5 Tips for Successful Schengen Visa Application

1. To avoid hassle and too much stress, you must prepare all you papers a head of time one by one, step by step and as they said slowly but surely.

2. Visit VFS GLOBAL , when you know which country and knew what requirements you need to prepare, you must gather first the mandatory requirements then all supporting documents. Check this general schengen visa requirements – Click here and this sample checklist you must download if applying at Norwegian Embassy. Letter of invitation is important when you visiting a friend or family specially when they are acting as your sponsor.

I must says in all type of visa, having a Certificate of Employment and copies of your payslip at least 3-6 months really help if you don’t have a bank statement to show or ITR. If you are self employed please submit a photo copy of your DTI Business Permit and if you are freelancer you must have copy of a contract for your future or up coming project. If you own some property submit a photo copy of your land title. These things will help you to prove that you coming back in the Philippines and you are financially capable. And even it’s not written on the general requirements that I need some proof to show my relationship with my Aunt in Switzerland because I’m planning to visit her, I also ordered at NSO a Birth certificate of her, my grandma and my father. We need to remember that we don´t have a kind of system that officer can check your record just in one page unlike in other county having a data base of all their resident.

Lesson #1 Prepare all possible documents that will help you during and after application because same papers will save you specially when talking to the Immigration officer at passport control. Make sure you have photo copies of all the necessary documents during your flight.

3. Find which consulate/embassy you need to make an appointment. What I did is find the exact location of the embassy prior to your appointment specially if you new to the place. Know exactly what route you going to take so you can also avoid stuck in traffic.

Maybe you don’t believe me if I will tell you that me and my sister walked 6 hours just to find the embassy of Norway in GBC in Taguig. Yes, you read correctly 6 hours, we witness how the sun go down. haha I was afraid riding on taxi if I don’t know exactly the place or way to get there plus I believed that when you walking around you get more familiar to the place. When we found where exactly it is we got surprised when the security guard tell us that yes it is the embassy office – Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila but VFS Global is the one who accept application.

Visiting address

12th Floor, DelRosarioLaw Centre
21st Drive corner 20th Drive
Bonifacio Global City, 1630 Taguig City, Metro Manila

Lesson #2 You cannot submit in Norwegian Embassy office at GBC Taguig, you must submit the requirements at Eco Plaza Bldg. in Makati. Have enough patience to read carefully in google site or embassy website.

Attention: All visa applications are to be submitted to Norway Visa Application Centre located at Ecoplaza Bldg, 2305 Chino Roces Ave, Makati, 1231 Metro Manila, Philippines. The building is 15 minutes away by jeep from MRT Magallanes station. You can find the office beside 7/11 at ground floor of the building.

4. During your embassy appointment for visa application, make quick check for all your requirements on hand before leaving your house and make sure be there a head of time so you have time for refreshing and can buy cold drinks at 7/11 & in front of it you can find grilled restaurant where you can eat lunch if you have afternoon appointment. You can also check this SCHENGEN VISA ; 3 Things Need To Prepare .

Lesson # 3 Maybe you cannot sleep night before your appointment like me, hahaha better make appointment in the afternoon specially when you coming from far away and always think about the traffic condition in Manila.

5. After submission you can track your application online. Please have your VFS reference number ready which can be found on the official receipt issued to you.

PLEASE NOTE: That if the applicant avail the SMS service (optional) the applicant will receive an automated confirmation feedback message to the applicant’s mobile phone and email at various stages of the visa application life-cycle. In my case I ask them to send me SMS and send me Email. It was great feeling when I woke up then I received the embassy confirmation that my visa is approved.

I decided pay for courier so I don’t need to go back at the embassy to get my passport they will send it to your home address. The bad thing is I don’t know if it’s LBC, DHL or 2Go etc. What tracking number I will use to track the courier?

Lesson #4 In my case when I ask the lady from vfs how I’m going to track my application she gave me a telephone number to call. During that time I didn’t know also which tracking number that I’m going to use . What I did is I try every number in my application paper even my passport number, then the numbers on my receipt work on 2GO courier and says it’s already out for delivery. Using the VFS reference number found on the official receipt, same number will use to track the courier.

I woke up early that day and wait for courier, knowing that I must receive it personally. It was 5PM already but no courier, I just eat snack whole day and no real food for lunch because I’m scared maybe when I go out to eat maybe courier come without me. From time to time I go out and check if there is a courier outside. I thought maybe courier deliver it, if not today maybe early tomorrow because it’s late already. Then it´s 5:30 PM when I decided to go out to eat, my tummy was super full. I’m walking slowly going back to our apartment while melting food when I saw a man with motorbike in front of our gate and his shirt have a logo of 2GO. Oh My God! I was literally shaking and nervous when opening the envelop from embassy and inside of it is my passport with Visa for schengen region.