Also, after reading the instructions, you can download a sample application form in pdf and doc formats for the desired embassy and a list of documents for obtaining a visa.
The form must be filled out in the language of the country where you are requesting entry or in English. In rare cases, it is allowed to write the first and last name in Russian.

A Spanish questionnaire was used as an example. The application forms for any Schengen country are the same, only the language differs.

First and last name

We write the first and last name as in a foreign passport. No middle name. If the woman was or is currently married, her maiden name is indicated in column 2. Here you can write your last name as you see fit.
Why do you need to write your first and last name (points 1.3) as in your passport? The rules of Russian transliteration for documents are very different from the generally accepted ones. For example, the name Ludmila in the passport may be written as Lyudmila.

Place of birth


There are a lot of errors in this paragraph. The most common:
Current citizenship (point 7).
Russia is often written. This may be a discovery for you, but such a country as Russia legally does not exist. There is Russian Federation - Russian Federation.
There should be no questions regarding the date of birth (point 4). We write as it is.

Place of birth (point 5). It is enough to indicate the city or town where you were born. If you have a small settlement, such as a village, you can specify the region. Just my case. I indicate the region of birth - Kaluzhskaya Region.
No one is interested in the house and street where you were born. It is important to mark the territory.

Country of birth (item 6) is the second most error-prone item in the visa application form. Before writing, look at your passport. Any, maybe Russian. And we rewrite it as it is written in it.
If you were born under Soviet rule, you were born in the USSR. In English - USSR, not SSSR.

Let me remind you that the country was called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. If you were born in a republic that changed its name, we write as it was called at the time of your birth.
Citizenship at birth (point 7). Everything is the same as what was written about the place of birth. Let's see what it says in the passport.

Gender and marital status

I don’t think it’s worth explaining how to determine your gender. If you haven't decided yet, do it quickly (or look at the documents).
Marital status (item 9). Completing this item raises questions for those living in a civil marriage. Check the box for Single/Not Married. If you check the Other box, there may be questions.
For minor children, cross out the item – Single/not married.

Clause 10


If the Schengen visa application form is being filled out for a minor child, fill out this item.
Attention! At this point we do not write the child’s data. In paragraph 10 we fill in the information for the parents or guardian.
So we write, separated by commas, the necessary data in English:
Ivanov Ivan, Moscow, Tverskaya str, 10. Russian Federation.
We write the current citizenship.

If a child travels accompanied by strangers (legally), for example, to a holiday home with a group of children, we do not enter the details of the accompanying person! The accompanying person is not the legal representative of the child.

An identification number

This paragraph does not mean TIN. Therefore, we leave paragraph 11 blank.

Type of travel document

We indicate the type of passport in the application as Regular passport. It doesn't matter whether it's new or old. Diplomatic passports, seaman's passport, etc. have a very small number of people so we won't talk about them.

In paragraph 13 we write the foreign passport number as indicated in the document. Because The numbering in old and new passports is different. Even if the passport indicates the series, we write it first, then the number separated by a space.
In paragraphs 14 and 15 we write as is in the day-month-year format.

In paragraph 16, you do not need to write the department that issued the document and other data. It is enough to indicate the country that issued the passport. If you received a foreign passport at the Russian embassy abroad, write Russian Federation - the territory of the embassy in foreign countries is the territory of the Russian Federation. However, this is all written in the document.

Home address

It is customary for us to write the registration address in documents. In paragraph 17, we write your current residential address, even if you are not registered there.
You do not need to indicate your residence address on the visa application form. Especially if it differs from the city of filing documents. The embassy may have questions. Why, living (registered) in Krasnodar, do you apply for a visa in Moscow.

Please provide a current email address. No need to leave a fictitious email. They may send you a letter with important information or request additional data, as an option.
We write down the phone number in the format as in the example: 9-903-123 45 67

Host country

Make no mistake about this point. We do not write down the country where we are going to go. In paragraph 18 of the application form, you need to indicate your affiliation with the country whose visa you are requesting. And since you don’t have a residence permit or any other type - we cross it out - No.

Professional activity

At this point we write everything clearly and understandably. No one will go into the intricacies of your current position. If you are a “1st grade milking machine operator,” you don’t need to try to transfer your entire position. It is enough to specify Operator.
I will consider special cases in the paragraph “Employer”.

Employer


If you work for a company, there will be no questions about filling out paragraph 20.
Just keep in mind that an LLC is an LLC and a JSC is a JSC. The company name does not need to be translated into English.
If for some reason a person does not work, then many questions arise.

I'll backtrack a little lyrically. There are a large number of requests on the Internet to search for information by type: visa for a pensioner, visa for a housewife, visa for the unemployed, etc.
In order not to get confused in all this, remember - there is only one Schengen visa. And it does not differ in shape, color, or anything else if it is received by a housewife, a pensioner or a groom. All of the above is related to professional activities.

If you are unemployed. The embassy may have many questions. Because there is reason to suspect that you will want to stay in the country illegally. Support the application with a bank statement with a large amount or a sponsorship letter with an equally significant number.
If you are a housewife, write – Housewife in paragraph 19 (put a dash in paragraph 20). There is nothing criminal about it that you take care of the house.
If you are a pensioner– in paragraph 19 write Pensioners, in paragraph 20 – a dash.
If you are an individual entrepreneur– for Schengen countries this is not exotic. In paragraph 19 we write Individual businessman or Private businessman.
We attach an extract from your individual entrepreneur account, if you have one, to the questionnaire. If there is no individual entrepreneur account, an extract from a personal account.
In paragraph 20 we write the full name of your individual entrepreneur. Example Individual Businessman Ivanov Ivan.

There are also no forms for a Schengen visa for schoolchildren and students. We are not talking now about study visas - if a person goes to study.
If the visa is requested by a schoolchild or student– in paragraph 19 we write Pupil or Student.
In paragraph 20, enter the name (school number) of the educational institution and address.

Purpose of the trip

For most travelers, the purpose of their trip is tourism. Even if you are traveling by invitation, check the Tourism box.

Destination countries

In paragraph 22 we write the country whose visa we are requesting, even if during your trip you will visit other Schengen countries.
There is no need to list other countries at this point.

For my travels around Schengen, I buy cheap air tickets on aviasales.ru, which is what I wish for you.

In paragraph 23 we indicate the country of first entry. Oddly enough, they also make mistakes when filling out this place. When flying directly to Spain, indicate Spain as the country of first entry.
If you have a connecting flight, at this point we write the country where you will cross the Schengen border (passport control).
In addition to the country, I indicate the city of arrival. For example, Dusseldorf, Germany.

Why is a visa requested?

Single-entry visas are now the exception rather than the rule. In paragraph 24, check Multiple Entry.
In paragraph 25 we write the number of nights during which you will be in the Schengen countries. Why do you need to count at night?

The hotels where you will stay count the presence of a guest in the number of nights spent. Thus, considering your stay in Europe at night, it will be difficult to make a mistake.
This is in case the embassy decides to count the period of stay in the application form with the period in hotel reservations.

I repeat, for example, during the trip for which you are requesting a visa, you will be in Spain for 3 days, in Holland for 2 days, in Italy for 2 days. In paragraph 25 we indicate the total number of days (nights) in all countries.

Past Schengen visas


At this point everything is simple. If over the past three years you have had visas, even if you did not travel on them, but they are stuck in your passport, cross out the “Yes” item and write the validity period of the visas. If there were more than one, write by hand in the blank space from what date each was issued.

Fingerprints

Recently, in order to obtain a Schengen visa, it is necessary to submit biometrics, in other words, to submit fingerprints.
If you have not taken them before, we note - no. If yes, mark and set a due date.

Traveling society reacted negatively to this European innovation. I see this as a big plus - we will provide the fingerprints to the embassy once, and in a five-year period you can submit them using a simplified system.
We do not fill out paragraph 28 of the questionnaire.

Place of stay


If you are applying for a visa by invitation, please enter the contact details of the person with whom you will be staying.

If you booked hotels, the algorithm is slightly different. When accommodation will be in only one hotel, write its name in the upper large part. In the corresponding column, physical and email addresses. Look at the reservation form.

If you stay in several hotels during your trip, we include only the first hotel in which you will spend your first night. It doesn’t matter if it’s not a Spanish hotel if you apply for a Spanish visa. It is important that this is your first temporary place of residence in the Schengen countries.

Contact details of the person and inviting company


Item 32 must be completed only if you are receiving a business visa.

Expenses during your stay


Point 33 of the questionnaire also raises many questions. As usual, there are several options.
We will look at options for a tourist visa.

The first case is when you travel at your own expense without a sponsorship letter and without an invitation.
By the way, there was an error in the example. There is no need to write Yes there.
We mark the points in the column on the left: the applicant himself and one or more options for paying for the stay. For example: cash, credit card (even if you have a debit card), paid accommodation.
A prepaid stay is when you prepay when booking a hotel. Typically, this is a non-cancellable cheap hotel rate.

The second case is when you are traveling by invitation or letter of sponsorship.
In the column on the right we mark the points relating to the identity of the sponsor or inviting party. We also note why they bear the costs of their stay.

Paragraph 34


In 99% of cases there is no need to fill it out.

Signatures on the visa application form


Signatures on the form are placed in four places.
One is in paragraph 37, the second is that you are informed that if your visa is refused, your visa fee will not be returned to you. If your visa application is submitted to a visa center, your service fee will not be refunded.
You also sign that medical insurance is provided for your first entry.

The fourth signature is placed after a large body of text, where you agree with the processing of personal data. You confirm that all information is true, etc.

How to print the form
The form is printed on both sides. Four pages make two sheets.

What documents are needed for a Schengen visa.

Below is a list of visa documents. It is standard for any country. Exceptions may be in the requirements for these documents.
For example.
Hotel reservation.
Most embassies only need a copy of your hotel reservation. In some cases, confirmation from the hotel about payment for the stay is required.

Confirmation of financial solvency.
The standard document is a bank statement. For some embassies, a receipt from an ATM is enough. Others require an account statement for three months. In any case, these are the usual options and you can get the necessary statement by visiting a bank branch or printing it from a client bank.

So, documents for a visa: