Europe Student Visa Process

When applying for a visa to Europe you will have to submit some required documents as part of the Schengen visa application process. The Schengen States have created a list of the required documents for each purpose of entry in this territory, and these requirements are approximately the same for a stay in each of them. In this article, you can find a checklist of the generally required documents to obtain a Schengen Visa, as well as the specific required documents for each visa type. In addition, you will also find a short brief for each requirement and their specifications.

General Documents

• If you are on a specific medicine, remember to carry enough of it during your stay. Also, remember to carry one copy of your prescription, medical history and medical reports along with you. They will prove to be handy, in case of an emergency. Be sure to keep one copy at home or at a safe place where you can reach them, in case you lose your papers. Better still, scan them and e-mail it to yourself.
• Keep several copies of your recent passport size photographs with you. You will need them during admission and immigration procedures in India as well as in the European country where you are going.
• Keep your list of emergency contacts always with you. These should include name, contact number, and addresses of Embassy personnel in your home country and destination country, student support personnel at your university or college, and your friends and family members at home as well as abroad. Keep as many alternatives with you as possible.
• An international call card that offers you a cheaper option to keep in touch with your family will seem like a boon once you reach the foreign land, at least for the first few weeks.

Health Documents

• Get all the necessary vaccinations and get the certificate to prove that you have done so. You may be asked to show the certificate by the authorities.
• It is a good practice to carry your blood group ID with you too.
• Don’t forget to take along all the papers related to your health insurance. Health insurance that covers you during your stay in a foreign country is often a mandatory requirement by the immigration authorities.

Travel Documents

• If your passport, visa or residence permit is about to expire, get them renewed in time. Keep their extra copies with you at all times.
• Make sure that you have the medical fitness certificate ready before you board the plane to ensure the authorities that you are not a carrier of any of the dreaded communicable diseases.
• Carry details of your travel insurance too.
• Countries have specific rules about the weight of luggage they allow you to bring as an international traveler. Check the rules and keep with the specified limits.
• Take along your driver’s license and other documents that confirm your identity.
• Frequent international travelers advice that it is a good practice to label your luggage with your name, phone number, and complete address.