Applying for a Schengen VISA

Okay.. so I gotta go for a business trip to Finland and I need to get a VISA to get there..

What's a VISA?  A VISA refers to an entry permit granted to an individual for a short time  (no more than 90 days within a period of six months).  This is for the purpose of visiting another country temporarily for tourism, visit, or business reasons.  Almost every country you will visit would require a VISA with some possible exceptions (for short visits) like Hongkong and Thailand and probably others.

Anyway, after checking out the website for the Finland embassy (http://www.finland.ph) here in the Philippines, I found out that I need a Schengen VISA. What? Schengen??? But I'm going to Finland!!??  Apparently,  a lot of European states require a Schengen VISA.  Getting a Schengen VISA means that you would be able to visit any of the Schengen countries since they have a unified VISA.  A Schengen visa entitles a person to enter the Schengen area provided that  other preconditions for the entry are met.  Philippine citizens need a visa to visit the Schengen area.

The 25 Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland .

Note: If your main destination cannot  be ascertained, the Schengen state whose territory constitutes the main destination of the visit in terms of purpose or the length of stay will be responsible for granting the visa.  The Embassy of Finland in Manila is representing also Estonia in Schengen visa matters in the Philippines. Kindly follow the same requirements, application forms and instructions as for Finland from this website. Please submit supporting documents in English.

Alright, so we got that cleared, so what else do I need to apply for a Schengen VISA?

1.    visit to the Embassy in person (also minors)
2.    passport (which is valid at least three months following the end of the visit) and a copy of it
3.    old passports
4.    Schengen visa application form carefully completed, dated and signed by the applicant
           -  visa application forms can be downloaded from the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
           - Please carefully fill out the form along with all necessary appendices
5.    a recent color passport photograph, taken within the past six months
           - size 36 mm wide x 47 mm high, the facial dimensions being 32 mm X 36 mm, against an off-white or light background) 
6.    flight reservation (Please DO NOT purchase the actual ticket beforehand. Submission of the ticket is only upon the approval of the visa)
7.    travel insurance (Submission of travel insurance is only upon approval of the visa)
8.    NBI clearance (National Bureau of Investigation, purpose for Travel abroad, max. 12 months old)
9.    birth certificate (Note: Only National Statistic Office (NSO) certificates printed on a security paper are accepted by the Embassy)
10.  other documents maybe required on a case to case basis

Additional enclosures depending on the purpose of the travel:

Private visit (processing time 15 days) :
1.    an invitation letter stating the required details concerning the host and visitor (names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers), the purpose and duration of        the visit, confirmation of accommodation including the address, account of the relationship between the host and the visitor. The invitation letter must be signed        and dated
2.    a latest marriage certificate if the applicant and the host are married
3.    a certificate of kinship between the host and the applicant (such as latest birth certificates or marriage certificate), in case of a family visit.  (Note: Only National Statistic Office (NSO) certificates printed on a security paper are accepted by the Embassy)
4.    a copy of the host's passport or other identity document. If the host has visited the applicant in the Philippines, also the copies of entry and exit stamps has to be         included
5.    proof of sufficient funds (such as a copy of a bank statement from the past three months or a written certificate from the employer stating regular monthly income). The level of means of subsistence depend on the length of visit, purpose of the visit, and also on the cost of living of the Schengen State or States to be visited
6.    certificate of employment and approved leave of absence from the company/employer
7.    DTI / SEC registration of Business if applicant is self-employed / entrepreneur
8.    school certificate if the applicant is a student and proof of enrollment
9.    other documents maybe required on a case to case basis

The Finnish legistation allows the family member of a Finnish citizen to travel to Finland in order to file a residence permit application at a local police.  But even if an applicant is a family member (e.g.spouse), the status does not accord him or her an automatic right to a visa. Also in this case a person has to fulfill the general visa requirements.

Note : Late registrations are not accepted as such, the applicant must also provide e.g. school records (elementary or high school originals, Form 137) or hospital records of birth. Important : the embassy requires true verified copies of documents that led to late registration of a birth/death from the competent Civil Registrar, should these documents not meet the requirements of Rule 26 of the Philippine Administrative Order the birth/death certificate in question will not be accepted.

Note: If the applicant and/or husband/wife was married before, an annulment/divorce/death certificate on NSO security paper authenticated by  DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) has to be provided.

If the applicant  was single before marriage, the single status certificate called Certificate of No Marriage in the national indices of marriage on NSO security paper authenticated by DFA has to be provided.

Tourist visit (processing time 15 days)
1.   detailed tour itinerary and the contact information of the local and Finnish tour operator
2.   flight and hotel reservation
4.   proof of employment and approved leave of absence5.   DTI / SEC registration of Business if applicant is self-employed / entrepreneur
5.   proof of studies/holiday.   evidence of sufficient funds (such as a copy of a bank statement from the past three months)

Business trip/conference (processing time 15 days)
1.   flight and hotel reservation
2.   an invitation letter from a business partner/organisation, which  states the contact information (name of the contact person, phone number and address), purpose and date of travel
3.   employment certificate
4.   confirmation by the sending company/organisation about the travel and its purpose
5.   DTI / SEC registration of Business if applicant is self-employed / entrepreneur
6.   evidence of sufficient funds (such as a copy of a bank statement from the past three months)
7.   the Embassy may ask for additional enclosures, as appropriate, such as an extract from the Register of Companies

Seaman (processing time 3 working days)
1.   valid passport and Seaman's book
2.   original POEA contract and OEC (Overseas Employment Contract)
3.   ticket or confirmed booking from the airlines
4.   letter of  guarantee from the local manning agency in the Philippines
5.   letter of invitation from the shipping agent in Finland

Note : The Embassy must receive a confirmation in Finnish,  Swedish or English language by fax from the shipping agent in Finland,  including the name list of the seamen

The visa processing fee is  60 euros and it is charged when the application is submitted to the Embassy. The fee is paid in cash in the Filipino currency at the valid rate of exchange (3750 pesos in July 2011). The processing fee is non-refundable.    The fee is not charged if the visa applicant belongs to one of the following categories:
- children under six years
- school children, students, post graduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake trips for the purpose of study or educational training
- researchers travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research

Update: I forgot to include that if they require you to present an invitation letter from Finland, you'll need to submit the original or a scanned copy (as long as it is signed) of the invitation letter and then have them email the invitation letter from the inviting company/person who is in Finland to the Finland Embassy.

Whew!  That was a lot!  Do check out the website of the embassy of Finland to make sure that you have everything they require.  Good luck to all!

Mumbling my prayers that I get approved... hehehe