With a Schenghen student visa, you can travel to over 26 countries in Europe without a visa. In this post, we are going to highlight the schengen student visa requirements, timeline as well as list of schengen member countries.
Who needs a Schengen Visa?
International students who are not citizens or indigenes of any European country but want to study in Europe are eligible apply for Schengen student visa. Along with the visa, if the duration of your studies is longer than 90 days as it usually the case, international students are encouraged to apply for the residency permit that allows them to reside in the designated country for a period of one whole year.
Required documents
The first step in this process is for students to download the online application form from the internet and fill it out completely and sincerely. You can electronically fill in the form for a Schengen Visa and print it out. The signed application form must be followed by other mandatory documents, handed personally at the consulate/embassy or the representative of the country you are planning to study in.
- A valid travel document/ passport (At least 3 months up to its expiration date)
- Documentation to prove how you intend to support your stay in Europe. You may present the following as a proof of means of subsistence: cash in convertible currency, travellers cheques, cheque books for a foreign currency account, credit cards or any other means that guarantees funds in hard currency.
- Proof regarding your accommodation. This is not necessarily required in case the students proves that he/she will have sufficient funds to maintain themselves during their stay in the foreign Schengen country.
- Two current passport-sized photos (Appropriate for the designated embassy/consulate)
- Travel itinerary
- Medical/travel insurance valid for your entire stay in the Schengen country
- Letter of acceptance from your university
- A bank receipt to prove you have paid the processing fee
Please note that depending on the embassy/consulate that you will be submitting your application to, you might be required to submit additional documents to prove that the information submitted is genuine, for instance, some embassies/consulates may require a certificate that shows you have no legal issues pending or a criminal record in the police. As the students must personally hand the documentation at the previously made appointment (as usually it is required), the person in charge at the embassy/consulate will notify you if there is any additional documentation needed and the nature of that documentation.
How to submit your application?
You have to submit your application for a Schengen Visa to the consulate or embassy of the country where you will be starting your studies.
How long is the visa valid for?
The Schengen student visa is valid for stays no more than 90 days. For the students who are planning to study in the Schengen country, it is important to apply for a residency permit at the appropriate authorities. Generally, you apply for the residency permit after you arrive at the Schengen country with the Schengen visa. The great thing about the residency permit is that it allows you to freely travel throughout the whole Schengen area, without any additional documents needed. The residency permit is stamped in your passport. The Schengen visa validity is predetermined by the authorities the day you are issued the visa. As aforementioned, as a student visa it commonly encompasses duration of up to 90 days, with multiple-entries, however that is no rule. During that time, students are allowed to travel in and out of the designated country, within the Schengen area. However, you have to notify the authorities if you intend to make trips in and out of the Schengen space.
How long does it take to receive the visa?
It takes a maximum of 3 months to get a reply after one has applied for a Schengen visa in order to study in Europe. In case one doesn’t receive any response during this time (commonly the appropriate authorities reply even if the response is negative), one must assume that the request has been denied. For student visas, the usual response is delivered in about 1 month.
List of Schenghen Countries
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Liechtenstein
