A lot of people asked me about my Schengen Visa experience, especially since I got a one year tourist Visa!!! So writing info about that.

To give my background, I am an Indian Passport Holder with H1-B visa. So I decided to apply with French Consulate in San Francisco.

One of the most important thing I would say is plan way ahead (would definitely recommend 3 months in advance). Schengen Visa can be time consuming since it requires a lot of documents. Also the dates are not easily available specially during summer travel season. I would highly recommend starting the visa process atleast 3 months in advance.

Also, you need a stamped US Visa with a validity of atleast 6 months to be eligible to apply for Schengen Visa within USA. Otherwise, you will need to go to your home country to apply for it.

Here are the main steps

1. Submit your application on : France Visa. You will need hotel reservation details. I had used booking.com and booked a hotel with free cancellation for the same.
2. Once you have successfully submitted your application, you will get a link for booking the appointment. Choose whichever date is available. I have noticed, if you keep checking every afternoon, they do open up some more slots, so you can change your time slot later on.
3. Now starts the most important part, Documents!!!
   1. You will need to get the printout of your application form and sign it.
   2. Also, a Passport Size recent photo is required. Since I applied from USA, a 2″x2″ was fine which you can get from any where here.
   3. Original & copy of Passport with USA visa stamped and latest i-94
   4. Proof of Residence (Driver’s License/House Deed/Rental Agreement etc)
   5. The most important part is the cover letter. They require a very detailed cover letter stating your entire itinerary, with flight details, hotel details, inter-country train details (if traveling outside of France), what places are you planning to visit etc. Although I wanted to visit multiple countries, just for the simplicity of application process I decided to just create an all French cities itinerary. You can always modify your itinerary. Also, French embassy loves it when you tell them you are visiting France and not just Paris!!! Once you get the visa, you can actually visit any Schengen country you want. Here is the sample of my cover letter: Sample Cover Letter
   6. Flight bookings matching dates mentioned in cover letter. I would highly recommend booking fully refundable flights incase of a visa refusal. There are many services which provide you a verifiable itinerary for cheap. I had used one such service: Schengen Visa Flight Reservation . I would really recommend them. They have services as fast as 3 hrs delivery.
   7. All the hotel booking mentioned in cover letter matching the dates. I used booking.com and reserved hotels which provided free cancellation and no prepayment.
   8. Copy of Medical insurance. I had used Visitors Coverage for the same. They have a 3 day cancellation policy so buy this just before your appointment. I didn’t end up cancelling it as the rates were very competitive and I wanted to travel with insurance.
   9. Evidence Of Employment
      1. You will need a letter of employment from your employer
      2. Also, get printouts of last 4 pay-stubs (i.e. 2 months)
   10. Bank Statements: You will need to show sufficient funds (generally €120/day). I had submitted bank statements for last 3 months.
   11. In case married, you will need to submit marriage certificate.
   12. Also, you will have to pay visa fees on the day of appointment. French Consulate accepts credit card, but I would highly recommend carrying cash just as backup.
4. On your day of appointment, carry all the above documents in the exact order as mentioned in cover letter with your appointment confirmation letter.
5. They will generally tell you when your passport will be ready. Note that they generally do not send any email that your passport is ready. Once their online tracking shows “Decision has been made”, you can go and collect it. They also have an option of mailing it back to you. For that you need to provide a return envelope when you go for interview.