‘Schengen visa’ requirements for Expats
This information leaflet has been generated by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kuwait to facilitate the visa application process which is carried out in cooperation with Al Qabas Assurex. We want to make your trip as easy as possible.
You may apply as early as 90 days before your entry date to the Schengen Areas. Please ensure that you file your visa application at least 2 weeks prior to your trip.
Kindly note that you can only apply for a Schengen visa at the German Embassy Kuwait if Germany, Finland, Iceland or Norway is your main destination.
A Schengen visa entitles only to a maximum stay of 90 days within every 6 months, even if the Schengen visa has been issued with a validity of 1 year or more.
This leaflet can be downloaded free of charge on www.kuwait.diplo.de or www. qavisa.com Tourism Visa
1. Application form — available online, free of charge (www.videx.diplo.de)
■ Fully completed in English or German and personally signed and dated by applicant
2. Declaration form A “Provision of true data” (all customers)
■ Fully completed in English or German and personally signed and dated by the applicant.
3. Passport & Residence Permit
■ Validity of a minimum of three months from the date of expiry of the requested visa
■ Signed by bearer, mandatory if applicant is above 10 years of age
■ Passport not older than 10 years (issued within the past 10 years)
■ At least two blank visa pages
■ Undamaged photograph securely affixed with/to passport
■ Previous passport if applicable
■ Attach 1 set of passport copy of pages with personal data
■ Attach copies of previous Schengen visa (if available: Schengen visa stating VIS)
■ Attach copy of Kuwaiti residence permit & I.D. card
4. One recent biometric passport sized photographs (3,5 x 4,5 cm)
■ Photo must not be older than 6 months and show NAME of applicant on backside
■ A front view of the face covering 70- 80% (32-26mm) of the photo.
■ Plain and light-colored background
■ Clear facial features and eyes — not covered by hair or eye glasses.
■ Head coverings are only accepted for religious reasons.
■ Do not glue or staple the pictures to the application form.
5. Overseas medical insurance
■ Valid for entire duration of first stay; valid for all Schengen countries.
■ Minimum coverage 30,000 euros incl repatriation. (Medical insurances linked to credit cards are not accepted)
■ Conditions must be stated either on insurance document or on separate confirmation letter
■ If you require a multiple entry visa then please ensure to have a valid insurance prior to each further trip
■ For multiple entry visas: a signed form Declaration D “Health Insurance” must be submitted
6. Flight booking and accommodation:
■ Valid & confirmed hotel booking/reservation incl full address (name, street, city, zip code, contact information, booking ref.)
■ If applicable: Package Tours/Round Trips (reservation for each segment of stay inncl full address)
■ If applicable: please attach a copy of your contract/proof of property with the full residential address if you will stay at an apartment/house in Germany that you own
■ Valid & Confirmed flight reservation/ booking
7. Letter from local employer/sponsor
■ Name, and position of signatory, postal address, telephone number of company
■ Date of 1st employment, position and salary of applicant
■ Period of stay (expected date to resume duties) and purpose of travel
■ Attach copy of company registration 8. Proof of financial means of applicant
■ Personal bank statements (copy of the applicants bank account dating back at least 6 months and showing sufficient assets) or other assets, eg personal property or others Applicant under 18 years
■ For applicants under 18 years of age visa application form must be signed by both parents
■ Attach passport copies of parents/legal guardian.
■ If child travels alone or with only one parent then form C “Authorization minors” must be filled in.
Medical treatment (patient and/or escort)
1. All documents as stated under I. Tourism (1-8)
2. Document about specific purpose of travel
■ Appointment letter from a recognized German/Schengen hospital/doctor stating approx date and duration of treatment, stamped and signed
■ For the patient: recent medical report
■ For the escort: letter stating name of and reason for escort (eg close family ties)
■ If travelling on expense of the Kuwaiti Government: Guaranty by Kuwaiti Authorities for coverage of the cost of treatment
■ If travelling on own expense: proof of payment for treatment by the hospital Please note: if you know already prior to your trip that your intended stay in Germany will be longer than 90 days, then please contact the German Embassy to apply for a National Visa for a longterm stay Business Visa/Exhibitions & Trade Fairs 1. All documents as stated under I. Tourism
2. Document about specific purpose of travel
■ Invitation letter from company/authority in Germany/Schengen Area with full address, stating the purpose and duration of the business trip and/or
■ Information on event/congress/trade fair, ie information about organizer/host incl full address in Germany/represented Schengen country, duration of event and purpose of participation (eg confirmed congress participation, trade fair visitor’s ticket or exhibitor’s ticket, confirmation proof of trade fair exhibitor) and/or
■ Information reflecting the existence of trade relations or relations for work purposes stating details of company in Germany/ represented Schengen country and Kuwait (Family) Visit Visa
1. All documents as stated under I. Tourism (except hotel booking if staying with host)
2. Proof of purpose of visit
■ Original and duplicate of formal obligation letter from host in Germany with guarantee to cover all costs of applicant whilst staying in Germany in accordance with ßß 66-68 of the Law of Residence (obligation letter must not be older than 6 months from the date of application) sent directly to applicant; and /or
■ Personalized original invitation letter of the host in Germany/Schengen with full address and specifying purpose of visit of applicant
■ Passport copy of host in Germany/ Schengen Country and if applicable copy of his/her residence permit for Germany/ Schengen Country Information for the applicant on terms and conditions of the visa process
■ Applicants are requested to double check all entries in the written application (paper and/or the electronic “VIDEX”) prior to submission.
Responsibility for all given information lies within the applicant himself. The provided data must be correct.
■ Only fully completed applications can be accepted; non-submission of necessary documentation may lead to refusal of visa application.
■ False or falsified documents, incl. fake bookings, will result in refusal of visa and / or further consequences.
■ All visa fees must be paid upon submission of the above. The application, passport and visa fee will be forwarded to the German Embassy within one working day after submission. The service fee remains with Al Qabas Assurex.
■ Processing time for visa applications will take up to two weeks according to the Schengen Visa Codex. The German Embassy and Al Qabas Assurex are committed to keep the processing time to a minimum.
Applicants are requested to apply up to 3 months prior to but no later than two weeks before the intended date of travel.
■ The processing time for a Schengen visa is minimum 3-5 working days for Kuwaiti nationals & up to 2 weeks for other nationalities, from the time the application has been delivered to the German Embassy. Inquiries regarding the status of visa applications can only be handled after completion of the above stated processing period. You can track your visa status online http:// www.qavisa.com
■ During the entire processing period the passport must remain with the German Embassy. Passports may only be withdrawn when presenting a written request by applicant to the Embassy/Al Qabas ASsurex. Consequently, the visa application process will be cancelled and the passport returned via Al Qabas within 2 working days.
■ Visa extensions within Germany are generally not possible.
■ Applicants may not apply for permanent residence in Germany while holding this type of visa.
■ The German Embassy may shorten the validity of the visa without prior consultation.
■ For holders of visa with one or more year’s validity the period of stay in the Schengen area may not exceed 90 days per 180 days, this period of stay beginning with the first day of entry into a Schengen state.
■ If you already had your fingerprints taken during the past 5 years you may not have to apply in person.
However, if biometric capturing of your fingerprints failed or has been compromised due to technical problems, you must once more appear at the Embassy for fingerprinting. In this case, you will be contacted by the German Embassy or by Al Qabas Assurex respectively.
The German Embassy Kuwait reserves the right to ask for additional documents and /or call applicant for an interview at any time.
Source : Arabtimes
Filed in: All • Info • Local News
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