What the Schengen visa is
The Schengen short stay visa, Type C, allows up to 90 days of stay within any 180 day period across the 29 member states. One visa covers the whole area. Once you land in one member country you travel onward by train, road or air without passing immigration again. It suits tourism, business, conferences, visiting family and friends, and short medical treatment.
The 180 days is a rolling window rather than a calendar half year, which is why people miscount it. On any given day, add up the days you were physically inside the area over the previous 180. That total must not exceed 90. Days spent in Europe outside the Schengen area, such as the United Kingdom or Ireland, do not count towards it. We calculate your available days before you book anything and mark your last legal day clearly.
Two other categories come up occasionally: the Type D long stay visa, issued by one country under its own rules for study, work or residence, and the Type A airport transit visa. This page is about the short stay visa. Tell us if you need either of the others and we will handle it separately.
The visa fee is EUR 90 for adults. You cannot work in the Schengen area on this visa.
Who needs one
- Thai nationals travelling to Europe for any purpose.
- Foreigners living in Thailand whose nationality is not visa exempt for the Schengen area. The exemption follows your passport, not your Thai residence.
- Families travelling together, including children under 18, whose paperwork carries its own requirements.
- First time travellers with a new passport, where the file does more of the work because there is no travel history to lean on.
- Anyone previously refused a Schengen visa who wants the new application built around whatever was not established last time.
There is no single Schengen office. Each member state runs its own application under identical core rules but with its own forms, checklists and waiting times. Which one your application belongs to is not a matter of preference: it is the country where you will spend the most nights, or where the nights are split evenly, the country you enter first. We work that out from your itinerary and build the file to that mission's checklist. You do not need to research it.
Documents required
Schengen consulates care as much about whether your documents agree with each other as about whether they are present. The dates on your flight booking, hotel booking, leave letter and itinerary all have to line up. We check them against each other before anything is submitted.
Everyone
- Passport valid at least three months beyond your intended return date, with at least two blank pages.
- Photograph to the current biometric specification.
- Completed application form for the mission your trip belongs to.
- Travel insurance covering medical expenses and emergency repatriation, minimum EUR 30,000 of cover, valid across the whole Schengen area for your full trip including your arrival and departure days.
- Bank statements covering the recent months, showing you can fund the whole trip.
- Accommodation booked for every night, or an invitation letter from the friend or family member hosting you.
- Flight reservation and a day by day travel plan that matches your bookings.
Proof of occupation
- Employees. Employment certificate stating your position, and a letter approving your leave for the exact dates of the trip.
- Business owners. Company registration documents and evidence that the business is trading.
- Students. Enrolment certificate, together with the academic calendar showing the trip falls in a break.
- Retired applicants. Proof of income after retirement, such as pension slips or statements.
- No standard certificate available. A written explanation of your occupation and income, usually alongside a financial supporter's documents. We prepare this with you.
Additional
- Where you are visiting family or friends: an invitation letter from your relative in Europe, with a copy of their ID card, residence permit or visa.
- For children under 18: original birth certificate with a copy, parental consent letter where the child travels alone or with one parent, and copies of both parents' ID cards or passports.
- Documents covering any change of name or surname, such as a marriage or divorce certificate.
- For foreign residents of Thailand, your Thai visa and residence documents, which explain why you are applying from here.
Financial requirements
No Schengen country publishes a minimum balance, because the assessment is relative. A fortnight in Switzerland costs very differently from a week in Portugal, and what is assessed is whether your statements show funds that comfortably carry the itinerary you have actually submitted and sit consistently with the income you have declared.
A balance that appeared shortly before the application invites questions unless its source is documented. If you have a large recent deposit, that is not a problem in itself; we tell you exactly what will evidence where it came from.
If a supporter in Europe or Thailand is funding the trip, their financial documents can be used in place of yours, with the relationship and their status documented. Documented third party funding is a strength. Undocumented third party funding is what raises questions.
What this costs
- Our fee: 4,500 THB. This covers working out the correct mission, document preparation, the forms, the insurance, submission and follow up through to the decision.
- Visa fee: EUR 90 for adults, EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11, free for children under 6. Paid separately, along with the visa centre service charge.
- Travel insurance to the EUR 30,000 specification, which we arrange, is charged at cost.
The visa fee is not refundable if you are refused, which is why we make sure the file is complete before it goes in.
How we help
You are not buying information, you are buying execution. We take your itinerary and calculate which member state your application legally belongs to, then confirm that mission's current requirements and waiting time and work backwards from your flight date so the timing is comfortable. We give you one list built for your circumstances instead of the full checklist. We complete the application form, write the cover letter, build the day by day itinerary so it matches your bookings exactly, and review your bank statements before they go anywhere near a consulate, so a leave letter that stops short of your return date or an unexplained deposit is caught here rather than there. We arrange the EUR 30,000 insurance and close any unbooked nights. Where you are visiting someone, we deal with your host directly and give them an exact list. We handle the appointment and the submission, brief you on what you will be asked at the counter so you are not meeting the questions cold, prepare any follow up the consulate requests, and check the visa sticker when your passport comes back, so a wrong entry count or date is found in Bangkok rather than at an airport in Europe.
FAQ
1. Which country will my application go to?
The one where you will spend the most nights, or if the nights are split evenly, the one you enter first. Send us your itinerary and we will confirm it. You do not need to work it out yourself.
2. Can I visit several countries on one trip?
Yes, and it is completely normal. One visa covers the whole area. The application still goes to one specific mission, chosen by the rule above, and your itinerary shows the full route. Multi country trips need the accommodation and transport evidence to line up cleanly, and we handle that.
3. How much money should I have?
There is no published figure, because it depends on your destination, your trip length and who is paying. What matters as much as the number is that the balance is consistent and that any large recent deposit can be evidenced. Send us your statements and we will tell you what else would round out the picture.
4. Do I have to buy the flight ticket first?
No. A confirmed reservation is what is needed at application stage, and we arrange one that satisfies the requirement. Wait for the visa before buying anything non refundable.
5. Which travel insurance is acceptable?
It must cover medical expenses and emergency repatriation to at least EUR 30,000, be valid in every Schengen country, and cover your entire stay including the day you arrive and the day you leave. We arrange a policy that meets the specification.
6. I am a foreigner living in Thailand. Can I apply from here?
Yes, with legal long stay status. Your Thai visa, your work or study here and your local address explain why Thailand is your base, and we build them into the file from the start.
7. Can I get a multiple entry visa?
They exist, and are more likely for applicants with a record of previous Schengen visas used correctly. First time applicants usually receive a single entry visa matched to the trip they applied for. We will tell you what suits your history.
8. How far in advance should I start?
Six to eight weeks before your flight is comfortable, and longer in high season when appointment queues lengthen. Bank certificates and employment letters also take a few days to obtain.
9. My passport has no stamps at all.
Nothing about a new passport prevents an application. It simply means the file does more of the work, so we put extra care into the funds, the accommodation and the employment evidence. A well planned first trip of one to two weeks is a comfortable way to begin, and it builds the history that makes later applications simpler.
10. Do I need to attend in person?
Yes, to give fingerprints and a photograph, unless your biometrics were taken for a Schengen visa within the last 59 months. We arrange the appointment and tell you exactly what to bring.
11. What if I was refused before?
Send us the refusal letter. The refusal codes state precisely which requirement was not established, and no one can promise an outcome, but we build the new file around evidencing that specific point. In some cases an appeal is the better route than a fresh application, and we will tell you which fits your case.
12. Can I work in Europe on this visa?
No. Work is a long stay national visa under a different set of rules. Tell us if that is the goal and we will look at the right route.
Send us your travel plan and your documents and we will confirm which mission your application belongs to and what is needed for your case.
