Applying for a Tourist Visa: Approved or Not?

If you love to travel and if you are a Filipino, you can probably relate with me on this matter.

Applying for a visa as a Filipino citizen is like applying for a job: You need to have a good “resume”. To enter Europe, the US, Australia, the UK, China, Japan, Canada, etc., you need to spend time and burn thousands of pesos to get a visa. And there’s no easy way to be approved. You have to take it seriously (unless perhaps your funds are too fat and you have all the connections.) If you’re just a regular employee like me, be ready to be stressed out with all the preparations required. Visa processing takes time. Accept your chances to be denied and be excited at the possibility of getting approved. At the end of the day, you’re always given a 50-50 chance. When applying, always keep in mind that you have to prove that you are coming back home.

Here are some of the usual things that the foreign embassies (for Schengen visa, mostly) will require from you. It’s always best to go to the embassy websites for the latest requirements; you can just easily search for them via google. Note that I’m not a visa expert and the things I write here are based on my personal experience over the past two years applying for different tourism visas while abroad and in Manila. (As of now, I have been granted the following visas: UK, Schengen twice, Australia.)

1. Passport

Check your passport validity before your intended travel date and make sure you have enough blank pages for the visa stamps. For Europe, the minimum validity is at least 3 months after your return from the trip. For UK, I think it’s 6 months – same with Australia. If you don’t meet the validity requirement, you may need to renew your passport before applying.

2. Flight Booking

This is a must. You have to submit an original copy of your confirmed round-trip ticket. The dates specified in your ticket would confirm your intended stay at a given country. It has to reflect that you will be flying back to Manila. Some would say that you can ask a travel agency to do a “pencil” booking for you for a minimal fee. Or try calling the airlines to inquire if this is possible. So even if your visa is not approved, you don’t lose all your money. This is the best option but I haven’t done that. Embassies do not encourage you to purchase tickets until your visas are approved. But I took my chances and purchased my flights online. Haha. I picked refundable flights though, except for Australia. (You have to wait for 3 months to get your refund plus you have to pay a cancellation fee. The rules differ for each airline. Best to check with them.)

3. Cover Letter 

Cover letters are not required, but what is there to lose if you do one explaining your purpose of travel? I only wrote a cover letter once addressed to Spain Embassy to explain that Spain was my main destination (even if it’s not reflected in my round-trip ticket) for my Euro trip and that I wanted to be back again to visit other Spanish cities.

You can state the following details (for Schengen Visa):

• Type of Visa you’re applying for – Single or Multiple Entry?
• Travel Dates
• Point of Entry, Point of Departure
• Purpose of travel in the main destination
• Brief Itinerary
• Employment History
• Enclosures to support visa application

4. Itinerary/Hotel Accommodations/Letter of Invite from Sponsor

If you’re joining a tour, secure the invoice, day-to-day itinerary with your name, and hotel accommodations with your name, from the travel agency. Some tour companies do not send the documents for visa application, until you paid for the whole amount of the travel package. They say it’s an embassy policy, whatever. So, be sure to ask them how you can do refunds, if your visa gets denied.

Another option is to do your own itinerary! I did my Spain tour by myself. The itinerary I submitted to the embassy was based on existing itineraries online. Do a little bit of research and customize your trip. Your itinerary should have clear dates of when you intend to go from one city to another and what your activities for each day will be. You should also state the address and contact numbers of your confirmed accommodations. I have an account in HostelWorld.com and I’ve been using it ever since to book my accommodations whenever I travel. You’re only required to pay for 10% of the original cost and 1USD for cancellation protection. So if you cancel your booking, you only lose 1USD and refund the 10% immediately.

You can also ask a friend to write a letter of invite. For Schengen Visa, each country has a template for this. You can just print that and have your sponsor fill it out for you. When I applied for an Australian visa, my friend from Melbourne sent a letter addressed to the consul, explaining that (1) she was inviting me to visit Australia for n number of days, (2) her whole family has known me since high school, and (3) I would be staying at their place for the entire trip. She’s an Australian citizen for 9 years already and a registered nurse in Melbourne. She also sent a copy of her job registration (authorized by one of the doctors in the hospital she’s working for) and her passport.

6. Travel History

In the UK Visa Application Form, there is a section regarding previous travels in the past 10 years. If travel history doesn’t matter at all, it shouldn’t have a place in the form in the first place. UK embassy requires a photocopy of all visa stamps you had in your passport – if I remember it right. I believe that it helps somehow when you have previous travels. Even Spain Embassy has the same requirement.

If you do not have enough funds yet, you can always start traveling around Southeast Asia first. For me, there’s nothing more fulfilling than getting passport stamps! Haha. It’s like getting an A for a good Philosophy paper. Remember that Filipinos do not need a visa to go to any Southeast Asian countries, so don’t miss the chance. Can you believe that I spent less than 35k to visit 3 countries (Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangkok) including airfare, entrance fees, hostels and pocket money? Travel may not be expensive so invest in travels and build your travel history. That is what I did and have been doing before I finally started applying for a visa. I’ve been traveling since 2008 and haven’t stopped since.

7. Proof of Employment

• COE. Get a signed/stamped COE (Certificate of Employment) from your HR. It should state your annual gross compensation, your position in the company, and your tenure. Address it to the embassy you’re applying visa for. You can have your HR mention that you requested the COE as a requirement for your visa application and that you will be shouldering the expenses during your entire trip.
• Payslips. Print your payslips! At least for the last 6 months.
• Approved Leave. Secure a letter certifying that your leave for the duration of the trip is approved by the company and that you are expected to report back to work on a specified date.
• If you have your own business, show the necessary documents to prove that you’re getting enough from your business to support your application.

8. Proof of Funds

• Bank Certificates. Original Copy. You have to show that your funds are sufficient enough to support your trip.
• Bank Statements/Bank Books. You should prove that you have consistent cash flow in the last 6 months prior to your application. You can easily download this online or request an original copy from your bank.
• Income Tax Return. The first two above are more important.

9. Travel Insurance

Even if this is not required by all embassies, I personally think this is important whenever you fly out of the country. For Schengen visa, they have a list of accredited insurance companies where you can avail of a comprehensive travel insurance. I got mine from ACE TravelAssure: 54 days for roughly 3900 pesos. I’ve asked several insurance companies and I think this is the cheapest.

10. Photo

For Schengen, UK and Australia, a passport-sized photo with clear white background is required. Your photo must be recent (at least 6-months old).

11. Fees (Tourist Visa)

• Schengen Visa (through VFS Spain) – 4780 pesos including SMS Tracking Subscription.
• UK Visa – 158 SGD plus 3 or 4 dollars for the SMS Tracking Subscription
• Australian Visa – 156 SGD

12. Visa Application Form

If you’re applying for a UK visa, you can fill out the form online. Check the UKBA website. The rest, you have to print for other countries.

Processing Times (before I got my visa):

• UK – 5 working days, not required for interview (Lodged in Singapore)
• Australia – 5 working days, not required for interview (Lodged in Singapore)
• Spain (first application) – 9 working days, not required for interview (Lodged in Singapore)
• Spain (second application) – 10 working days, interview required (Lodged in Manila). If you have been granted a Schengen Visa here in Manila in the last two years, processing can take 5 working days. And most likely, you will not be required to appear for an interview. Note that this is still under the embassy’s discretion. I had a Schengen visa granted just last January 2012 but the Consulate of Spain in Manila still asked me to come for an interview. Just answer the consul’s questions honestly and confidently, and you’ll be fine.

Where to Lodge your application?

You have an option to personally submit your application to the consulate or through third-party visa application centers for an extra fee (i.e. VFS Global for Spain Embassy in Manila and UK)

These are the links I used as requirements reference when I applied for the following visas:

• UK: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/out-of-country/visitors.pdf
• Schengen (Spain Embassy): http://www.vfsglobal.com/spain/philippines/tourist_documentrequired.html
• Australia: http://www.singapore.embassy.gov.au/files/sing/Visitor%20checklist%2epdf

Friendly advice: Do not apply for a visa at the last minute. You can apply as early as 3 months before your planned trip. Gathering the requirements alone can be exhausting. Give yourself a month to prepare, I would say especially if you are busy with work. Visa application requires planning. You need to submit all the requirements and pray next.

Maintaing a checklist may sound dorky but it works!