General list of documents for obtaining a Schengen visa
First of all, prepare the following papers:
- International passport. A mandatory requirement for it is at least a 3-month supply of validity by the end of the planned trip.
- Questionnaire. To be completed and signed personally by the applicant.
- Photos. They must be current, no older than six months before the date of submission of documents. Quantity - from 2 to 4, depending on the country.
- Justification of the purpose of the trip. Tourist vouchers, plane tickets, confirmation of a hotel reservation, or a certificate of admission to a university for students or an invitation to the country from a relative/friend are suitable here.
- Guarantee of financial solvency: a certificate from the bank about the availability of free money.
- Certificate from the place of employment, which states the position and income. There should also be information that during vacations and trips to a European country, a person retains a job and average earnings. Unemployed people provide a sponsorship letter on behalf of a person who takes on all financial expenses.
Sample certificate from work confirming income for a visa
The document for each item must be prepared carefully so that the embassy does not have questions in the future. This will increase your chances of getting a permit. Special attention should be paid to obtaining a certificate from your place of work for a Schengen visa.
It is worth recalling that funds for a trip to Europe are calculated by the number of days of stay: 50 euros for each day (the amount may vary depending on the country).
general information
As we said above, to obtain a visa you need to collect a package of documents. Among them, there must be a certificate from your place of work for visas if you plan to pay all expenses during the trip yourself.
The certificate must be printed on the letterhead of the company you work for. The form must contain all company details (contact information and address). Certificates of employment for Schengen visas may not be prepared in strict form. There are no special rules regarding exactly how information about you will be entered.
The main thing is to indicate your full name, length of service, position and salary (salary). The amount is indicated in the monthly income certificate from work. That is, if you earn 30 thousand rubles a month, then you need to indicate this amount on the certificate.
For work visas, the certificate must be certified in order for it to have legal force. To do this, the company seal is affixed and the manager leaves his signature. We also recommend getting a signature from an accountant. If you yourself are the director or manager, then the certificate for Schengen visas must be signed by a deputy.
Also, a certificate of employment for Schengen visas regarding wages can be signed by another employee who has this right. For example, a certificate for obtaining visas may well be certified by an accountant, without a deputy.
If you have the opportunity to make a certificate from your place of work for a trip not in Russian, but in English, then it is better to do so. Also remember that information from certificates for Schengen holiday visas is often checked.
Employees of visa centers and embassies call the numbers indicated in the certificate of employment to obtain visas. Please ensure all contact information is up to date. And don't try to deceive the consul. If he notices inaccuracies in your Schengen certificate, then you will not receive a visa.
By the way, if you have a personal business card, you can attach it to your work certificate for a visa. It also affects obtaining a visa.
All! All that remains is to submit the certificate along with other documents to the visa center, consulate, or embassy to obtain visas. Remember that the certificate is valid for 6 months. Below we will show a sample of Schengen certificates from the place of work and tell you how to fill it out correctly.
Why does the Embassy need a certificate from work?
A certificate from the place of employment proves to the Embassy that the guest has no intention of staying in the country. The presence of official employment, according to visa department employees, obliges a person to return to their homeland, and also confirms income and indicates its level of financial security for traveling abroad.
It is important for Schengen countries that tourists have a good salary. This is necessary so that embassy employees are confident that the foreigner has enough funds to pay for the trip and will not be in poverty in Europe.
Scheme of work of the company and visa centers helping to obtain a Schengen visa
Results
Obtaining a visa in most cases is not just a formality, but a set of tasks related to the traveler’s preparation of reliable and correctly drawn up documents. This includes a certificate from your place of employment. The main thing is to reflect in it the facts that will help ensure that consular officers have no doubts about the existence of a reliable connection between the traveler and their homeland in the form of a good job.
Sometimes the employer issues a visa for an employee. For example, when sending an employee on a business trip abroad. To justify the costs of its registration, you will need not only primary documents, but an internal regulatory act describing the procedure for sending employees on a business trip and compensating them for the expenses incurred. You can familiarize yourself with a sample of such a document in the article “Regulations on official business trips - sample 2020”.
If an employee needs a visa to go on vacation, then he will bear the costs of obtaining it himself. Read about documenting vacations in our materials:
- “Vacation schedule - form and sample for filling out in 2020”;
- “Application for another vacation - sample and form (2020)”;
- .
You can find more complete information on the topic in ConsultantPlus. Free trial access to the system for 2 days.
Requirements for issuing a certificate
All Schengen countries require almost the same certificates of employment for a visa. The document must be printed on the company's official letterhead in A4 format, signed by the employer (or deputy if the applicant is a director himself) and preferably the chief accountant. Everything is certified with a seal.
The help text can be written in any form.
It must contain the following data:
- Company name or name of individual entrepreneur, OGRN, INN, legal address and contact phone number, website address (if available).
- Details and position of the person for whom the certificate is being prepared.
- The employee's length of service with the company.
- A vacation schedule and assurance that the person will not be fired and his salary will remain the same.
- The average salary that the applicant received over the last 3 months.
- Number and date of issue of the certificate.
- The purpose of the document.
- The exact name of the Embassy to which the certificate is addressed. It is not recommended to write “where required”.
The Embassy or Visa Center may not accept a package of documents if at least one point is ignored.
Validity period for visa certificate
The bank certificate is valid for 30 days. If you apply for a visa later, you will need to order a new bank account statement.
Minimum wage
There are no official minimum salary requirements for issuing a Schengen visa.
Many people write and leave reviews on forums that most often in 2022, refusals occur when the amount of income is less than 25,000 - 30,000 rubles per month.
If a person has an official small salary, you need to attach to the application a statement from a bank account that has a good amount of money, preferably at least 800-1000 euros.
Procedure for receipt and period of issue at the place of work
It is recommended to contact the consulate (visa center or embassy) to clarify the rules for issuing a certificate of income to obtain a visa. Each country can set its own conditions, failure to comply with which the document will not be accepted.
After this, you need to go to the employer at your last place of work with a request to issue a document. Most often, salary information is filled out on a unique organization form in A4 format.
You need to provide a number of information that is required to obtain a visa and permission to enter a specific country. Salary information must be reliable, because it will be carefully checked.
The document is certified by the authorities, after which it can be submitted to the consulate or visa center.
The speed of issuing a certificate depends on the efficiency of the authorities. It is allowed to issue a document three days after submitting the application.
Individual entrepreneurs need to go to the bank where they keep their money.
You must contact an employee of the financial institution with a request to issue a certificate of account status.
The procedure is paid, for example, Sberbank charges 150 rubles for it. On average, a document can be received in 5 working days.
Please note that individual entrepreneurs need to submit, along with a bank statement, a certificate of state registration, as well as a document from the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs.
Samples of other earnings certificates:
- for the employment center;
- for social protection;
- for the Pension Fund;
- for subsidies.
For what period is the form issued?
When applying for a salary certificate for a visa in the name of an employer, a person has to indicate the income for what period the consulate is interested in.
Salaries may change over time, either up or down, so it is in the embassy's interests to track these changes.
Often it will be enough for the employer to indicate the person’s average monthly income. It must be at least 25-30 thousand rubles in order to have a chance to obtain permission to enter the country.
Important! The higher a person’s salary, the greater the likelihood of successfully obtaining a visa.
Consulates or embassies of some countries ask to provide them with information about salaries for a certain period. According to the standard, it is for the last six months that a person works. The embassy will not require a longer period.
How is a document on income prepared for submission to the visa center?
Obtaining an income certificate does not cause problems, but to simplify the procedure, it is recommended to read the instructions. If a person works for someone, then he needs to contact his superiors at the place of work.
Further actions for the worker:
- You must write an application for a certificate. Please note that the embassy can independently request such information if it is necessary to clarify information about a specific employee.
- When writing an application, a person must fill in specific information. He must indicate the last name, first name and patronymic of the manager, as well as clarify information about himself. Next, you need to state your request to issue a certificate of income and indicate which period you are interested in.
- Now you need to indicate the deadline for submitting the application and sign.
All that remains is to submit the application to your superiors and wait until they issue a salary certificate.
As already mentioned, no more than 3 working days are allotted for this from the date of submission of the application.
The received document must be submitted to the consulate along with the rest of the list of documents for obtaining a visa.
To obtain a bank statement, an individual entrepreneur will have to contact a financial institution.
The individual entrepreneur must write an application for the issuance of a bank account statement.
After this, employees will accept the document for consideration. They can issue official paperwork in up to 5 working days, but they can do it earlier.
Again, the visa center may require information about the status of the account for the last six months, and they will also be interested in ongoing financial transactions.
Sample application for a Schengen visa
Some aspects of the procedure may differ depending on the selected country. You need to find out the specifics in advance at the visa center so that you don’t have to re-issue the document later.
Important points to know when applying for a Schengen visa:
- To obtain a visa to the UK, you must attach a translation of your income certificate into English. The document is certified by a notary; no additional seal of the bank or employer is needed.
- In Italy, credit card statements are accepted if there is enough money in the account for the trip.
- The French Consulate wants the document from the bank to include the full name of the financial institution, its address and telephone number.
It is recommended for all Schengen countries to have the certificate translated into the national language of the country.
It must be certified by a lawyer, otherwise it will not be considered valid.
salary certificates for obtaining a Schengen visa – word.
certificates from your place of work about income for a visa to Greece – word.
Sample for obtaining a Schengen visa:
Sample for a visa to Greece:
Validity
It is recommended to contact your employer or bank at least two weeks before you need to go to the visa center.
It’s even better to apply for a certificate a month before you have to go to the embassy.
It is not recommended to contact a financial institution or manager earlier, because the validity of the certificate may expire before receiving a visa.
At the same time, you should also not draw up a document on income a few days before visiting the consulate; it may not be done in a short time.
When applying for a visa, it is important to take into account that a number of documents are valid for a certain period of time. For this reason, official paper cannot be taken several months before applying to the consulate. Its validity will expire, and therefore you will have to obtain a new document.
This is due to the fact that the level of income can change over time, therefore, a person can either get rich or go bankrupt.
According to the rules, no more than 30 days should pass from the receipt of the salary certificate.
It is recommended to issue it together with a statement from the bank where you have a current account.
If a person receives a document prematurely, then a month later he will have to order it again.
Recommendations for filling out the certificate
- Organization information, contacts and details must be correct. Embassy staff can call and clarify information. If the answer does not coincide with what is written on paper, an automatic refusal follows. Therefore, you need to warn your colleagues about a likely call and suggest the correct answers.
- It is better to do a certificate at the last moment. The date of its preparation should be very close to the date of the trip to the Embassy.
- One signature is not enough for a document; at least two are needed. Instead of the chief accountant, the financial or commercial director can sign. However, you cannot sign your form yourself. The signature of a close relative, if he holds a leadership position, must be supplemented by a third one, from another responsible person.
- To obtain a Schengen visa, an individual entrepreneur must prepare a certificate of registration. The copy is certified by a seal and the inscription “true copy.”
- The salary figure must be real. The Embassy cannot verify it in any way, but too large amounts may raise questions. The minimum income in 2022 starts from 30–40 thousand rubles. Income should allow you to spend 50–60 euros per day on a foreign holiday.
- The header of the certificate contains the most complete contact details of the company, and in the text they write complete information about the person wishing to obtain a visa.
- At the bottom of the form you should indicate the author of the certificate, his position, contact information, and signature. And certify everything with a round seal. This inspires confidence on the part of the inspection authorities. To make the task easier, a sample certificate of employment can be viewed on this page of our website.
In which countries of the Schengen zone it is easier to obtain a visa, this author’s video explains.
EU embassies and provide it to the person who will process it. Typically, organizations prepare paper within three days.
Inquiries are available, the blank form is here.
Why do you need a document confirming employment?
A salary certificate for Schengen and other visas is needed for several reasons.
- Firstly, this document proves the presence of a stable income.
- Secondly, it confirms that the applicant has a job in his home country, which is a good reason for returning home.
- And thirdly, to open many types of visas (in particular Schengen), it is required that the certificate indicate the period of vacation, after which the employee must begin work.
If the applicant is a student, instead of a certificate of employment, a certificate from the university must be presented. Pensioners must submit their pension book along with a copy of the first and last page. Temporarily unemployed people must present a work record book with a copy of the first and last page, the same is required from persons on maternity leave, however, the latter can provide a certificate from their place of work confirming their stay on maternity leave.
A certificate of employment in 2022 is issued on the letterhead of the organization where the applicant works, in any form and is necessary to confirm financial stability, connections with the country of residence, and the need to return to service after leave.
Applying for a Schengen visa without a work certificate
Those who do not officially have a job can obtain a visa without a certificate. However, you will have to provide other proof of your source of income and funds for the trip.
Documents that need to be provided to officially unemployed persons
The problem of obtaining a work certificate, or rather the lack thereof, is faced by the unemployed, students and pensioners. An excellent solution to this problem would be a sponsorship letter from a working relative. A huge advantage of a sponsorship letter is that it does not need to be certified: just print it out and sign it, and also attach a copy of your passport and income certificate.
To obtain a Schengen visa, students will additionally need to provide an extract from a university or school, and pensioners will need to provide a pension certificate.
Separately, it is worth noting that relatives or friends who are citizens of the European Union, when issuing an invitation, can indicate that they will bear the financial expenses and provide a certificate from the bank and from work. In this case, the tourist will not need to additionally confirm his income.
Bank reference
A bank account statement for a Schengen visa is another proof of financial solvency. When submitting documents for a six-month or annual visa, it is mandatory. The reliability of the bank that issued the certificate is an additional plus of your solvency. A certificate from Sberbank for a Schengen visa on the status of the account can be safely submitted to the visa center. Basic components of a bank document on the account status:
- Name of the banking institution;
- FULL NAME. client;
- The amount of funds in the account, or an indication of their balance as of the requested date;
- Signature of the bank representative;
- Round stamp.
Sample certificate from a bank for a Schengen visa
Sberbank clients should note that a certificate of income for a visa is issued within approximately 2 days. The certificate can only be ordered at the Sberbank office that services your card.
Some Schengen countries do not require an account statement for a visa . The host country's requirements on this issue should be clarified. For example, to obtain a visa to Spain, a receipt for the purchase of currency is sufficient (the applicant’s passport details must be indicated). Consulates of other countries can be provided with copies of receipts from an ATM with the balance on the card and a copy of the card itself; even travel checks issued to the applicant are proof of your solvency.
If your work activity is related to making money on the Internet, then you must provide a document confirming the movement of funds in your electronic wallet.
Requirements for the amount of available funds
When studying a sample bank statement for a Schengen visa, it is worth clarifying the requirements of a particular country for the amount for one day of stay. For most countries, this is 60 euros per person, but a number of countries have established other standards of financial stability - 70 euros (Luxembourg, Switzerland, etc.) The average figure for the Schengen zone per person entering is 64.53 euros per day , it is better to guide the calculation funds for this amount.
An example of calculating the required amount
If you plan to travel around Europe for two weeks, your bank statement should show a bank balance of €903.42. And any trip is an unplanned expense, so it’s better if you have enough money in your account. The sample statement of account for a visa indicates the amount in rubles, but it can be in any currency and corresponds to the equivalent amount in euros at the exchange rate of the consulate on the day of submission of documents.
When traveling with a family, each adult traveler must provide a certificate of financial solvency.
In order not to miss the nuances when preparing documents, it is advisable to write down for yourself the necessary requirements of the consulate of the country you plan to visit.
Children
- In strict order, a photocopy of the international passport of their parents is presented, which contains information about the child and photographs of the children, and a photocopy (certified by a notary) of the birth certificate. It happens that a child travels not with his parents, but perhaps with only one of them. In this case, you must definitely have a power of attorney from the parent(s), which gives permission to take the child to another country (in 2 copies).
This power of attorney is issued on a notary form and no later than 3 months before the planned departure. It certainly indicates the time of departure and arrival; - As always, photocopies of parents’ Russian passports (all pages);
- A copy of the parents' marriage certificate;
- Certificate from school (original).
If there is no employment or the salary is not high enough?
Fortunately, it is still possible to enter the Schengen zone. Instead of a certificate, you need to provide a bank statement that demonstrates that you have the amount of funds necessary for the trip and they are in your account. To obtain, contact your bank.
An alternative option is to issue a sponsorship letter, which is written by inviting an organization or relative living in the Schengen area who are willing to bear the cost of your maintenance during your stay and will provide you with a place to live. The relative's solvency will also have to be confirmed.
You will also need documents that will guarantee that you will return home. This could be a birth certificate for children who remain at home, a marriage certificate, or a disability certificate for a close relative who cannot be left unattended for a long time.
Individual entrepreneurs
For those people who are engaged in freelancing or business, you will need to provide to the visa center, in addition to the income certificate, also a copy of the OGRN and an extract from the EGRUL.
If the tourist is an individual entrepreneur who works without an office and letterheads, then he will be asked for a copy of the OGRN certificate and a declaration with a tax service mark.
The visa application form may differ in different centers, so before submitting documents, check with the operator of the visa center where you are going for the current list.
The same documents will be asked from an employee who works for an individual entrepreneur.
Ban on traveling abroad due to debts
It is important to note that in such cases the traveler should not have any existing sanctions or bans on traveling abroad from bailiffs. Otherwise, they simply won’t let you go abroad.
Design features for individual entrepreneurs
Individual entrepreneurs, instead of salary information, submit for a Schengen visa:
- income certificate;
- certificate of registration with the tax authority;
- copies of documents on the establishment of individual entrepreneurs;
- tax return for the last year.
Originals are brought to the interview at the Embassy.
Sample certificate for individual entrepreneurs:
When a private owner does not have employees, the document is drawn up by the traveler himself.
A certificate of income for a Schengen visa is drawn up for individual entrepreneurs according to a random sample.
It may look different:
For confirmation, a bank statement and a declaration from the tax service in form 3-NDFL are attached to the package of papers.
Requirements for certificates in European countries
Requirements for certificates that are provided to different countries of the Schengen area may differ slightly from each other.
France
France prefers certificates written in a free style rather than strict statements like 2-NDFL.
How to get a Schengen visa to France for an individual entrepreneur is described in detail in this video.
Germany
Papers with a translation into German are welcome, and the first thing specialists look at is the employer’s contact information. They can be indicated in the header, but in addition to telephone numbers and addresses, it is better to enter the manager’s email address there. A certificate of income for Germany is an important indicator of a tourist’s financial viability; its absence may result in a refusal to issue a visa.
Greece
The Greeks do not care what form or language the documents are in; they evaluate the work certificate superficially; they look into the applicant’s bank account. To be approved, there must be at least 25 thousand rubles there.
Finland
Even an unemployed person can visit the country and not think about a work certificate at all. A piece of paper with the employer’s details, address and telephone number will be fine. They call quite often. And for the trip they ask to earn at least 3,000 rubles.
Denmark
In addition to a certificate from work, in Denmark they are sensitive to other documents for obtaining a visa. Embassy employees want to see, along with the application, a certified bank statement and a guarantee that the tourist will not be fired during his vacation. This is because there is also close attention to income. The minimum account amount for a trip is from 500 euros.
However, it should be noted that the Consulates and Embassies of any country really like it when visitors talk about themselves in great detail and with inspiration. If the maximum list of papers is provided, then it would be useful to attach a personal business card there. This will increase your trust level by several points.
You shouldn’t approach applying for a visa to a European country carelessly. And not because you can do without traveling in case of refusal. Errors in the document, unreliable and unverified data may arouse suspicion among Visa Service employees.
If, after checking, a discrepancy in any information is revealed, the visa will be denied and you will not be able to obtain permission to leave in the future. A tourist can earn a lifelong ban, a black mark on his visa history and will never have the right to cross the border of the Schengen zone.
Common mistakes in filling out documents
- If you submitted an incomplete package of documents for verification, among them there is no statement from the bank about the flow of funds for the last months, or a certificate from work, which indicates the required rate of income, this is undoubtedly considered an oversight and leads to refusal. Since it is considered insufficient financial guarantees.
- There are often errors in translation, for example, your full name in Latin is written differently in your passport. These also include typos. If you indicate one letter or number incorrectly in a document, you will instantly receive a refusal.
- It is very bad if you indicated erroneous or false data in the documents. Visa service employees carefully check the submitted data by calling various services. If the visa department discovers an unconfirmed booking or intentionally misrepresented information, you will lose your chances of leaving.
- Expired or out-of-date documents will only complicate your situation.
Consequences of errors and false information
People who intentionally provide false information about themselves or false documents may end up in “visa quarantine.”
This will block travel abroad for a certain period of time. Initially, the terms of the ban range from about 3 months to a year, but if you are caught doing something like this again, you may be banned from leaving for up to 10 years. And even the most highly qualified lawyer will not be able to help you.
What to do if you receive a refusal when completing paperwork?
If you are not a persistent offender and you are not blocked from leaving the EU, then after a refusal in category C1 you can file an appeal. In your letter, explain in detail why the decision should be reconsidered. And if the Appeal is approved, you will be sent a notice about the possibility of reconsideration.
Refusal categories C2 and C3 are much easier to appeal. Here the problem lies in the ambiguity or insufficient information for the consulate. It is necessary to clarify what is missing and how it can be corrected.
Know that getting a visa after a refusal is very possible, just be patient. Better yet, take the process very seriously from the very beginning, this will save you time and effort.
Confirmation of solvency is one of the key factors in obtaining a visa; the embassy is not interested in allowing people with low incomes or no income into the country.
Now you know how much money you need to have in your account to travel to the EU in 2022. And you understand that the response of the receiving party depends on the quality of filling out the documents. Read all detailed and up-to-date information about the rules of entry into the country you are interested in on the official websites of the consulate.
What are the consequences of providing a fake certificate?
If you are wondering whether a certificate of employment is checked for fictitiousness, you should know that the information submitted in the documents can actually be verified by consular officers. Therefore, it is better not to take risks by issuing a “fake” certificate from a company for which you do not actually work, or a certificate with false salary data.
In the first case, if it turns out that you do not work for this company, you may not only be denied a visa, but also blacklisted, as a result of which you will be banned from entering this country for a long time.
In the second case, if you try to embellish the amount of your salary in order to increase the chances of receiving a positive decision on a visa, you will let your accountant and boss down.
Keep in mind that a fictitious certificate may not only not help you get the desired visa, but, on the contrary, may even lead to an entry ban. Therefore, think carefully before you decide to take a risky illegal step.
More information about possible reasons for visa refusal and subsequent actions can be found in the article: “Reasons for visa refusal - resubmitting documents in 2019“
What should be contained in a certificate of employment
The document from the place of employment must indicate the position held, the date of hiring and the expiration date of the employment contract (if any) and contain information about wages for the last six months. The certificate also contains the contact information of the enterprise/firm/organization: address, phone number and, if available, email and fax. It is very important that the salary information corresponds to reality - false information should not be indicated in the certificate.
What happens if the information provided from work is unreliable?
The minimum salary that a citizen receives is set by a certain diplomatic mission. In order for entry into the Schengen countries to be allowed, the salary must not be less than twenty-five thousand rubles; a certificate from work for a Schengen visa 2022 must confirm this. However, these figures should not be confused with those that should be in a tourist’s pocket. Usually it is required that he have fifty euros on hand for the day of his stay.
If a tourist’s salary is less than 25,000 rubles, then under no circumstances should he provide the visa center with incorrect information about it. Workers carefully check all documents, and if suddenly the true information comes to light, a visa will not be issued. In some cases, such liars are banned from entering these countries forever.
You should also study how much money you need in your bank account for a bank statement for a Schengen visa.
In what cases is a certificate not needed?
You can apply for a visa without a work certificate only if you prepare one (or several, if possible) of the following documents:
- bank account statement (the required amount of money in the account depends on the specific state you are going to apply for entry into, but on average an applicant will need about 50 euros per day);
- letter of sponsorship (the person who undertakes to pay for your expenses abroad can live either in the country of visit or in his home country; this can be either a relative or any other solvent person);
- other documents that can confirm the existence of a valid reason for returning to your home country after completing the trip (marriage certificate, child’s birth certificate, real estate documents).
Alternative proof of income
To confirm the employee’s income, you can use a certificate in form 2-NDFL.
It can be obtained in two ways:
- request from the company’s accounting department directly or through the HR service;
- download from your personal account on the tax office website.
It is necessary to take into account that information for the previous year is posted in your personal account in April-May of the current year. If the visa documentation is submitted during a different period, the certificate can only be obtained from the employer.
Information must be provided for the last 3 months, therefore, to obtain a visa in February-March, two 2-NDFL certificates are needed - for the previous year and for the first months of the current year.
The employer must produce and issue the document within 1-3 business days.