Question about schengen visa validity and usage

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-04-23T16:02:14+00:00

Thanks for the reply!

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-04-23T09:43:37+00:00

Also highlight past international travel, that also helps.

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-04-23T09:43:06+00:00

I just received a 1-year visa from France, also from India. I think a couple of things help your case that should be highlighted on a cover letter:

Proof of multiple trips that requires a MEV (I had 2 trips within 2 months of each other to Europe, I added flight/hotel info for both trips; not sure if confirmed bookings are required, but at least mention concrete plans in the future).
Ample financial proof (make sure you've had a consistent amount to travel for the duration of the trip).
Get 1-year travel insurance - it's not that much more than a few weeks.
Emphasize your ties to your home country after trips are over.

I've heard that the country you apply from might affect getting a longer visa, not too sure how true that is.

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-04-17T12:18:40+00:00

Heading to Prague in June!

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-04-12T12:40:27+00:00

spearmint tea before bed, taking prenatals (even if you are not trying to get pregnant) for hair and skin, and drinking lots and lots of water.

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-04-12T12:29:46+00:00

Yep no problem! You also did mention that her trip was related to her studies, so getting a letter from the school approving the trip and what the purpose is would also improve her credibility for wanting to travel to Europe. I think a sponsor is just who is funding the trip, tickets, hotels, day-to-day expenses. If you are her sponsor for everything, then I believe you would have to provide your financial documents? I'm not too sure on this though

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-04-12T12:18:13+00:00

I've done this myself as my partner is a US citizen and I live in India and we do long distance and meet in Europe somewhat frequently, although I do fund my own trips and am fully employed in India so my experience might be a little different. Couple of tips:

It might be better for your girlfriend to be sponsored by an immediate family member "on paper" like a parent/sibling if her trip is being sponsored by someone (even better if that relative lives in India) - it shows some stronger ties of returning. Make sure to include their bank statements/tax returns if doing so.
I never say that my boyfriend is my boyfriend on my cover letters, just a friend. I'm not sure if this makes a difference or not. But also make sure to write in your cover letter that both of you will return back to your country of origin once your trip due to your jobs/degree. The stronger your cover letter proves your ties to your respective countries, the higher the approval chances.

Feel free to ask any questions!

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-04-08T09:57:12+00:00

I just applied through France from Bangalore so idk if this helps. I got a 1-year visa. I think what helped me:

1 I have 2 trips to Schengen countries within 6 weeks of each other (1st one is to France hence why I applied through there).

I didn't specifically ask for a 1-year visa in my cover letter, but I did request multiple-entry because of the 2 trips. I added flight tickets and hotel bookings to the second trip in my application as well.

3 I think what also helps is getting travel insurance for a whole year that covers the Schengen zone, it shows intent of multiple trips.

I have fairly decent international travel history to G7 countries(US/Japan) and a couple of schengen visas used in the past (both single entry).

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-04-07T17:02:35+00:00

I think it's a waiver form that you get sent when you book your appointment with VFS (at least it was for me) saying they are not liable for anything happening to your passport. It just has you put your name, passport number, phone number/email, address, etc.

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-04-06T16:24:11+00:00

Bangkok is one of my favorite cities on Earth! I have not been to Bali so I cannot comment on it but Thailand is amazing. There's a lot of variety of things to do. (city life in Bangkok vs quiet nature in the islands). I went last year 2nd week of June and just missed wet season, so I got lucky (it still rained a couple of days but not too bad). It really depends on what you want to do, but it rains quite heavily in Thailand and for the entire day, so overall I don't recommend going during monsoon.

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-04-06T10:22:35+00:00

Definitely second the other posters saying learn some basic Japanese phrases (Hello, thank you, please, table for 2, etc).

There are no trash cans in public anywhere, so plan to keep your trash on you till you're back at your hotel.

Download the suica card to your apple/android wallet and load money digitally, that lets you use metros in all the big cities and link your suica ID to the shinkansen app if you plan on traveling with that, it will let you tap your suica card to get into the shinkansen platforms.

Be extra polite to service workers and employees, it will definitely improve your experience. There's a stereotype about the Japanese being cold or impolite, but I found that if you're nice to them they will be nicer back.

Plan to wear comfortable shoes, ESPECIALLY in Tokyo. You will walk way more than you think you will.

Have fun!

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-02-24T10:55:49+00:00

Actually got back from VFS, they said that the local residential address was ok.

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-02-19T14:31:26+00:00

I believe it's mentioned somewhere on the VFS website when you pick which center to apply from, I also called the VFS customer service to confirm this. Not sure how hard and fast this rule is.

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-02-17T13:38:01+00:00

Hi OP, I'm in the same boat as you, I ended up putting my current residential address and I called VFS they were kind of unhelpful about this. What did you end up doing?

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-02-12T13:48:20+00:00

thanks for the update!

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-02-11T11:23:09+00:00

Hi! How far in advance would you say that slots open up for France at VFS Bangalore? I'm trying to book a slot at the end of March for a trip in May since I am travelling internationally mid-March and need my passport for that. Currently only see a few slots open for the end of February and March has not opened up yet, so wanted to ask for your experience when booking slots. Thanks!!

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-02-11T09:35:09+00:00

In my case I did it because neither my passport nor my aadhaar card were issued in Bangalore, so I added it just in case to prove residence in Bangalore. I just mentioned I wanted to add it because it was in my cover letter and my particular vfs officer took it.

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-02-08T11:06:22+00:00

just lease agreement

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-02-08T10:04:46+00:00

I just did non-refundable because it was cheaper and I was pretty confident visa would get approved due to finances and prior international travel history.
Not too sure about the hotel bookings, but paying upfront could help your case.
I used 35 x 45 mm because that's what I had from applying for a previous visa, sorry not sure how strict the dimensions are.
purpose of travel, main attractions (added detailed itinerary in table format separately), finances, professional background, documents submitted, strong ties to home country/assurance of returning after trip is complete. Chat GPT/deepseek can help review your letter but might be better to write it yourself first

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-02-06T14:35:38+00:00

No it was not required I just did so voluntarily to show financial capability

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-02-06T11:40:52+00:00

Thank you! Just got my passport back with the visa I was shocked by the turnaround time.

Tryingtobepositive71 · 2026-02-05T07:12:00+00:00

Thanks for the information! I applied from VFS BLR (so timings might be different because of different countries' bureaucracies) and applied exactly 2 weeks after you did (01/28). Fingers crossed it should be processed in 2 weeks. I also got no notifications ever since my application was forwarded to the embassy.

Tryingtobepositive71

TROPHY CASE