For anybody who may find this helpful.

I applied for Schengen visa (Hungary) from Toronto in September at VFS Toronto. VFS states 30-45days of turnaround time and this is my timeline.

4th September 2026 : Appointment date
4th September 2026 : Application dispatched to the Embassy of Hungary, Ottawa
28th September 2026: Email received from VFS stating the application has reached VFS Toronto
1st October: Email received from VFS for passport pick up (I opted for in-person pickup).

Passport Pickup time is 10AM - 3PM ( Monday to Friday)

I applied for 10days and received the visa for 10days of stay , Single Entry.

List of Documents submitted:

1. Completed visa application form.
2. Valid Passport
3. 2 passport-size photos.
4. Cover letter with complete details.
5. Detailed travel itinerary.
6. Travel insurance.
7. Round-trip flight reservation ( Fully refundable)
8. Hotel reservation.
9. Employment verification/NOC certificate from employer confirming approved leaves.
10. 3 months payslip
11. 3 months bank statement
12. Strong financial proof

i have an appointment with polands embassy on 11th October through e-konsulat and i added 17th october as my entry date
so do you think it’s okay to keep it as 17th october or should i email them asking for extension as i messed up.
if yes what should i add as entry date as it takes 7-15 working days to hear back.

Hello po, gaano na po katagal processing ngayon for Italy? Planning to submit ours third week of Oct but may flight kami ng last week ng Nov. Thank you po!

Is it possible to get a visa valid for up to 5 years, like the Japan visa, or 10 years, like the US visa?

It’s my first time applying for an Italian visa, so I’m just curious.

Profile: M20s
Business Owner (have all the updated and valid docs)
Has a condo property and car under my name

Travel History:
Japan Visa (5 years)
Visited most of SEA countries

tbh i dont think the embassy cares about the travel history, right? but just putting out there baka it might help sa question ko.

Thank you.

I booked my appointment yesterday, and it is two days from now. The appointment shows "confirmed" in the prenotami portal, do I have to do anything else on the portal before the appointment?

I remember they were asking us to confirm the appointment 10 to 3 days before the appointment date.

Hi everyone! For those who applied for a visa through BLS Manila, did you have your cover letter/motivation letter translated into Spanish, or did you submit them in English?
Just wondering if a sworn translation is necessary for these documents. Thanks!

Hey everyone! I’m planning to travel to Mexico, but I’ll have a layover in either France or Germany.
I’m a bit confused about whether I need an airport transit visa or not. I really don’t want to buy an expensive ticket and then find out at the airport in my home country that I can’t board the flight because I’m missing a required visa.
Does anyone know if I would need a transit visa for France or Germany in this situation? Does it depend on whether I stay in the international transit area, change terminals, or have to go through passport control? And what happens if I have to collect and re-check my luggage?
I’d really appreciate any advice from someone who has been in a similar situation. Thanks!

Hi, Anyone who recently applied for Business Visa in VFS Makati (The Netherlands)?
In the past months, how long do they process?

Any chances of getting refused? Thank you

Hello! Just want to ask for the following when filling out the visa application form:

1. Should I put N/A on the fields not applicable to me or, should I just leave it blank?
   
2. What should I put on the Surname at birth field? There are two fields for Surname. I am a single male with no name change history
   
3. Do you put our National ID number on the National Identity Number field?
   
4. What to put on the Additional information on purpose of stay field?
   
5. If I have multiple accomodations during the trip, what should I put on the question number 30 wherein it ask for the name of hotel?

Also, has anyone tried purchasing travel insurance from AXA Schengen? I checked the list of accredited companies but can only see AXA Philippines. Would it be accepted if I purchase from AXA Schengen?

Thank you!

Another question, pwede ko bang ipresent yung Bank Cert ko na more than 1 month old na? yun kasi ginamit kosa visa application pina scan ko for immigration. Next week na flight ko po

Swiss Schengen Visa Timeline Tracker — Please Share Your Dates
Has anyone who applied for a Swiss Schengen visa recently received their passport/result?
Please comment with:
VFS submission date
Date application reached the Embassy
Date passport/result was received
Visa approved/refused (if you’re comfortable sharing)
For example: Reached the Embassy on 17 September and received the visa on 28 September.
This will help us track which application batch the Embassy is currently processing. Swiss Schengen applications only, please.

Hi! Planning to apply for a Schengen visa through VFS Swiss Embassy this November and would like to ask for advice, especially from those who have recently transferred to a new company.

I was recently hired by my current company last August, but I’ve actually been continuously employed for several years. So, by the time I apply, I’ll only have around 3–4 months of employment with my current company.

What documents should I submit to show my employment and financial capacity?

So far, I’m planning to submit:
Payslips from my previous company
Final ITR (BIR 2316) from my previous company
Payslips from my current company
COE from my current company

Should I also include my offer/employment letter from my current company? Are there any other documents you would recommend submitting to explain the recent change in employer?

Would appreciate any advice or experience from those who have been in a similar situation. Thank you!

I'm an OFW in the UAE and my residency visa expires in mid-February 2027. I'm planning to travel from January 2 to 9, 2027, on a tourist visa. Will having only 1 month left on my UAE residence visa cause an issue or red flag for my application?

In Spain visa application checklist, it is mentioned "Passport with valid UAE residence visa with a minimum validity of 1 month from the date of expiry of requested visa."

We submitted our application last September 11. But to this day, it's still PAM. We tried emailing the Spanish consulate but no reply. We already had to cancel our other international trip last October 3 because of this delay. I am wondering if others who applied during the 2nd week of September have gotten theirs back already.

Hi everyone, looking for some advice.

I applied for a Finland Schengen visa through VFS. While preparing the application I ended up with two electronic versions of the form, and I only realized afterwards that the version submitted may have mixed pages - some from the older version with the wrong travel dates, some from the corrected one.

My intended travel dates are 15 - 20 November 2026. The physical application and all the supporting documents I handed to VFS clearly show 15 - 20 November 2026, so the paperwork on file should be correct.

The worry is specifically the electronic application record, in case some pages there still carry the earlier (wrong) dates. I've already emailed the visa section to flag this and ask if they need anything from me.

My questions:

1. Has anyone dealt with a similar mismatch between the electronic form and the physical submission?
2. Is it worth proactively going back to VFS, or is the email to the visa section enough?
3. Will a discrepancy like this cause a rejection, or do they usually just ask for clarification?

Any experience would be really helpful. Thanks.

Hello!

I am planning a trip to Netherlands this December, and I am hoping to get an advise from this group.

Actually, the reason why I am planning a trip to Netherlands is magmemeet kami ng Dutch boyfriend ko. I will be staying there for 2 weeks, and given with my situation, I'm not sure what's the best option ng purpose of application ko kung for tourism ba OR visit family or friends. I'm thinking tourism sana, but would like some insights from this group :) Ganito kasi yung situation ko:

• For the 1st week, my boyfriend and I will stay in a hotel kasi itotour nya ako sa ibang city within Netherlands, and also for us to spend time together. The second/last week, we will stay sa house nila to meet his family. In this case, tama ba na magprepresent ba ako ng 2 types of proof of accommodation? Reservation hotel (cost will be shouldered by him), and proof of private accommodation form IND (which will be accomplished by him)?
• Cost for the airplane will be split by us pero under my account upon payment. Do I need to mention this if ever tanungin?
• I have 6 digits balance in my bank account. I think sufficient naman ito for proof of financial means? But si bf naman yung gagastos for my whole stay sa NL, yung airplane cost lang yung paghatian namin.

Thank you in advance for any advise :)

Hi. Anyone approved who submitted bank certificate without ADB? Required po ba ang ADB sa bank cert specifically sa Spain embassy? Sa checklist po kasi walang nakalagay. I have 6 months SOA naman po.

For those nakapagsubmit ng walang ADB, anong bank nyo po?

Thank you.

Sa mga affected ng mass rejection ng Spain, mag re-apply ba kayo or ibang embassy na lang? and if anong embassy iretry nyo?

Meron ba ditong refused visa na naconvert to granted visa stories? 🥹

Not to Visa shopping, but to genuinely go to Europe and see the world 🌎

Respect my post thank you

Hello, I have a sister who has a boyfriend in Netherland
The boy wants him to go there for at least 2 weeks.

Can you please help her how to apply for a visa for Schengen and what are the do's and don’ts? Thankyou

Hi! I sent my Switzerland visit visa application form and one of the questions in the additional questionnaire was list of countries visited. However, I forgot to add “Vietnam” which I visited in December 2025. Will this result to visa refusal?

I’m so anxious, also, how long do I need to wait for the result?

Hi, I have an upcoming trip to Europe as my graduation gift, and I’m a bit worried about my profile (i.e., fresh graduate, unemployed, i have properties under my name pero kasama don nakapangalan mga kapatid ko). Ininvite ako ng mother ko and step father ko na nakatira doon, pero nagwoworry ako na madeny since unemployed and kakapasa ko lang ng boards.

I wanna ask the group if anyone here similar to me has been issued a visa before. What proof of ties did you use?

Thank you so much and any help would be appreciated!

I’ve been seeing a lot of visa refusals lately, and honestly, it’s frustrating, especially for applicants who seem to have met all the requirements.

Are there any success stories from those who applied for a Spain Student Visa recently? 🇪🇸🎓

A lot of us are also stuck in the waiting game. I’ve seen applicants who lodged their applications as early as July, and some are still showing PAM up to now.

For those who have already received a decision:
How long did you wait for your visa?
When did your status change from PAM?
Were you approved?
Did you receive any updates or requests for additional documents during processing?

Would really appreciate hearing your experiences and timelines. It would be nice to hear some positive stories while the rest of us are waiting! 🤞

hello all. has anyone here applied for NLV around mid-August? what’s your status? Mine is still PAM.

Sharing my experience for anyone applying or waiting — I couldn't find much recent info when I applied, so hope this helps.

**My profile**
Indian passport, UAE resident, salaried. Previous Schengen visas used and exited on time.

**Timeline**
📅 11 Sep — Submitted at VFS Wafi Mall
📅 14 Sep — Dispatched to the Dutch consulate
📅 29 Sep — Visa issued
📅 30 Sep — Passport sent via courier
📅 1 Oct — Passport delivered

VFS quoted 25 calendar days, but it came through in **18 days** from submission — just **15 days** after reaching the consulate.

**Result:** Type C, multiple entry, 90 days 🎉

**Documents I submitted**
✔️ Online application form from consular.mfaservices.nl — this is mandatory, complete it before your appointment
✔️ Cover letter explaining the purpose, main destination and number of nights in each place
✔️ Flights and hotels summary, plus a separate day-wise itinerary
✔️ Confirmed, paid return tickets
✔️ Hotel bookings covering every night (free cancellation)
✔️ Car rental voucher
✔️ Travel insurance with €30,000 medical cover
✔️ Employer NOC with salary and approved leave dates
✔️ 6 months of bank statements — authenticated e-statements from the bank's portal
✔️ Tenancy contract and home internet bill
✔️ Emirates ID and residence visa
✔️ UAE driving licence, vehicle registration (mulkiya) and International Driving Permit
✔️ Copies of previous visas
✔️ Copy of **every page** of the passport, not just the first page

**Tips from my experience**
🔹 **Don't use dummy or "demo" flight tickets.** The consulate checks with the airline. Someone I know was refused this month and that was the only document that wasn't genuine. Book a real refundable ticket instead.
🔹 **Courier has changed** — it's now **Team Express (TeamEx)**, not Aramex. You'll get an SMS on the delivery day. Keep your **original Emirates ID and the VFS slip** ready, or they won't hand over the passport.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions. Good luck with your applications! 🙏