AIRPORT TRANSIT VISA APPLICATION :

STEP THREE - DECIDE WHEN TO APPLY

Submit your Transit Schengen Visa application at least 15 days prior to your trip towards the Schengen Zone. It is highly recommended to submit your application as soon as possible, though you cannot do it more than three months prior to your planned departure date.

STEP FOUR - GATHER PAPERWORK & FINANCES

Note - it shouldn’t take too long to gather your documents, so its very possible to make your appointment prior to having all your paperwork finalized. First read over the checklist - then consult the tips below.

You will need the following documents:

• Transit Schengen Visa application form — fully completed, printed and signed at the end

• Two recent photos — taken within the last three months and according to the requirements for a Schengen visa photo

• Valid passport — with at least two blank pages in order to be able to affix the visa sticker in it. It must be no older than ten years and with a validity

• Documents related to the onward journey to the final destination

  • Return flight ticket reservation showing the ongoing travel to a third country

  • Visa issued by the country of your travel destination in case you need a visa

• Travel insurance policy — should covers any medical emergencies with a minimum of €30,000

• Proof of paid €60 visa fee — but you should check the list of Schengen visa fees since you may have to pay a reduced fee instead, or no fee at all

STEP FIVE - MAKE YOUR INTERVIEW APPOINTMENT

Depending on the main Schengen country you will be visiting, you may make an appointment online, by phone, or in person. Refer to the research you’ve done during Step Two to find out the process where you are applying.

STEP six - PREPARE YOUR PAPERWORK

If applying in person, make photos copies of everything you turn in, because you just never know what you’ll need to be prepared for, plus it helps you remember the whole process if applying again in the future. Copies have to be legible and pictures on passport copies crisp and not too dark.

Any document (ie. copy of your passport) that you can have someone put an “official stamp” on is good, especially if it is a photo-copy. You can also get everything certified by stopping by a local post office or police station (in South Africa) - just need to bring the original with you.

Optional: if you would like our Visa Team to meet with and review your documents before you submit them to double check for any possible errors, email our Visa Team and we can find a time to meet with you

STEP seven - PREPARE FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT

Show up on time and try not to be nervous. In applying in person, bring all your documents and have your passport on hand.

STEP eight - TRACK YOUR APPLICATION

You will receive an answer on your Transit Schengen Visa application within two weeks approximately. In case of specific or extraordinary situations, this period may extend up to 30 or 60 calendar days. That is why you are highly suggested to lodge your application well in advance.

If your visa was processed at a VFS facility, make sure to regularly check the status of your application on the VFS account that you created.

STEP nine - OUTCOME RECEIVED!

First, double check what you have received. There are often errors in dates or names, which you would rather get corrected in person rather than be held back when you next travel.

If your Schengen visa gets rejected — if your visa application gets denied, read the reason why didn’t grant you a visa and try to fulfill it the next time you apply, or if you think that your application was correct, and the decision on its refusal was a mistake, you can always appeal the visa rejection at the embassy/consulate of the Schengen country.