-hoc then appropriately mention that.
Anomaly in the funds/Bank statement
One of the key parameters for getting a Schengen Visa is to have enough funds in possession. There are no guidelines on the minimum balance required. If your flights are booked (and fully paid) and inter-nation travel tickets are booked (and paid) along with the hotels for the entire stay then you can calculate at Euro 70 per day for most of the countries and for Switzerland, keep it Euro 90 per day. For example, if you are planning to stay in Germany for 5 days, Italy for 4 days and Switzerland for 3 days then you should at least have –
5 x € 70 = € 350 + 4 x € 70 = € 280 + 3 x € 90 = € 270
Visa refusals happen when -
- Bank account or Credit card doesn't have enough balance
- The bank account had an abnormal surge in the balance
- Bank and credit card statements are counterfeit
- Show to many accounts
The best is to plan your funds ahead, at least 3 months ahead of your application and steadily transfer money into just one account (preferably) and have a good credit limit on your credit card if you use one.
Common Mistake: 15 x € 70 = € 350 + 4 x € 70 = € 280 + 3 x € 90 = € 270
Visa refusals happen when -
- Bank account or Credit card doesn't have enough balance
- The bank account had an abnormal surge in the balance
- Bank and credit card statements are counterfeit
- Show to many accounts
Fake/Cancelled hotel bookings and Dummy/Fake/Reservation of Flight Seats
The biggest recipe for rejection is doing dummy flight and hotel bookings. Though the rules say that only reservation is required, still it is better to book the actual refundable tickets with an airline with minimum cancellation charges. Reservations with non-reputed agents are of short duration which varies somewhere between 2 to 7 days. In case your visa process takes more time then on verification it will be found as "fake" and immediately visa will be rejected. Just not that, it will jeopardize your chances in the future as each rejection is uploaded in the central database which is accessed by all the member states of the Schengen Area.
For Flight bookings, open skyscanner.com in incognito mode of your browser and search for the cheapest airline. Once you have finalized on the airline then do find out the prices from their official websites, sometimes they have good offers. Almost all websites provide a good amount of cashback on international bookings.
Cheap tip: Emirates Airlines has the cheapest cancellation fee, so if you find cheaper tickets with Emirates then book them.
Inter-nation travels:
Trains are usually expensive and the tickets are non-refundable, but certainly the most comfortable ones. In case you have a rock steady plan then do book the train tickets well in advance, as you might find the best rates when booked 45 days in advance from the travel date. In “Train Italia”, you can find tickets worth Euro 12.
Flights are cheap, operators like “Vueling” offer rock bottom prices which are as low as Euro 35. But please check the offerings on the luggage, as sometimes the fares are “cabin-baggage only” fares.
Buses, my favorite. In Europe, I haven’t found sleeper buses but the buses available are comfortable and takes you through the picturesque landscapes. These are often the cheapest and offer extended luggage carrying facility. Caution! They can be late too.
Cheap tip: Make bookings with FlixBus, it is cheap and easy to book. However, if you cancel the tickets, you won’t get the money back but get a voucher after deducting Euro 1 from your original cost of the ticket. You can use the voucher to make any other future bookings with FlixBus which is valid for one year.
For hotel bookings, the best way is, if you have a rock-solid plan, then you know in which location you are going to stay for how many days. So you can simply go ahead and book accommodation, like hostels, hotels, home-stays (out of many myths, this is one, that embassies do not accept AirBnB bookings. Absolutely rubbish! Your Airbnb booking should be confirmed and clearly state property details with a contact number of the owner). If you are backpacking, then also make your hotel/hostel bookings. Select the cheapest hotels at your destination with zero cancellation and no pre-payment. Usually, the hostels give you a cheap rate and no cancellation fee till the day of arrival, so you can book them for the purpose of Visa which can be later canceled in case of a change of plan.
Need help with Schengen Visa application? Click on the link below
A Complete Guide For Schengen Visa
The biggest recipe for rejection is doing dummy flight and hotel bookings. Though the rules say that only reservation is required, still it is better to book the actual refundable tickets with an airline with minimum cancellation charges. Reservations with non-reputed agents are of short duration which varies somewhere between 2 to 7 days. In case your visa process takes more time then on verification it will be found as "fake" and immediately visa will be rejected. Just not that, it will jeopardize your chances in the future as each rejection is uploaded in the central database which is accessed by all the member states of the Schengen Area.
For Flight bookings, open skyscanner.com in incognito mode of your browser and search for the cheapest airline. Once you have finalized on the airline then do find out the prices from their official websites, sometimes they have good offers. Almost all websites provide a good amount of cashback on international bookings.
Cheap tip: Emirates Airlines has the cheapest cancellation fee, so if you find cheaper tickets with Emirates then book them.
Inter-nation travels:
Trains are usually expensive and the tickets are non-refundable, but certainly the most comfortable ones. In case you have a rock steady plan then do book the train tickets well in advance, as you might find the best rates when booked 45 days in advance from the travel date. In “Train Italia”, you can find tickets worth Euro 12.
Flights are cheap, operators like “Vueling” offer rock bottom prices which are as low as Euro 35. But please check the offerings on the luggage, as sometimes the fares are “cabin-baggage only” fares.
Buses, my favorite. In Europe, I haven’t found sleeper buses but the buses available are comfortable and takes you through the picturesque landscapes. These are often the cheapest and offer extended luggage carrying facility. Caution! They can be late too.
For hotel bookings, the best way is, if you have a rock-solid plan, then you know in which location you are going to stay for how many days. So you can simply go ahead and book accommodation, like hostels, hotels, home-stays (out of many myths, this is one, that embassies do not accept AirBnB bookings. Absolutely rubbish! Your Airbnb booking should be confirmed and clearly state property details with a contact number of the owner). If you are backpacking, then also make your hotel/hostel bookings. Select the cheapest hotels at your destination with zero cancellation and no pre-payment. Usually, the hostels give you a cheap rate and no cancellation fee till the day of arrival, so you can book them for the purpose of Visa which can be later canceled in case of a change of plan.
Need help with Schengen Visa application? Click on the link below
Need help with Schengen Visa application? Click on the link below
A Complete Guide For Schengen Visa
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