How to Get Your Schengen Visa Approved Without Using an Agency (And Save Thousands!) Maria, November 9, 2025November 12, 2025 Planning a European adventure in the next 6 months? Or maybe thinking about that Digital Nomad Visa in Spain? Either way, getting your Schengen visa sorted should be at the top of your to-do list! I’ve helped tons of people—family, friends, relatives back home in the Philippines and in Canada—get their Schengen visas without using an agency. And honestly, why pay an agency when you can totally do it yourself? Plus, these agencies can’t guarantee you’ll get approved anyway. All they really do is organize your documents and make sure everything’s ready before your appointment. In this guide, I’m going to walk you through exactly what documents you need, share some helpful hacks (including a game-changing $15 flight booking trick!), and hopefully make this whole process way less stressful. Not gonna lie—visa applications can be overwhelming, but we’ll get through this together! Getting Started: Your First Steps So you’ve finally decided to visit Europe—awesome! Before you start daydreaming about croissants and gondola rides though, there’s some groundwork to do. Step 1: Choose Your Entry Country Figure out which country you’ll be visiting first OR which one you’ll stay in the longest. This determines which embassy you’ll apply through. This is super important because applying at the wrong embassy can get your application rejected right away! Step 2: Pick Your Dates Choose your travel dates, then count back 3 months. That 3-month mark is when you should apply. You can apply up to 6 months in advance, but 3 months minimum gives you enough time to get everything together without rushing. Step 3: Book Your Visa Appointment For Spain, you’ll use BLS Spain. For other countries, it’s usually through VFS Global. These appointments can fill up fast, especially during peak travel season, so don’t sleep on this! The Complete Document Checklist Okay, let’s be real—the list is pretty long and it can feel like a pain. But don’t worry, I’ll break it down for you step by step! 1. Your Travel Itinerary Here’s a pro tip that’ll save you hours: use ChatGPT to create your itinerary! Just tell it: Your entry point How many days you want in each city/country Your interests (museums, food, beaches, etc.) Let it do its magic, copy that into a Word doc, save it as a PDF, and boom—done. Just make sure to remove any obvious signs that AI created it (like “As an AI assistant…” or anything like that). Important note: Your actual trip doesn’t have to match this itinerary perfectly. Plans change, and that’s totally fine! What matters is that you apply at the embassy of either your entry country OR where you’ll stay longest. Example: If you’re flying into Italy but spending most of your time in Spain, apply through the Spanish embassy. 2. Hotel Bookings Use your AI-generated itinerary to book hotels on Booking.com. The key here? Look for places with: ✅ FREE CANCELLATION ✅ No upfront payment Once your visa is approved, you can cancel these if your plans change. Make sure to print all your confirmation emails to submit with your application! 3. Flight Reservations (The $15 Hack!) For this, use bookingforvisa.com to get a flight reservation for just $15 per person. Pro tip: Book it 48 hours before your appointment so it doesn’t expire before your submission date. 4. Travel Insurance I used AXA for mine and it worked great. Plus, if your visa gets denied, you can request a refund! Requirements: ✅ Minimum coverage of €30,000 ✅ Valid in all Schengen countries ✅ Coverage must match your entire trip duration 5. Cover Letter Write a simple, straightforward letter that includes: Your personal information Purpose of your trip (tourism, business, visiting family, etc.) Travel dates and return information Anyone traveling with you (family, friends, etc.) Any special requests or circumstances Keep it friendly and professional—no need to overthink this! 6. Old/Expired Passports If you have expired passports, bring them! Include both: The original expired passport Copies of ALL pages This shows your travel history and actually helps your case. It proves you’ve traveled before and returned home, which makes you a lower risk. The Financial Requirements (This Is Important!) This is where a lot of applications succeed or fail, so pay attention! What You’ll Need: Basic financial documents: Bank certificate from your bank Bank statements showing the last 3-6 months of transactions ITR (Income Tax Return with BIR stamp/official receipt) If someone’s sponsoring your trip: Documents proving your relationship (birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc.) Sponsor’s passport copy Sponsor’s notarized letter stating they’ll cover all your expenses Sponsor’s bank statements (last 3 months) Employment Proof If you’re employed: Certificate of employment (stating job title, length of employment, and annual salary) Last 3-6 months of payslips If you’re financially dependent (students, homemakers): Notarized letter from your sponsor/parent Their passport copy and bank statements Document proving your relationship If you’re self-employed or a business owner: Proof of business ownership/registration Business registration number Recent tax returns Business bank statements Digital nomads and remote workers (this is me!): If you don’t have a traditional employment contract, service agreements with your clients work just fine! I used contracts and invoices from my international clients and had no issues. The Standard Documents (The Easy Stuff!) Once you’ve got all the complicated stuff sorted, grab these simple documents: ✅ Completed Schengen application form (filled out accurately!) ✅ Two recent passport photos (white background, 35mm x 45mm, attached to your form) ✅ Valid passport (needs to be valid for at least 3 months AFTER your planned return date) ✅ Photocopy of your passport’s data page The Costs: Budget for These Fees Let’s talk money. Here’s what you’ll need to pay: Visa Fees: Adults: €90 (around ₱5,500) Kids 6-11: €45 (around ₱2,750) Under 6: FREE! Ages 12+: Counted as adults Service Fees: VFS Manila: ₱1,150 VFS Cebu: ₱1,210 BLS Spain: ₱1,040 (includes VAT, cash only) Good news: Kids under 6 are exempt from service charges too! Total cost for one adult applying through BLS Spain: Approximately ₱6,540 Compare that to agency fees of ₱10,000-15,000+ and you’re saving serious money! Your Burning Questions Answered Over the years, I’ve gotten tons of questions about Schengen visa applications. Here are the most common ones: Can I change my destination after my visa is approved? Technically, yes—it shouldn’t be a problem with European immigration. The tricky part is usually with Philippine Immigration when you’re leaving. My advice: Just show them the itinerary and hotel bookings you submitted during your application. If dates changed slightly, update your bookings to match. Don’t make drastic changes (like applying for Spain then only visiting France) as this could raise red flags. Do I really need the ITR? Here’s my honest experience: When I applied in 2021, I didn’t include my ITR because: I had substantial savings (way more than required) I had employment contracts from US and UK employers I had solid travel history (30 countries by then) But here’s the thing: If you’re less established financially or this is your first big international trip, definitely include it. It’s not worth the risk of rejection over a missing document. Europe will be my first international trip. Will I get rejected? Not necessarily! Here’s what matters: You’ll likely be approved if: ✅ You’re from a wealthy family or have substantial savings ✅ You can show significant assets (property, investments, etc.) ✅ You have strong ties to the Philippines (job, family, business) You might face challenges if: ❌ You have just barely enough money for the trip ❌ No significant assets or savings ❌ No strong employment or family ties Why? They want to be sure you’ll return home after your trip. If it looks like you might overstay and work illegally, that’s a red flag. If I get denied, how soon can I reapply? This actually happened to me! Got denied by the Netherlands embassy in mid-December 2021. No reason given, just rejected. Two months later (early February), I reapplied through the French embassy with basically the same documents and got approved. The officer was actually impressed by my travel history. My theory? I applied too close to year-end when they might’ve already hit their approval quota for the year. My advice: You can reapply immediately, but wait at least 1-2 months and maybe try a different embassy. Also, avoid applying in December if possible! How long until I get my passport back? This varies wildly based on the embassy and season: My experience (VFS Global-Germany): 3 days My family (BLS Spain, Philippines): Less than a week My sisters (Canada): 2 weeks Peak season applications: Can take up to 4 weeks Pro tip: Don’t book non-refundable flights until you have your approved visa in hand! How much should I have in my bank account? The unofficial rule of thumb: €100 per day of travel. Example calculations: 1 week (7 days): €700 (≈ ₱48,000) 2 weeks (14 days): €1,400 (≈ ₱96,000) 3 weeks (21 days): €2,100 (≈ ₱143,000) 1 month (30 days): €3,000 (≈ ₱205,000) Important: This should ideally be money that’s been in your account for at least 3-6 months. Suddenly depositing a large amount right before applying looks suspicious! Should I get a letter of invitation from someone living there? It could help strengthen your application, especially if: You’re visiting family or friends You’re staying with them (saves on accommodation costs) They can provide additional financial support But be warned: It requires extra documents from them (passport copies, proof of residence, financial documents, etc.) and can complicate things. My take: If you have family/close friends there, go for it. If not, don’t stress about it—a solid application without one is still very strong. How long is the visa valid? This is honestly a mystery until you get your passport back! Here’s what I’ve seen: Most common for first-timers (Philippines): Exact number of days in your itinerary But I’ve also seen: Someone got 3 years on their first application! My sister in Canada got 1 year My other sister got only the exact days For subsequent applications: You’re more likely to get multiple-entry visas valid for 1-5 years. Which countries can I visit with a Schengen visa? Your Schengen visa gives you access to 29 European countries with no border controls between them: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. That’s a LOT of countries for one visa! Do I need to show documents at the border? Here’s something important: Your Schengen visa doesn’t automatically guarantee entry. At the border, immigration officers might ask for: Your visa (obviously) Return flight ticket Proof you can cover your stay (bank statements, credit cards) Hotel reservations or letter of invitation Travel insurance Pro tip: Bring printed copies of everything you submitted with your visa application. Keep them in a folder that’s easy to access at immigration. I’ve rarely been asked for these, but better safe than sorry! My Top Tips for a Successful Application After helping dozens of people with their applications, here’s what really makes a difference: 1. Be Consistent Make sure all your documents tell the same story. Your bank statements should support your stated income, your itinerary should match your hotel bookings, etc. 2. Show Strong Ties to Home The #1 concern for visa officers is whether you’ll return home. Emphasize: Your job/business Family responsibilities Property ownership Any reason you NEED to come back 3. Don’t Over-Explain Keep your cover letter concise and factual. Don’t write a novel about why you deserve to visit Europe. Simple and professional wins. 4. Triple-Check Everything One missing signature, one incorrect date, one missing document—any of these can delay or derail your application. Review everything multiple times. 5. Be Honest Never lie on your application or submit fake documents. This can result in a permanent ban from the Schengen area. Not worth it! 6. Dress Appropriately for Your Appointment First impressions matter! Dress business casual—you want to look like someone who’s financially stable and trustworthy. 7. Stay Calm During Your Interview Some embassies conduct brief interviews. Be confident, answer honestly, and don’t volunteer information they didn’t ask for. What to Do If You Get Rejected Getting rejected sucks, but it’s not the end of the world! Here’s what to do: Request the reason for rejection (you’re entitled to this information) Address the specific issues in your next application Wait 1-2 months before reapplying Consider applying through a different Schengen country’s embassy Strengthen weak areas (save more money, get better employment documentation, etc.) Remember: A rejection doesn’t mean you’re permanently banned. Many people get approved on their second or third try! Final Thoughts Getting a Schengen visa without an agency is totally doable. Yes, it requires effort and attention to detail, but you’ll save thousands of pesos and gain valuable knowledge for future applications. The key is: ✅ Start early (3 months before travel) ✅ Be thorough with documentation ✅ Show you have strong reasons to return home ✅ Present yourself as a responsible, financially stable traveler Remember: Thousands of Filipinos get approved for Schengen visas every year. With proper preparation, you can absolutely be one of them! Ready to start your European adventure? Save this guide, gather your documents, and book that visa appointment. You’ve got this! 🌍✈️ Have questions I didn’t cover? Send me an email and I’ll do my best to help! Disclaimer: Visa requirements and fees may change. Always check the official embassy website for the most current information. Travel