Schengen Visa Interview

If you are applying for a Schengen visa, you may have to attend an in-person interview. Please note that in-person interviews for Schengen visa applications have been severely restricted or even cancelled around the world due to the coronavirus pandemic. The following information is generally relevant to anyone applying for a Schengen visa. For the most relevant and updated information about Schengen visa interviews, please contact the consulate/embassy of the country you are applying through.

What is a Schengen visa interview?

A Schengen visa interview is a face to face conversation between a prospective Schengen visa applicant and a consulate/embassy employee (or an employee of a third-party visa application center) who is tasked with assessing your application.

Purpose of Schengen visa interviews?

The purpose of a Schengen visa interview is for the relevant consular authorities to determine whether or not a Schengen visa applicant is deserving of a Schengen visa. If you are an applicant, you may be called to an interview in order to determine that you:

• Are law abiding and of good character
• Can afford all the financial expenses related to your trip
• Do not intend to overstay your visa period
• Do not intend to permanently stay in the Schengen area
• Are planning to travel for the reason indicated on your application

Who has to interview?

Whether or not you are asked to interview is determined by several factors. For example, if you have previously received a Schengen visa, you will likely not be called to interview again. However, certain countries require all applicants to attend interviews, regardless of whether or not they have previously obtained a Schengen visa.

How do I schedule an interview?

Countries that require all applicants to attend in-person interviews may allow you to schedule a Schengen visa interview online, through their respective online application portal, while others might require you to call to schedule an appointment. Alternatively, you may be asked to come in for an interview after your application has already been submitted.

When is the interview?

Countries that require all applicants to attend in-person interviews will conduct interviews during the Schengen visa application process, likely on the same day that you submit your application. Alternatively, you may be requested to appear for a Schengen visa interview after you have already submitted your application, in the event that the embassy/consulate needs more information from you.

What should I bring to the interview?

• If the interview is mandatory for all applicants and is a standard part of that country’s application process:
  • Print out of your Schengen visa application
  • Valid passport or other relevant travel document
  • Any supplemental application materials
  • Money or credit card to pay the application fee
• If you have been called to an interview after you have already submitted your Schengen visa application, you may be asked to bring additional materials and documents to further supplement your application. If so, you will be contacted directly with a list of what they need from you.

Where is the interview held?

Your interview will be held at the embassy, consulate, or visa application center through which you are submitting your visa application.

Interviews vs. Appointments

• Please note that Schengen visa interviews are different from Schengen visa appointments, which you may be required to attend in order to submit your Schengen visa application.
• You will likely have to schedule an appointment at your consulate/embassy in order to submit your application and/or submit your biometric information (fingerprints/photos).
• In general, being asked to schedule a Schengen visa appointment to submit an application is not the same thing as being requested to attend a Schengen visa interview. At the same time, certain embassies may require all Schengen visa applicants to attend an in-person interview; if this is the case, they will likely schedule your interview to coincide with the submission of your visa application (and the collection of your biometric information, if needed).

What happens at the interview?

The Interview

• At your Schengen visa interview, you will be asked a number of questions related to your trip. You should be prepared to respond honestly and confidently to the following commonly-asked Schengen visa interview questions:
  • What is the purpose of your trip?
  • How will you pay for your trip?
  • How long will you stay in the Schengen area?
  • Are you married? Do you have a partner in your home country?
  • Where are you going in the Schengen area?
  • Who do you know in your destination?
  • Who are you travelling with (if anyone)?
  • What Schengen country will you enter first?
  • Have you ever travelled to Europe before?
  • Do you have travel medical insurance?
• The interviewer may ask you additional questions related to your life out of the Schengen area, such as:
  • Are you a student? What is your educational history?
  • Where do you work and what is your annual salary?
  • Are you married or in a relationship?
  • Do you have children?
  • Are you parents living, and if so, where? What do they/did they do for a living?
• In addition to the basic biographical questions, your interview might ask you the following potentially difficult questions:
  • What countries can you travel to on your Schengen visa? Do you know where you can go with it?
    • Read up on the Schengen visa territorial validity (linked here) in order to be prepared for this question. This is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your knowledge of the Schengen area and the countries in it. Mention where you specifically plan on travelling within the area. For example, if you are landing in France, but spending most of your time in Germany, explain this.
  • Do you know how long you can stay in the Schengen area for?
    • Read up on the validity period for your Schengen visa (linked here) so you know how long you may stay in the area. Talk about your intended date of return and how you plan to get home.
  • Why do you need to spend so much time in the Schengen area? Why don’t you apply for a visa for a shorter duration?
    • This question is meant to unnerve and unsettle you. Don’t let it! Talk honestly about how you thought carefully about the amount of time you needed to accomplish the main purpose of your trip. For example, if the purpose of your visa is tourism, talk about how you deliberately scheduled a certain amount of time in each destination.
  • Are you, or have you ever been, affiliated with a terrorist organization?
    • This question is standard for applicants so don’t be offended by it. Answer honestly that you have never been affiliated with a terrorist organization and you don’t know anyone who has been.
  • How do we know that you’re going to leave the Schengen area at the end of your visa?
    • If you have made concrete return travel plans, such as a reservation for a return ticket, mention this and provide any relevant materials. List all the responsibilities you have in your country of residence, including personal relationships (parents, wife/husband, children, friends) professional commitments (your job), educational commitments (if you are a student and are still in school). If you own or rent a house, make sure you mention this, and provide its deed/rental agreement if you have not already. If you have evidence of an upcoming social or professional engagement in your home country scheduled for after your date of theoretical return (such as an RSVP to a wedding invitation, enrollment in an educational course, or business conference) mention this and provide it.

General Guidelines

• Your interviewer will be checking to make sure that the answers you give match what you wrote down on your Schengen visa application. For example, if you wrote on your application “visiting friends and family’ as the main purpose of your trip, only to give “tourism” as your reason for travelling in your interview, your application could be rejected for a fundamental inconsistency.
• At the same time, if your reason for travel (or other basic information related to your trip) has changed since the time when you wrote it down on your application and your interview, you should be honest about it with your interviewer. Lying during your interview is never a good idea. Your visa may be revoked if you do not notify embassy/consulate of any changes relating to your trip that occur prior to receiving a visa.
• Remember, your interviewer is looking for reasons you won’t want to stay in the Schengen area, so make sure you establish that you have a full life in your country of residence/home country and are not looking to leave it permanently for any reason. For this reason, you should avoid coming across as overly critical of your home country or excessively positive about Europe/the Schengen area.

Schengen visa appointment

• Depending on whether or not your interview has been scheduled to coincide with your Schengen visa appointment, the following may occur in addition to your Schengen visa interview:
  • Submit your Schengen visa application
  • Submit your biometric information
  • Pay the Schengen visa application fee

How long is the interview?

It depends. Some interviews can take as little as three minutes. Others can take longer, depending on a number of factors, including whether or not there are inconsistences in your responses and your written questions.

What should I wear?

There is no dress code for a Schengen visa interview, but you should try to dress appropriately. If you are applying for a business visa, you may want to dress more formally. Otherwise you should strive to look neat and presentable. Men and women should avoid sloppy clothing such as sweatpants and large baggy clothing. Men are advised to wear collared shirts, belts, and close-toed shoes. At the same time, you want to avoid dressing too formally or looking like you are trying too hard. Ultimately, you should wear whatever makes you feel most comfortable and confident.

General advice

• Be on time
• Dress appropriately
• Bring all the required documents and materials
• Answer all interview questions honestly and politely
• Memorize all general information about your upcoming trip so that you can discuss it casually and confidently without having to look it up.