12 Easy Tips to get a Successful Visa
By the messy optimist
I haven’t stepped inside an airplane since February 2020. And for someone who travels all the time (40 countries and counting now) – the cabin fever is threatening to overwhelm me. Hopefully, life will return to normal soon for the whole world (fingers crossed) soon and I’ll be able to up and go somewhere.
In the meantime…I dream of the days I traveled. And I yearn.
I genuinely yearn for the day when I’ll be one of those travelers who have NO idea of the torture that a non-American or a non-European traveler goes through when thinking about traveling somewhere. This may come off awful but you haven’t really suffered for the sake of traveling if you haven’t been to a visa office or an embassy and waited hours and hours there before you’re called for your visa ‘interview.’ And then wait in suspense before ‘they’ either accept your application or reject it.
But I’ve lived and learned. Over the years I’ve figured out how to crack getting visas. I’ve figured out how to take all the anger and angst and disappointments of having your visa rejected and turned it into a process that’s almost painless. It’s almost like a science now.
Honestly – I can boldly claim that unless you’re genuinely unlucky – you follow these 12 tips and you will get your visa.
For f…ing sure.
But that doesn’t mean that every single time I go somewhere I wistfully wish…
Do I wish I had an American passport? Yes. Or a EU passport? Yes. Or a Japanese passport? Yes.
Yes, I do.
Not because I wish to become an American or a EU or a Japanese citizen. I want those passports because travelling with them is SO MUCH EASIER than travelling with an Indian passport (one of the less powerful passports in the world). If you want to know more click on the following link to find out how powerful your passport is.
https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/japan-most-powerful-passport-in-the-world
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/henley-index-world-best-passport-2020/index.html
Even as I compiled these Top 12 common tips for a successful visa application process – please use the following list as a general rule of thumb. In my experience almost every country asks for these items – some may ask for fewer than these 12 items. But I typically keep all these together and submit them – what they don’t need they will return. Many embassies will also just take them and keep it with them irrespective of whether their own list asks for it or not.
1. Complete the Visa Application Form
Make sure and find out if the country you’re applying for a visa requires you to fill out a application form – if so, duh, fill it. If you’re applying for a Schengen Visa – make sure you download the application form from the country to which you’re applying for the visa – the forms are mostly similar but there are differences that you should pay attention to. (Rule of Thumb for Schengen: Apply to the country where you’re entering first OR to the country where you’ll be spending the most time in). For all other countries – go to their country website and search for visa rules and forms OR if they have a service agency like VFS Global – download from their website.
I always make an extra copy of the empty form and keep it with me. If I made a mistake in the first one – I quickly correct it and fill out the other one right there and submit. Again – you do NOT want to miss your time slot and run around VFS or the embassy trying to get another form filled and waste valuable time.
2. Details of Airline and Hotel Booking
So – the trick here is to NOT actually book tickets and hotel rooms but just reserve them and get a copy of the reservation. Once you get your visa you can confirm the booking. This is absolutely and 100% MANDATORY for most countries these days.
3. Salary sheets for the past three months or more.
I typically get salary sheets for the previous six months. If you don’t get a hardcopy – make sure you get details of direct deposit in your bank account – print a copy of the same, highlight the previous six months’ salary deposit and submit.
4. Tax documents for the past three years
A lot of people I know have issues with this. Not because they don’t file taxes but because they don’t have their documents where they can find them. Over the past many, many years – my constant traveling has made me very cognizant of the importance of this and so I have my tax documents from India and the country where I work with me at all times.
5. Attested Bank Documents
You can combine this with point 2 if you do NOT have access to your salary sheets. But always make sure you get attested bank documents showing your income and bank balance for the past 6 months. I submit this irrespective of whether a country asks me for this or not.
For BUSINESS FOLKS – Point number 3 is irrelevant to you. So, this one becomes crucial. Make sure you find out what the basic bank balance is required by the country you’re applying to and that the balance is reflected in your account statement. Since you’re a businessperson – it would be good if you can attach copies of any Fixed Deposits and Mutual Funds you may have. Basically, the more money you show, the better chance you have of getting a visa.
6. A Detailed Itinerary
For getting your Schengen visas – this is MANDATORY. For other countries – this is not always essential. But again, I’ve gotten so used to doing it for Schengen that I now do it for all countries. Make sure you do your research and come up with a schedule and print that out. You are not expected to stick to every little detail you put on the itinerary but this just shows the embassy that you are in full control of your travels and you know where you’re going and what you’ll be doing for the duration of your stay.
7. Employment Letter
Again – a MUST HAVE for some Schengen countries. This is an official letter from your place of work attesting to the fact that you’re an employee there and how valued you are. I actually write the letter myself and then have it printed out on my company’s university’s letterhead and have it signed and stamped by the relevant administrative officials in my place of work. These days I have an employment letter template saved and I just change the dates and the country names and I’m done.
8. Copy of ID and Address Page of your Passport
Make a copy of the ID page and the address page of your passport. Again – some countries ask for it, others don’t but almost always all of them take it if you give it.
9. Passport-size Photographs
Carry passport size photographs (some countries take their own pictures, especially when you apply for a Schengen visa and you need to get biometrics done – they will take their own pix). But make a few copies of your photos and take them. You don’t want to run around once you get to the embassy. Make sure you get these photographs taken the way the countries require you to. Countries like the US, England, the Schengen countries all have their own specific rules when it comes to background color, size, glasses vs. no glasses, jewelry etc.
10. Visa Fees
Always carry more cash than the actual fees. There will always be additional service charges the embassy will levy. Also, carry a credit card. Some embassies will ONLY take credit cards – others will ONLY take cash. Some VFS counters in Shanghai will ONLY take wechat money! So – be careful with this.
11. Health Insurance Documents
Most countries need a copy of your health insurance for the duration of your stay in their country. Interestingly, while countries do NOT need actual booked airline tickets or hotel bookings to be confirmed – they do, however, demand you BUY health insurance before they will even consider accepting your application. Schengen is adamant about this and, in recent years, other countries require this as well. Case in point – this was mandatory for me when I went to Turkey. The good thing about most of these health insurance policies is that the companies will change the dates IF you don’t get your visa OR if you get your visa for a different time frame. So – you will be able to use it one way or the other.
12. A Cover Letter to the Embassy
Always write a cover letter to the embassy of the country you’re traveling to and tell them why you wish to travel to their country. This is not mandatory at all. In fact – most countries don’t ask or expect one. But I always, always, always submit one. I find that telling the embassy the exact reasons for my travels, information on my previous travels and other pertinent details really lays it out very clearly for them. It’s also very professional. And every single time I’ve submitted this letter even when the embassy hasn’t asked for it – the visa guys will always, always accept it. Other items they may give back – the letter they keep.
I will do another post clearly outlining how you should write a cover letter AND a downloadable template for your convenience.
Listen – if this list overwhelms you – don’t let it. For me – I now no longer even think about this. I have copies and templates of ALL of the items here. It’s just a matter of collecting them each time I travel. It’s become like clockwork for me. And I promise – it will be for you too. Just take it one step, one point, at a time and it’ll all get done.
I promise!
Happy Visa-ing and Happy Traveling!