Schengen Visit Visa

Owing to the arrangement between the UAE and the Schengen countries, you would be able to travel to the latter area without any visa for up to 90 days if you are a UAE citizen. However, if you are planning a trip to a Schengen country to meet your friends or family or for any other purpose for more than 90 days, a Schengen Visit visa from Dubai or UAE is a must.

Keep reading below to get all the relevant information with respect to the Schengen visit visa.

Do You Need Schengen Visit Visa from Dubai or the Other Emirates?

Short answer – depends on your trip duration and nationality. As discussed earlier, UAE citizens won’t need a Schengen visit visa from Dubai (and the UAE in general) if they would be staying in the Schengen region for less than 90 days.

However, if you are a national of a country that doesn’t have such a visa-free setup with Schengen countries or a UAE national planning a stay beyond 90 days (within a 180-day period), a Schengen visit visa would be mandatory for you.

Schengen Visit Visa Requirements

Individuals must necessarily possess certain documents when applying for a Schengen Visit visa from Dubai such as the following –

• Visa Application Form: Visitors applying for a Schengen Visit visa from Dubai must make sure to fill out the visa application with correct details
• Photographs: Two photographs that are not older than three months would be required here
• Valid Passport: The validity of your passport should last three months after your trip to the Schengen country ends. Moreover, there must be at least two blank pages in your passport. Note that passports older than ten years would be considered invalid here
• Travel Itinerary: This can include all the necessary documents related to flight tickets and accommodation details in the Schengen country
• Schengen travel insurance Documents: Schengen travel insurance is mandatory if you need a Schengen visa to travel to the region. This travel insurance plan must fulfil certain criteria that will be discussed later in the article 
• Invitation Letter: If you are travelling to the region on to an invitation, a letter for the same would be required from the concerned person staying in the Schengen country with a copy of their valid passport. In case the person residing in the Schengen area is not a citizen of the EU, a copy of their residency permit will be needed.
• Means of Self-Finance: This type of document is required to prove that you are financially equipped to support yourself during your stay in the Schengen country. The documents here can include any (or a combination) of the following –
  • Bank statements for the previous three months
  • A letter of sponsorship provided by another individual who is liable to pay your expenses in the Schengen country (this person would need to provide their bank statements as well)
• Proof of Stay During the Trip: Documents mentioning your accommodation in the Schengen area would be required for your visa application. This can include documents related to –
  • Hotel Bookings
  • Rent Agreement 
  • Flat or house details of your friend or relative
• Family Relation Proof: In case you are visiting and/or staying with any of your relatives, you may need to provide evidence of your familial relationships
• Proof of employment status that can include the following –

For Employed Individuals

• Contract of employment
• Leave permission from your current employer

For Self-Employed Individuals

• A valid copy of the business licence
• Previous six months’ company bank statement

The Schengen Visit visa requirements for minors are as follows –

• Birth certificate
• The parent accompanying the minor must have an original notarised No Objection Certificate from the other parent
• Copies of the passports or IDs of both parents
• A minor travelling without any guardian must have an original notarised No Objection Certificate from both guardians as well as copies of their passports or ID

How to Apply for Schengen Visit Visa?

Simply follow the given steps to complete your Schengen visa application –

• Verify your qualification with respect to the Schengen visit visa requirements and whether you actually require one
• Check where to apply for the visa. You can submit your application to the embassy, a designated visa centre, or a consulate of the respective nation.
• Obtain a visa application from the embassy or the website of the concerned visa authority. Fill it up and submit it to schedule a visa interview.
• Gather and organise all the required documents
• Visit the specified interview centre on time and complete the interview process for your Schengen visit visa application
• Submit the required fee for your visa application

Once you complete all these steps, you will need to wait as your Schengen Visit visa from Dubai will get processed. It can usually take 14 days for the visa authorities to process your application and inform you about its approval or rejection.  

Do I Need Travel Insurance for Schengen Visit Visa?

If you require a Schengen visa to visit the region, whether due to nationality or the duration of your trip, travel insurance would be mandatory in your case. This travel insurance plan would also need to fulfil the minimum requirements as per the Schengen visa guidelines, i.e., a minimum medical cover of EUR 30,000 and validity across all Schengen countries.

On top of fulfilling the mandatory requirements, getting your trip secured with Schengen visit visa travel insurance can provide you with numerous advantages like the following –

• Medical Expenses and Repatriation – Schengen travel insurance can cover all the medical related to treatment for any injury or illness that one may face during the trip. The plan can also cover the costs of emergency flights to get the policyholder back to their home country, if required.
• Trip Cancellation or Curtailment – In case your trip is cancelled or cut short, you can get covered for the non-refundable amount from your insurance company
• Delays and Missed Flight Departures – If your flight gets delayed or cancelled, it can bring you significant losses. With a Schengen travel insurance plan, you can have your losses covered
• Lost or Stolen L – Insurance companies include this type of coverage in their travel insurance plans to cover policyholders against any lost or stolen baggage. With this cover, one can arrange the replacement items to continue their trip.
• Personal Liability – Your travel insurance plan can cover the third-party liability costs arising from any injury or damage that you caused accidentally on your trip. However, it is necessary to make sure that any mishap due to alcohol or drug consumption is not involved, as your claim would not be valid in such instances.
• COVID-19 Coverage – In case the policyholder tests COVID-19 positive during their trip, the insurance provider can cover the expenses related to it such as RT-PCR, quarantine, medical treatment, and more.  

Depending on your frequency of travel, you can select any of the two types of Schengen travel insurance plans for your Schengen Visit visa – 

• Single-Trip Travel Insurance: One can get this type of insurance if they are not a frequent traveller. A single-trip insurance policy covers the entire trip of an individual, although it expires as soon as the trip ends. Once purchased, the Schengen visit visa travel insurance policy is valid from the day your trip starts and ends after you reach the UAE.
• Annual Multi-Trip Travel Insurance: Individuals travelling to the region multiple times in a year can get an annual multi-trip travel insurance policy. With this plan, you can get covered for all the trips made in an entire year. If you are one such frequent traveller, it is a wise option to opt for such a travel insurance policy as it is more affordable compared to the total cost of getting single-trip travel insurance plans for each trip.

Processing Time for the Schengen Visit Visa

Generally, it may take up to two weeks for your application for Schengen Visit visa from Dubai to get processed. However, owing to various factors related to your profile as well as the visa authority, it may take up to 30 or even 60 days. 

When Should You Apply for Schengen Visit Visa?

As discussed in the previous point, it can take even 30 days in some cases for the processing of your Schengen visit visa application. For this reason, it is advisable to apply for the visa immediately after your travel plans are confirmed.

Keep in mind that individuals can submit their visa applications three months prior to their travel date, while the last day to apply for the same is 15 days before the commencement of your trip.

The best time to apply for and submit your Schengen Visit visa from Dubai, thus, would be somewhere around one to two months prior to your travel to the Schengen region.

How Long is Your Schengen Visit Visa Valid?

The validity of a Schengen visit visa for visiting relatives and friends is generally90 days within a period of 6 months. However, this is the upper limit – your visa validity could be of fewer days as per the decision of the visa authorities and your requirements. For this reason, it is always advisable to check your Schengen visa sticker after receiving the visa.

Key Takeaways

A Schengen Visit visa from Dubai would be required if you are a UAE national travelling to the region for more than 90 days. Moreover, any individual in the UAE, who is a citizen of a nation that doesn’t have a visa-free entry arrangement with Schengen countries, would also need a Schengen visit visa. To ensure that you receive your visa on time, you should fill out the visa application form properly, submit all the valid documents, and initiate your visa application process on time.

Schengen travel insurance would be required for individuals requiring a Schengen visa to visit the region. The benefits of getting such a plan are plenty, as it can cover you against all the unexpected events that can happen on a trip, such as medical emergencies, loss of personal belongings, flight cancellations, and many more.

If you wish to find the ideal travel insurance plan based on your profile and your journey, you can continue on policybazaar.ae and head to our ‘travel insurance’ section. Our platform offers a plethora of options for you to choose from after comparing them thoroughly. 

In case you have any doubts related to the Schengen Visit visa from dubai travel insurance, you can give us a call at our toll-free number or drop us an email. Our customer service team is available all around the clock to assist you.

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