Schengen Visa - First Time Travel

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NetDude

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Hey folks,

I'm planning to do one of those Contiki tours in July/August. I've received a quote from one of the companies which assist with Visa applications. I haven't applied for this before and have no idea what is a good/bad price. What should I expect to pay for Visa which will allow me to tour Europe for about 14 days?
 
NetDude said:
Hey folks,

I'm planning to do one of those Contiki tours in July/August. I've received a quote from one of the companies which assist with Visa applications. I haven't applied for this before and have no idea what is a good/bad price. What should I expect to pay for Visa which will allow me to tour Europe for about 14 days?
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Schengen is done by the country of first entry or where you plan to spend the longest. I did mine through the Spanish Embassy, think it came to +- R800.
 
NetDude said:
Hey folks,

I'm planning to do one of those Contiki tours in July/August. I've received a quote from one of the companies which assist with Visa applications. I haven't applied for this before and have no idea what is a good/bad price. What should I expect to pay for Visa which will allow me to tour Europe for about 14 days?
Click to expand...

Here is the German information on the visa: http://www.southafrica.diplo.de/Vertretung/suedafrika/en/03__RK/1__Visa__short/__Visa__short.html
If I remember correctly, the cost of the visa is around 60 Euros, payable in Rands. So make sure you take along enough money (cash) to cover that.
Make sure you have all the paper work ready. And must apply at least 3 weeks before, and if it is your first time, also in person.
 
The Portugese Consulate are by far the most obliging and helpful. The French one's staff are snooty and the German ones are unnecessarily picky. My wife has had to get 3 of these in the past few years and on recommendation from a friend, went to the Portugese Consulate. A real friendly bunch of people and did it on the spot. Make sure that ALL your documents are present and correct, take along about R 1000 in cash. Also, last time the Portugese lady noticed that she had had 3 Schengen Visas since 2008 and this time, without asking, made it a 10 year visa, for which you normally have to pay quite a bit extra
 
Randhir said:
Schengen is done by the country of first entry or where you plan to spend the longest. I did mine through the Spanish Embassy, think it came to +- R800.
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Thank you guys for all your contributions!!! :)
Randhir, just to clarify... Point of entry is Amsterdam, that's where the Tour will start from. We'll stay a night or two in most "major" European cities. BUT, towards the end of the Tour we'll spend 5 nights in Greece. So, Entry point is not the same as the palace we are gonna stay the longest in. Which Embassy do you then recommend?

On pricing, I am bit confused. We received a quote of more than R5k for two Schengen Visas. They also attached a list of services that they will be offering. It looks like we won't need to apply in person - this is a huge convenience for us but I'm not sure if it is worth that much.

My question are, do we really need to go via a "middle man" to get us a Visa - (Please bear in mind we plan to travel in Jul/Aug)? How difficult will it be if we went straight to one of the Embassies recommended here?
 
I think you will have to go to the Netherlands embassy, since they are your point of entry. Is does not matter how long you stay in one place, it should be the country where you go out of the airport.

R5k for two visas sounds a bit much ...

At least the German embassy require a personal application the first time, not sure about the Dutch embassy. Might be better to call first and make sure.
 
No. You apply at the country of longest stay, not port of entry unless it is equal stay in all. So it would be Greece for you. Considering their economy I doubt they will give you any hassles :)
 
abzo said:
No. You apply at the country of longest stay, not port of entry unless it is equal stay in all. So it would be Greece for you. Considering their economy I doubt they will give you any hassles :)
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You are right, should have read my own link :p
You must submit your application for a Schengen Visa to the representative of the country which is your main destination. This usually means you must apply at the Embassy or Consulate of the country where you intend to spend most of your time.
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As far as I know you for most European visas, you still have to go in for a personal interview (which includes things like photos and fingerprints) - which basically means that you are paying the company to fill in a form for you. Did this for my first visa application and I ended up just wasting about R500.
 
Which tour are you doing? We did the European Encounter a while ago and actually really enjoyed it - so if you have any questions, I'll try and answer them as best I can :P

R5K seems way, way too high for the Schengen. iirc, we got it through Italy and the travel agent handled the whole thing for us - it was certainly way less than R5k.

For the Schengen, you don't have to appear in person if you fill in a proxy form (depending on the country). The UK still requires a personal appearance.
 
Apparently, as of December 2011, all Schengen visa applications require a personal interview at the member consulate. My wife is about to renew a Schengen visa for a trip to Italy. The consulate was adamant that there are no exceptions, even if you have to travel 500km. She's had several Schengen visas before. Major hassle.
 
Wonder why they changed to wanting a personal interview.
 
Applying for a visa is easy, if you live close to an embassy.

1) Get the list of things that you need to have off the embassy's website.
2) Arrange all of those things.
3) Phone the embassy and get an appointment.
4) Go to the appointment.
5) Wait a few days. Pay a smallish fee.
6) Get Visa.

This is not worth R5000, not by a long shot. Just make sure you have everything exactly as specified on the embassy website, or else they'll refuse the visa.
 
Arthur said:
Apparently, as of December 2011, all Schengen visa applications require a personal interview at the member consulate. My wife is about to renew a Schengen visa for a trip to Italy. The consulate was adamant that there are no exceptions, even if you have to travel 500km. She's had several Schengen visas before. Major hassle.
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Wonder if that includes Spain. The whole reason I did my Schengen through them is that they were one of the only ones who didn't need a personal interview.
 
Yeah, R5000 seems way too high.

Netdude check this.

Whoever quoted you that price seems to be taking you for a ride. What's your location?
 
When I went to Europe, I applied through the embassy responsible for the shengen country that I plan to visit, was 60 Euros, and I bought insurance from axa shengen, the only other cost was a plane ticket.
 
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Aqua_lung said:
When I went to Europe, I applied through the embassy responsible for the shengen country that I plan to visit, was 60 Euros, and I bought insurance from axa shengen, the only other cost was a plane ticket.
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If you purchase your ticket with your credit card, phone your credit card company / bank and they'll give send you the relevant insurance information.
 
Randhir said:
Yeah, R5000 seems way too high.

Netdude check this.

Whoever quoted you that price seems to be taking you for a ride. What's your location?
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Thanks Randhir! I live in Vanderbijlpark. I don't mind a trip to JHB/PTA. Problem is that wifey has been a bit careless with leave days. Personal appearance is gonna be a bit tricky. Thanks for the URL, I was there earlier. But it looks like I'd have to try Greece since I'll be staying there the longest. They have got offices on Oxford Rd. it shouldn't be too much of a hussle.

Thanks guys for all your contributions. My anxiety levels are dropping a bit... :)
 
Roger.Wilco said:
I'm also flying to Amsterdam first. Went to the Dutch embassy in CT. Couple hundred rands per visa, was in and out in less than 5 minutes, they're very organized. Picked up our passports with the schengen visas a week later.
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Is Amsterdam where you are gonna be staying the longest? That's if you are gonna be visiting a few other places.
 
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