DIY Visa Series - How to Apply for a Schengen Visa (Czech Republic) in Abu Dhabi

Last year my sister and I impulsively tried booking a 3D4N trip to Romania via Holiday Factory to tick off Going to Europe from our bucketlist. However, the plan underwent a lot of revisions due to timeline errors in itinerary planning, last minute air ticket additions and visa mistakes so we ended up going to Budapest (Hungary) and Prague (Czech Republic) instead.

Fisherman's Wharf, Budapest, Hungary

Travel Tip: To my fellow Pinoys, if you would like to enter Romania before these 2 countries, make sure to get a multiple entry Type C Schengen Visa or get a separate Romanian visa entirely if you were given only a single entry Schengen visa to make sure you'll be able to do the cross-country thing without any issues (So alam na kung saan kami nagkamali hehehehe) that will let you end up in transit for more than 24 hrs like this one right here:

For our Schengen visa, we decided to apply via the Embassy of the Czech Republic since Prague was the last and longest stop on our tour.

Steps:

1. Make an appointment online by clicking here: VISAPOINT. Applicants can apply from up to 3 months but no later than 15 days before the planned travel.

2. Complete your requirements. I based this list from the embassy's website and partly from the endless budget traveler blogs I scoured online:

     a. Filled out application form;
   
    b. Valid national passport with at least 2 empty pages and photocopies of passport ID page, Emirates ID, UAE residence visa page and previous Schengen visas from the last 3 years, if any.
   
    c. Salary Certificate and/or Employment Certificate (stamped and signed by your HR dept)
 
    d. Proof of sufficient financial means 
            - You have to request this from your bank personally, as it will be stamped and verified by the bank for the document to be considered valid
            - I read online that many has bank statements of up to 6 digit balances to show that you're capable of financing your tour. Here in the UAE, I only have my payroll account so what I showed on my bank statement is my activity for the last 3 months, along with my salary regularly being deposited. When I applied, I only have like half of my salary (not much actually, it was basically just enough to cover the duration of my stay) on the account and I was approved.
   
    e. Flight ticket reservations (c/o Holiday Factory and Cleartrip)
   
    f. Hotel reservations (c/o Holiday Factory and Booking.com)
   
    g. Detailed travel plan (for a sample itinerary, leave your email address in the comments section below to receive one for free)
   
     h. Cover letter ( I added this to my list of requirements to explain all the changes in our itinerary). Here's a sample of what I submitted:

      i. Travel Insurance certificate (from Union Insurance)
      k. Recent passport sized photograph (photo centers are usually aware of photo specs needed for specific visa requirements. Let them know for what country it's needed prior to having your picture taken.)

                                                              

3. Go to the embassy. As soon as you have prepared everything and it's already your appointment date, just head on over to the embassy at Marina Village, Villa A-09, Breakwater, Abu Dhabi. It's among the villas near Marina Mall and if you're taking a taxi from Al Wahda Mall or Central Bus station, it will only be 20-25AED depending on traffic. Once you're at the embassy, go to the backside for the visa consular services and ring the bell so they can let you in.

Visa fee is strictly 252AED, you should bring the exact amount or else you'll delay the application process. Personal appearance is required for the application since they'll be needing your biometric data. Everything can take up to 15-20 minutes tops and if you're travelling with someone you can submit your docs at the same time using the same appointment but keep in mind that you do have to submit complete requirements for each traveller.

That's it! Good luck and enjoy your trip!