Documents required for a Schengen visa

Every applicant

• Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area, with 2 blank pages
• Copy of the passport's photo page and address page
• Visa application form, printed and signed
• 1 photo, 35 × 45 mm, white background, taken in the last 6 months
• Cover letter: the purpose of the trip, the dates, the route and how you travel
• Day-by-day itinerary, or the tour booking for an organised trip
• Flight reservation in and out of the Schengen area
• Hotel bookings for every night, in every country you visit
• Travel medical insurance valid in all Schengen countries for the whole trip, at least €30,000 of cover
• Bank statements for the last 3 months, stamped by the bank (passbook copies are not accepted)
• Income tax return (ITR) acknowledgements for the last 2 assessment years, or Form 16
• Marriage certificate, or divorce or death certificate, where it applies

For a holiday

Nothing extra to bring.

For a business trip

• Cover letter from your Indian company on letterhead: your name, passport number, the purpose and length of the trip
• Your company's certificate of incorporation and GST registration
• Invitation letter from the company you visit, saying what you will do and how the companies work together

For visiting family or friends

• Signed invitation letter from your host: their address, your dates, your name and passport number
• Copy of the host's passport or ID, and their residence permit if they are not a citizen
• If you stay with them: the host's confirmation and proof of their address, instead of hotel bookings

If you are employed

• Salary slips for the last 3 months
• Employment contract, or a letter from your employer with your role and length of service
• Leave letter from your employer for the travel dates

If you are self-employed

• Company registration certificate with its GST number (or partnership deed or proof of proprietorship)

If you are a student

• Enrolment certificate from your school or university
• No objection certificate (NOC) from your school or university

If you are retired

• Pension statements for the last 3 months, or proof of regular income from property or a business

If you are not employed

• Sponsor letter from the person who pays (for example your spouse or a parent)
• Sponsor's passport copy and bank statements for the last 3 months, stamped by the bank
• Proof of your relationship to the sponsor: marriage or birth certificate

Travelling with a child under 18

• Birth certificate
• Application form signed by both parents
• Copies of both parents' passports (photo page and address page)
• If a parent is not travelling: their notarised consent letter and passport copy, or proof of sole custody