A Schengen visa is a permit to travel to 26 European countries, which can be issued for a short or long term, depending on the needs of individuals. Obtaining this visa requires the submission of a series of complete documents, including identity documents, financial documents and visa application forms. But is providing these documents enough? no After submitting the complete documents, the applicants must appear in an interview session at the embassy of the country in question and answer the questions of the relevant officer. Many people face Schengen visa rejection due to failure to answer these questions. Today, in this article, we are going to fully review the most important Schengen visa interview questions. Stay with us.
What is a Schengen visa?
In general, a Schengen visa is a type of travel permit that allows you to travel freely in 26 European countries without the need for a separate visa for each country. In many countries of the world, in order to enter that country, you are required to prepare a visa for the destination country before entering that country, which can be time-consuming and costly. The signing of the Schengen agreement between 26 European countries means that you only need one Schengen visa to move between these countries. It doesn’t matter if you are a citizen of that country or not; With a Schengen visa, you can easily move between the 26 European countries that are members of the Schengen Agreement and take advantage of the various benefits of these countries, such as job opportunities, investment opportunities, tourist attractions, etc.
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland are 26 European countries that have joined the Schengen Agreement.
Benefits of getting a Schengen visa
By receiving this visa, you can travel freely in 26 member countries of the Schengen Agreement without the need for a separate visa for each country. This makes travel planning and moving between these countries significantly easier. European countries are among the safest and most stable countries in the world. Obtaining a Schengen visa allows you to travel in these countries with security and peace of mind and enjoy your experiences.
As the cradle of civilization and history, Europe has countless tourist attractions. From famous museums and historical monuments to pristine nature and eye-catching landscapes, you can find an attraction to discover and enjoy in every corner of this continent. Obtaining a Schengen visa allows you to take full advantage of these unique tourism opportunities.
Having a Schengen visa on your resume is a great advantage and can open up new career opportunities for you. Also, if you intend to study in one of the prestigious European universities, obtaining a Schengen visa will be one of the primary requirements for this.
Having a Schengen visa allows you to travel to establish business contacts, participate in business conferences and events, and carry out investment activities in member countries of this agreement. This can bring new opportunities for the growth and development of your business.
Interview before receiving a Schengen visa
You know that in order to get a Schengen visa, you need to submit complete documents in order to meet the conditions for receiving this visa. Among these documents, we can refer to identity documents, proof of financial ability, certificate of no bad record, visa application form, complete letter with the purpose of traveling to Europe, etc. But presenting these documents is not the end of the story. After you have submitted the documents, you must appear in an interview session with the officer approved by the destination country and answer his questions completely honestly. Do not forget that the said officer has the ability to distinguish between truth and lies. Therefore, it is better to appear in this interview with full preparation and of course respecting the principle of honesty.
But what questions do you think this officer might ask? We will examine this issue further.
Schengen visa interview day questions
We said that applicants for a Schengen visa should attend an interview meeting with an officer approved by the destination country after submitting complete documents. The officer will ask the person questions and they will be expected to answer them honestly. In this part of the article, we are going to examine some of the most important questions on the day of the Schengen visa interview.
General and identity questions
are you single or married? If you are married, how long have you been married?
Are you planning to travel alone or is someone with you?
Why have you applied for a visa with this duration? Can your trip be shortened?
What is your purpose of traveling to the desired country? Do you have friends and acquaintances in this country?
Have you traveled to foreign countries before? Tell your experience and opinion about that country.
What is your education and what is your current occupation?
Note that you should not hesitate to answer these questions and answer the Schengen visa interviewer calmly. Your coolness will have a positive effect.
Questions about your itinerary
What is your purpose of travel?
This question is actually the most common question that interviewing officers ask. For this purpose, you should provide a detailed plan of your trip, which includes round-trip tickets, the address of the place of residence in the country in question, the purpose of the trip to the destination country, and such things. Note that for whatever purpose you are traveling, you must tell the officer. Mostly people travel to enjoy tourist attractions or visit friends and acquaintances. Therefore, if you intend to travel for study or work, you are required to submit an official invitation from the university in question or submit a job offer from your employer. Otherwise you will be rejected.
How long do you plan to stay?
To answer this question, you must provide the officer with exact dates. Don’t forget that providing approximate dates or changing dates during the interview will reduce your chances of getting a Schengen visa.
Questions about financial information
How will you finance the trip?
One of the most important questions that Schengen visa interview officers will ask you is related to your financial ability. You must prove that you can afford to travel to the destination country. This is possible by presenting a certificate of financial ability. The certificate of financial ability shows that if you travel to the destination country, you are able to pay your own expenses and will not incur additional costs on the shoulders of the government of the destination country.
What is your job and how much do you earn?
This question is asked in continuation of the previous question that you should describe your job position and conditions in detail and also declare your fixed and variable income.
What are your job duties? Are you satisfied with your job?
In response to this question, you must provide a complete description of your duties in the job you are working in. Also, your level of satisfaction with your job has a positive effect on your approval or rejection. Mainly when people express dissatisfaction with the job, they create the impression in the officer’s mind that the applicant intends to travel to the destination country in order to find work.
Questions about your relationship in the country of origin
What is your current position in your country?
The purpose of asking this question is for the officer to make sure that you do not have a political problem in your country. Of course, it is not only a political problem. If the applicant has financial debts to other people, it is not possible to not receive the Schengen visa. If you have one of the mentioned problems, the officer will assume that you will apply for asylum after traveling to the destination country. Therefore, in the first place, try to go to the interview session without any problems, and if there is a problem, calmly keep it to yourself.
What do you think about the current situation in your country?
When answering this question, you should not act in such a way that the officer thinks that you intend to seek asylum in the destination country. This question is asked in order for the officer to know your real intention of traveling to the country in question and obtaining a Schengen visa.
What are your assets in your home country?
Mainly, in response to this question, the applicant must present all the assets and property he has in order to convince the officer that he has strong reasons to return to the country of origin. These assets can include real estate, bank deposits, and the like.
Challenging questions before submitting a Schengen visa
What do you mean by challenging questions? In fact, the immigration officer asks questions so that he can know the real purpose of your trip to the destination country and also know your full conditions in your own country.
How do we make sure you return to your country?
Have you had a criminal history or have you been a member of threatening organizations?
How much do you know about the destination country and other member countries of the Schengen Agreement?
Why do you plan to stay for this length of time?
Do you intend to seek asylum in the country in question?
Don’t forget that to be successful in answering these questions, you have to answer with complete composure and of course, most importantly, provide accurate and honest information to the interview officer.
Tips for success in the Schengen visa interview
But after examining the questions that are repeated the most, let’s examine what points need to be followed to be successful in the Schengen visa interview? In general, observing the following points can be the main guarantee of your success in the Schengen visa interview:
Advance preparation
Honesty and transparency
Professional and prestigious behavior
Having a detailed plan for the trip
Having enough information about the country in question
financial ability
Detailed plan to return to the country of origin
It is also recommended to use the help of an immigration expert to increase the chances of success in this process so that you can achieve maximum success by using this person’s experience. Nobility Immigration Institute is ready to help you with immigration specialists and experts in this field. Just call us.
Receiving a Schengen visa has increased due to the existence of good opportunities for employment, education, investment, treatment and tourism in the European continent today. For this reason, we are witnessing more strictness from the embassy of the countries that are members of the Schengen Agreement. For this reason, it is necessary to take a big step to get this permission to travel to Europe by providing sufficient documents and accurately answering the questions in the Schengen visa interview. Thank you for joining us in this article. We hope that the presented material will be useful for you. Nobility Immigration Institute with high expertise and experience in the field of Schengen visa counseling and obtaining European residence is ready to help you dear ones in this field. For more information, please contact us.