Recent experiences getting Schengen visa

Want to take my parents on a trip to Europe next year. I know all the ins & outs of getting a Schengen visa, but I don't live in SA and will not see them again before the date I wanna take them. Meanwhile they have less than zero knowledge about any of this.

So need to get an agent to help them sort out everything. Any recommendations? They live in PE, fwiw.
 
Bill Clitnon said:
Want to take my parents on a trip to Europe next year. I know all the ins & outs of getting a Schengen visa, but I don't live in SA and will not see them again before the date I wanna take them. Meanwhile they have less than zero knowledge about any of this.

So need to get an agent to help them sort out everything. Any recommendations? They live in PE, fwiw.
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This company got good reviews:

Global Visa – Visa Assistance Services

globalvisa.co.za globalvisa.co.za

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This is the German consulate in SA, so if you're going to Germany first then just use them, they explain the process on this page:

Visa - short term (Schengen visa)

Are you planning a short term visit to Germany? Do you want to visit a friend in Germany, attend a business meeting or maybe need medical treatment? Here you can find information on the application process and required documents.
southafrica.diplo.de southafrica.diplo.de
 
Wrath of Khan MD said:
This company got good reviews:

Global Visa – Visa Assistance Services

globalvisa.co.za globalvisa.co.za

-------------------

This is the German consulate in SA, so if you're going to Germany first then just use them, they explain the process on this page:

Visa - short term (Schengen visa)

Are you planning a short term visit to Germany? Do you want to visit a friend in Germany, attend a business meeting or maybe need medical treatment? Here you can find information on the application process and required documents.
southafrica.diplo.de southafrica.diplo.de
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Cheers :thumbsup:
 
MrGray said:
I believe it depends on how many prior visas you've had and in what period. If you've had more valid visas to the EU in the last two years than her then it would explain it.
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That can be a factor, but as others have testified in the comments, some people have the exact same travel history, and the same economic conditions, and yet they don't get the same duration.

Moreover, sometimes they don't care about your positive history. My friend's husband, who has travelled to the EU many times since he was a kid, recently applied for a Schengen visa with Belgium and only got a month. The last time he travelled to Belgium was less than 2 years ago, and that visa was for 3 years. Mos of his Schengen visas were through Belgium, and they were always 3 years. He was shocked when he only got a month. He checked all the right boxes, and yet he only got a short stay.
 
Dylan_G said:
Man, this whole Schengen Visa thing is a headache.

I applied for a SV via BLS (Spanish Consulate) but was declined due to insufficient proof of funds. I gave them bank statements showing EUR 20000 and a healthy monthly deposit as well. According to their checklist, I only needed to show EUR 108 per person per day. EDIT: I requested 84 days, so needed to show EUR 9072. I had more than double the required amount.

Tried calling the consulate for further info, but they said they only give responses via email.

I was due to leave on the 12th to go to London first... and then only enter the Schengen zone on the 30th of August... Now I'm unsure... Push the London portion of the trip back a week and reapply for the SV, or cancel the Schengen portion of the trip...
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What happened to you is messed up. I've heard that having a lot of money in your account can also be interpreted as a red flag, but double the required about is nowhere near that.
 
Mirai said:
Many of the staff who process visa applications and costs incurred are by locals hired by the consulates. So much of that money stays behind in the applicant's country.

I can imagine how frustrating it is. But I'm not sure why taxpayers in foreign countries should be subsidizing people who apply for entry.
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It depends on the embassy/consulate. From what I know, most embassies only have a few South African employees. Most of the employees are citizens of embassy / consulate's country. They have South African employees because they are required by law to have some of them, but most of them don't process visa applications. Although embassies don't explicitly say so, they don't want non-EU citizens to work in the visa processing department unless they are dual citizens.
 
Snyper564 said:
No reason given "officially"

We did however get a email from our airbnb host saying the police contacted them and they were unaware that they would be contacted and will not host us.

We can only imagine this is the reason, it is however important to note Serbia is a standalone passport you can use a schengen to get in but ours expired so needed this one separately - second application approved - rebooked all accommodation via hotels

email :p

View attachment 1748459
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If I received such an email from a visa agent that clearly indicated that they weren't very fluent in English, it would be serious cause for concern.
 
JollyFerret said:
If I received such an email from a visa agent that clearly indicated that they weren't very fluent in English, it would be serious cause for concern.
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After booking into hotel's my wife then applied for business reasons as this was the case and the business that side was interviewed by their police for over an hour.

We got it but was an odd one.
 
I'll need to get a visa for June; I'll be travelling to Belgium with my Belgian wife. We'll be catching the ferry from Dover, and staying with relatives. Any tips?
 
Claymore said:
I'll need to get a visa for June; I'll be travelling to Belgium with my Belgian wife. We'll be catching the ferry from Dover, and staying with relatives. Any tips?
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Your UK trip leg is interesting you will likely need a visa there as well.

Get everything done ASAP
 
Claymore said:
I'll need to get a visa for June; I'll be travelling to Belgium with my Belgian wife. We'll be catching the ferry from Dover, and staying with relatives. Any tips?
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You will have to apply for the UK one first, pay an extra fee to take your passport with you and not leave it with them, then with the proof of the UK application apply for your Schengen. The UK agency will notify you when the visa is ready, you take your passport to them and collect it again the following day with the visa inside.
 
JollyFerret said:
What happened to you is messed up. I've heard that having a lot of money in your account can also be interpreted as a red flag, but double the required about is nowhere near that.
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Yeahhhh, I never received an email response from the embassy. ****ers.

Still did the trip but instead of Portugal, Spain and Amsterdam I did Turkiye, Georgia and Thailand.
 
Snyper564 said:
Yes both sa citizens.

I'm employed and she is self employed. I think that is likely the factor at play here
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I see. I only asked because I heard that some embassies do not process visa applications from SA citizens the same way, depending on if they were born in SA or not, which is really weird.
 
Snyper564 said:
After booking into hotel's my wife then applied for business reasons as this was the case and the business that side was interviewed by their police for over an hour.

We got it but was an odd one.
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I'm glad she got it.
 
Claymore said:
I'll need to get a visa for June; I'll be travelling to Belgium with my Belgian wife. We'll be catching the ferry from Dover, and staying with relatives. Any tips?
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Do you live in the UK or SA?

I don't have any tips other than if you comply to all the requirements, you shouldn't have any issue. Moreover, it's my understanding that the spouses of EU citizens are easily granted visas. They have that privilege. So make sure to mention in your application that you're married to a Belgian. And of course, still make sure you fulfill all the other requirements.

I have a Kenyan friend who is married to a Belgian. They both live in Kenya. She has no problem getting Schengen visas. She goes there multiple times a year. However, it's a pain in the ass for her to get an SA visa. She was supposed to come here on holiday last Christmas, but her SA visa application took too long. It's been almost 2 months, and she has yet to get a reply.
 
JollyFerret said:
Do you live in the UK or SA?

I don't have any tips other than if you comply to all the requirements, you shouldn't have any issue. Moreover, it's my understanding that the spouses of EU citizens are easily granted visas. They have that privilege. So make sure to mention in your application that you're married to a Belgian. And of course, still make sure you fulfill all the other requirements.

I have a Kenyan friend who is married to a Belgian. They both live in Kenya. She has no problem getting Schengen visas. She goes there multiple times a year. However, it's a pain in the ass for her to get an SA visa. She was supposed to come here on holiday last Christmas, but her SA visa application took too long. It's been almost 2 months, and she has yet to get a reply.
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Live in SA. Thanks!
 
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