You may need to know that European Union zones that are passport-free are what we refer to as the Schengen. It is known to be the world’s largest travel area; we have about 26 states from European states that made up Schengen. If you hold a visa of Schengen, then you will enjoy unrestricted permit to enter any member’s country. So today’s information is every information you need to know about the Schengen visa application process from Nigeria.
Here are the countries you can access with Schengen visa
· Denmark
· Belgium
· France
· Switzerland
· Luxembourg
· Italy
· Malta
· Estonia
· The Netherlands
· Finland
· Portugal
· Iceland
· Poland
· Germany
· Austria
· Greece
How do I apply for a Schengen visa in Nigeria?
Of course, this is one of the questions that brought you to this platform, applying for Schengen Visa from Nigeria is not what you need to worry about; you do not need special skills. You can apply at the embassy of the respective Schengen country; you can connect with a reputable agency that can put you through the application process, you need to get the requirements which we will be giving you shortly and must be ready before you embark on the application.
Download Schengen visa application form for Nigerian citizens
The rule for lodging a Schengen visa application is that you must submit your application to the Schengen state which is going to be your first point of entry. The application form can be gotten in the embassy of the countries you are heading for, take, for example, you are going to France, then you need to visit France embassy in Nigeria to obtain the visa from there. Ensure you check the list of things that are expected of you to have before you even bother to visit the embassy to get the form. This will not only save your time, but it will also make your application process faster.
Click here to download Schengen visa form
What are the requirements for a Schengen visa in Nigeria?
You may need to ask, what are the things you need to apply for this visa, here are the list of things you need.
· You need an original and approved passport that is valid to travel to other member’s state. You must ensure the visa is still much valid for your number of days you want to stay in the country.
· Full photocopies of your passport, excluding the blank pages.
· If you are not a citizen of Nigeria, you must provide reasons you are applying from Nigeria in your application.
· You need your formal passport if you have been given a new passport in the last three years.
· You need to photocopy your national ID card front and back.
· A colored photo that is not more than six months ago, also passport photography of 45 mm by 35 mm size, you will also take photography in a white background.
· If you run a self-owned business, then you need to provide your business registration certificate.
· If you are employed by a known company or a government organization, then you need to provide your employment letter, your current positions in the company, and your leave duration.
· You must provide your medical travel insurance, which must not be less than 30,000 Euro and must also stay valid for the period of stay.
· You must provide proof or evidence for visa fee payment
· You must have at least preliminary ticket booking.
· You need extra information for minors that are under 18 years of age.
· You need your original birth certificate
· Both parents must provide a
· letter of consent is the parents will not be traveling with the child.
· Parents must provide ID-cards photocopy and passport
· If either parent is not available or deceased, then a letter backing that up should be provided.
· If the guardian of the child is not the biological parent, then a legal certificate of legal guardianship should be provided.
· You must provide letters from the child’s school containing the child name, the number of years at school, parents’ name, child grade, date, and name of a school representative, school holidays, and contact information.
· If the child is traveling with a group of peers, then full information of the child in that group should be provided, and the person is leading the grouping for the journey.
Complementary questionnaire for a Schengen visa application in Nigeria
This is a form which is provided by some of the Schengen embassies alongside the Schengen visa application form for Nigerian citizen. This questionnaire form must be filled correctly. Here are the details to be expected in the form.
Information about your Identity
· Surname
· First name
· Date of birth
· Father’s name
· Mother’s name
· The surname of your spouse
· Name of your spouse
· Date of delivery of your spouse
· The surname of your child/children
· Name of your child/children
· Date of birth of child/children
Information about your Purpose of travel, here you are to check the appropriate box
· Private visit to friends
· Family visit
· Business visit
· Individual tourism
· Other (please specify)
Information about Profession and financial resources. This request for your current professional status?
· Employee
· retired
· unemployed
· student
· housewife
· other
If you are an employee, please specify the name and address of your employer
· Telephone number
· Fax number:
· Email:
How long have you been working for your employer？
What is the activity of your company?
If your purpose of travel is business, how long has your company been co-operating with the inviting company?
What is your profession/job?
Your monthly income (RMB)
· Salary or professional income
· Retirement pension
· Rental income
· Other income (spouse, parents, scholarship)
Have you been granted leave?
· Yes
· No
If you have answered yes, is it a paid leave？
· Yes
· no
Information about Family status
What is the nationality of your spouse?
Do you have any children?
· Yes
· No
If you have answered yes, how many?
If you have answered yes, do they travel with you
· Yes
· no
Your stay in the Schengen Space countries
You are traveling
· alone
· with family or friends
· with colleagues
If you are traveling with family/friends or colleagues, please write down the surname, given the name, and date of birth of each person going with you. How long is Schengen visa in Nigeria?
Do you have family or friends in the Schengen Space
· Yes
· No
If so, please write down the surname, given name and date of birth of each member of your family living in the Schengen space :
If so, where does/do your family/friends live
What will be your itinerary in the Schengen Space?
Do you speak any foreign languages?
· Yes
· No
· If you have answered yes, which ones?
Previous visas issued by a Schengen state consular representation
Have you previously been refused a Schengen visa?
· Yes
· No
If so, which Consulate did you apply to and when
When do you plan to leave?
Is the bank statement necessary for a visa?
Yes, you need at least three months’ financial statement to apply for the visa, this will demonstrate your financial flow, it will give volume information about your financial strength; this will be part of the consideration that will be used to determine if you are to be approved or disapproved.
How much money do I need to show in my bank account for the Schengen visa?
This is one of the things you must ensure you have in your course of registration.
You have to at least 2500 and up to 3000 USD between 2 to 3 months before you apply for your visa.
It will make more sense to deposit in a small amount pending the time.
If you have a credit card, you will have to include it with your bank statement; this will portray you have good financial strength.
You need to attach your sponsor bank statement of account to it; also, you ensure you connect letter from these sponsors with it at the same.
Can the embassy check my bank account?
Of course, it will check to ensure you have the financial capacity to stay in any of the countries you must have stated. So, it is always advisable you prepare your account to correspond with the amount of Euro that is expected as a minimum in your bank account number.
Do I need to book tickets before applying for a Schengen visa?
This is not a must you book your flight ticket before visa approval, it is not necessary, but after the visa is approved, it is a must you do. After your visa is approved, it is always good you book ahead, this will save you cost, this will also save you from needing to reschedule or have a problem booking your flight on emergency.
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How much is the Schengen visa fee in Naira?
This is always dependent on the exchange rate of euros and the additional charges at the submission center. As the time of publishing this article, the cost of VISA is 24,600 naira, but you may incur more charges and expenses ranging from the transportation fee and other charges in the embassy. The cheapest Schengen visa fee is when the embassy collects application directly, but when a partner collets the application on behalf of the embassy, the partner company has right to charge a premium on it.
Why is the Schengen visa rejected?
The common problems you may face during your visa application is rejected, this can be due to things such as the following;
False document:
If you provide fake documents, this may lead to the outright rejection of the application. Ensure when applying, you should contain materials that are not forged or altered.
Unclear trip purpose:
If the use of your tip is not apparent, your visa rejection application can be rejected. You need to state clearly the reasons for your trip, and you may need professional advice in regards to this.
Application from the wrong Consulate:
If your visa application is made at the wrong Consulate, you may be faced with visa declination, so you need to have verified information on the Consulate to apply for so as not to be faced with rejection.
Issues with Passport:
If you have problems with your passport, maybe you have been banned from one country or your state or any country you have traveled to have issues with your passport, so ensure you do not have problems with your passport before application.
Insufficient travel insurance:
If the protection on your travels is not adequate and does not cover what you are supposed to cover for such as hospital, emergency, birth, complications, and others, your visa will be rejected.
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Which is the most accessible country to get a Schengen visa in Nigeria?
Here is the list of Schengen countries that you can easily apply for and will be approved without many requirements;
· Lithuania
· Estonia
· Finland
· Iceland
· Latvia
· Poland
· Luxembourg
· Slovakia
· Czech Republic
· Greece
The percentage of easiness is in the order we have listed those countries.
How long is Schengen visa processing in Nigeria?
Processing time for most Schengen visa is 15 days. This could be more especially when additional documents or verification are required. Visa application can also be delay due to the high application period.
Conclusion
So far, so good, we have given you all the information you have got to know before applying for that visa. Getting to know all of these before time will help relieve you of any stress you have to pass through to get your application to approve. Ensure you do not do any of the listed reasons why visa applications are declined and ensure you follow every one of the things we have stated for here. You can drop your comments and questions if you have additional questions to ask if we have not covered them here.