Most travellers believe they can avoid the long queue to have a Schengen visa by making their application as a traveller in a smaller country such as Luxembourg or Malta. VFS Global and professionals are now advising against this small country trick because this may not work, and it can even result in a visa rejection.
In case you intend to study or travel in Europe, you need to know how to perform the proper visa application.
What is the Small Country Trick?
It is the so-called small country trick: you apply for a Schengen visa using unpopular member states, and hope to be processed quickly. The mistake travellers commit is to apply through Luxembourg, Malta, or other smaller nations, thinking they would not have to wait so long in a congested consulate.
The fact is that it is against the EU visa laws and incredibly damaging to your chances of travelling.
The Legal Requirements: Which Country to Which Should You apply?
EU Visa Code (Regulation 810/2009), Article 5 provides explicit principles for which Schengen country you should contact with your visa application:
- Single destination: Submit to the country you are planning to visit.
- Multiple destinations: This is used in the country in which you will spend the greatest number of days (main destination).
- Equal time in more than one country: Introduce to the country where you are going to enter the Schengen Area.
VFS Global UAE Regional Director, Monaz Billimoria, makes it clear that these rules are taken literally:
According to Schengen law, you must apply to the country you will be visiting, or the country you will be staying the most number of days, says Monaz Billimoria, the UAE Regional Director of VFS Global. Otherwise, they will reject you.
According to Schengen law, you must apply to the country you will be visiting, or the country you will be staying the most number of days, says Monaz Billimoria, the UAE Regional Director of VFS Global. Otherwise, they will reject you.
The reason why visa refusals are important to your future
A visa rejection is not a mere setback. All rejections are permanently stored in the Visa Information System (VIS), accessible to all Schengen consulates. This means:
The stricter checks on future visa applications in any Schengen nation will be stricter.
- Your reputation as an applicant is hurt.
- Repetitive refusals may befall you even after several years.
As said by Satish Kumar Bhargava, the founder of European Study Hub, there have been numerous instances of refusal of visas due to the violation of Article 5. The consular officers review each and every section of your application; flights, accommodations, itinerary, and they can easily notice that the one who applied via Malta was in Germany for eight days and two days in Malta.
The Myth of Fast-Track: There are no Shortcuts
The Schengen visa procedure does not offer any formal expedited or fast-track visa procedure, including urgency or additional cost, unlike the visa procedure in other countries.
Please, Billimoria explains, you need to settle where you are going first and then apply to the country of Schengen country where you are supposed to travel. Nothing can be done; there is no such thing as anything will do.
Risks of Border Control: Obtaining the Visa Is not the Ultimate
You are not safe yet, even in case you are able to get a visa with the help of the wrong country. The border control agents may cause issues both on the entry and exit of the Schengen Area.
At Entry:
Your destination, length of stay, and travel plans are some of the questions that border agents regularly inquire about. On the occasion that you have a Luxembourg visa but declare that you are travelling to France and you will spend 10 days there, including a short visit to Luxembourg, red flags will be raised.
At Exit:
Border agents are able to track the whole history of your travel by the time you leave, through hotel reservations, train tickets, and accommodation records. When you leave with a Maltese visa, and you have spent the whole trip in Spain, this discrepancy will be recorded in the Schengen Information System (SIS).
Important: Border agents can refuse entry to any person who has a valid visa, and they think that it was issued by the incorrect member state.
Beware of Fraudulent Agents
Low visa appointments have led to an increase in scammers due to the frustrations that come with it. Billimoria tells tourists not to engage the services of agents who promise:
Guaranteed appointments
- Quick processing at additional costs.
- Access to the visa system from the inside.
These agents are not through formal channels, and these are to be avoided. Contact only approved visa agencies, such as the VFS Global, or direct filing.
Chevy Strategies to Schengen Visa Wizardry
Plan Your Trip Properly
Find out where you are headed, where you are going to be spending your highest hours, or what you are going to be doing in the main purpose of your visit. Do not lie or cheat in your application.
Document Everything
Make comprehensive records to support your travelling intentions, such as:
Flight bookings
Hotel reservations
Detailed itinerary
Purpose of visit documentation
Hotel reservations
Detailed itinerary
Purpose of visit documentation
Consider Off‑Season Travel
Autumn and winter travel has a number of benefits:
Lower costs
Improved accessibility of visa appointments.
Reduced traffic in tourist attractions.
Less stress on reservation systems.
Improved accessibility of visa appointments.
Reduced traffic in tourist attractions.
Less stress on reservation systems.
It has been observed that there has been a trend of UAE residents outside the conventional summer period of the year, travelling to the Nordic countries during the month of December in order to see the Northern lights.
Apply to the Correct Country
Applying the right member state will show that you are aware of the EU laws and that you abide by them, which will be a good point in your application.
The Student and Traveller Bottom Line
The decision to conduct visa shopping can be seen as a brilliant one, but it is dangerous and can have long-term effects across the Schengen Area. What may seem like a small cut nowadays may mean that you will be unable to visit Europe in several years.
To the students who intend to study in Europe or the travellers who want to visit the continent, the most sensible thing would be to just obey the guidelines, apply to the right country, and present genuine and full documents.
Bear in mind: an offer or service, which appears to be too good to be true in the system of Schengen visa system, is likely to be such.
