hey everyone 😄 if you guys have visited the Schengen countries, can you help me out with how and what to present in the visa application? Had few specific doubts: 1. I have registered a sole proprietorship, so "self-employed" is the category I fall into. Now, how do you cover for things like "leave letter from employer" & "salary slips" employed people have? 2. Do you share your current account statement or savings? 3. What proof of business do you share with the visa application? GST certificate or something else? 4. If you are in your earlier 20's or unmarried, what other proofs should you share to establish ties to India and the intent to return apart from the return tickets? Any help would be great, thank you 😄 ♥️

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I have applied and rec’d a schengen visa on about 3 occassions as a sole proprietor - but I am married and have kids. So YMMV. Also depends which country. Not all Schengen visas are the same. Netherlands was the easiest application for me. Italy was the most painful. Things that you can submit - any details of paisa you earn - so stuff like freelance contracts, etc. Bank statements are required. MF statements. If you own property, attach those documents as well. Proof of business, they don’t care much - I haven’t submitted any - but I do submit current account statements. Some countries require flight tickets to be booked and some just need an itinerary. Spain is anal about travel insurance - so you need to book that before. Other countries not so much.

1. ITR and bank statements do the job 2. Yes, I showed GST and company becuase I'm affiliated 3. Best is to show relatives in EU if possible - makes the process easy and quick

@loud-glass-33663 both current & savings account statements or just the current? Also, can you share your cover letter (with sensitive details blurred out), because I am unable to understand that how should I word the part which employed people usually do that with "I have attached the letter from my employer granting my leaves" and stuff 😫

@strong-evening-37474 won't be useful as it's heavily skewed towards family visit, visiting my cousin

@swift-pilot-25722 how did you cover for the part "leave approved from employer"? (assuming you are self-employed too I think?)

Why the hell would a self employed need that bro? You don't need that! 😛

yeah so what did you replace that with? Just stated here is my business license and statements? That would be enough?

As a self-employed freelancer/blogger, I can neither produce a no-objection letter from my employer nor salary slips. In order to make a stronger case, I do the following:

Write a cover letter addressed to the visa officer, clearly explaining my work as a travel blogger, outlining some of the countries I’ve travelled to in the past (the US, UK, Australia and Canada carry good weight), and my intentions of visiting Europe.

Attach copies of my past Schengen visas and valid US/UK/Canada visas.

Attach my visiting card to establish credibility.

Include an invitation letter from any tourism board or company I intend to collaborate with.

The idea is to show that you don’t intend to stay in Europe longer than your planned travel dates.

Picked up from https://the-shooting-star.com/2017/02/07/how-to-score-a-schengen-visa-on-an-indian-passport/ Hope this helps to some degree and Good luck !

@strong-evening-37474 Both statements - Personal & Current. Whichever makes you look good. Regarding cover letter - we just write a normal letter which you would write to anyone. (I do write asking them to give me a 2-3 years Schengen but that hasn't worked so far). Cover letter can be a normal letter telling them why you are visiting, what is your employment status, family status (you will come back), etc. There is no format - but I am happy to review yours if you DM me

The requirements also depend on your purpose of visit. Are you going for work or leisure? And can you arrange an invitation letter from someone? After being rejected once, chances of being rejected again is high so you need to be best clear about your travel purpose. Give as much info as you can. Can tell you more once you tell us your purpose of travel.

@calm-noon-73911 the purpose when I got rejected was attending a conference. I had the ticket and invitation letter from the organisers as well, still :( This time it would be the same as well

That's very odd. Did you apply for a business visa?

@calm-noon-73911 yep

I see. Well I guess something might have been missing in your application. Just ensure that the application includes your place of stay and a detailed itinerary if you'd be going to multiple places. Write a cover letter explaining the purpose of your trip in detail. If you have a Pvt Ltd company, share the MOA/AOA showing you're a director. If not, share whatever docs you have proving you are self-employed. Share bank account statements and 2 years of IT returns. Also, ask for a government ID of the person who signs the invitation letter. Just keep in mind that there's no harm giving extra info. Best of luck!