- You pick the destination, we have all the visa information ready
Schengen Cultural Visa
If you are going to visit the Schengen Area for film, cultural, religious, or sports purposes, you might need Schengen Cultural Visa.
The article explains who needs it, the requirements, the application process, FAQs, and more.
What is a Schengen cultural visa?
A Schengen Cultural Visa is a short stay visa that enables people to visit the Schengen Area for cultural, sport, religious, or film purposes.
The full name of the visa is Schengen Cultural, Film Crew, Sports, and Religious Visa.
Who needs a Schengen Cultural Visa?
The question you need a Schengen Cultural Visa or not depends on your nationality. A few countries and states have signed visa waiver programs or visa-free traveling agreements with the Schengen Area. These countries can visit the Area for a short term without a visa. They are as follows:
Asia
| Brunei Darussalam | Hong Kong | Malaysia |
| Georgia | Israel | Singapore |
| The United Arab Emirates | Japan | South Korea |
North America
| Antigua And Barbuda | Grenada |
| Bahamas | Guatemala |
| Barbados | Honduras |
| Canada | Mexico |
| Costa Rica | Nicaragua |
| Dominica | Panama |
| El Salvador | United States Of America |
South America
| Argentina | Paraguay |
| Brazil | Peru |
| Chile | Uruguay |
| Colombia | Venezuela |
Oceania
| Australia | Palau |
| Kiribati | Samoa |
| Marshall Islands | Solomon Islands |
| Micronesia | Tuvalu |
| New Zealand | Vanuatu |
Europe
| Albania | Monaco |
| Andorra | Montenegro |
| Bosnia And Herzegovina | San Marino |
| EEA countries | Serbia |
| North Macedonia | Ukraine |
| Vatican City State | United Kingdom |
| Moldova | EU |
Africa
| Angola | Ghana |
| Cameroon | Guinea |
| Congo | Nigeria |
| Eritrea | Sierra Leone |
| Ethiopia | Somalia |
| Mauritius | Seychelles |
Providing that you are a national or resident of the above list, you don’t need a Cultural visa for the Schengen Area. Otherwise, you have to apply for it.
What are the requirements for Schengen Cultural Visa?
The requirements of the cultural visa are as follows:
Application form
You can get the application form from the embassy or visa center’s website. Depending on the country, you might need to print it two or three times. Keep in mind that the information you provide must be identical to your documents.
Photo
You need one or two identical photos taken in the latest three months.
Passport
The Schengen officials won’t accept passports older than ten years. Having one or two blank pages is also a must. Its validity must be at least three months over the date you will visit the Schengen Area.
Cover letter
You write a letter to the country’s officials and explain:
- The purpose of your trip
- What you will be doing in the country
- Where will you stay
- Who will you meet
- The meetings, sessions, or events you will attend.
Insurance
You need insurance that covers your medical expenses in the whole Schengen Area. It must cover expenses of 30.000 EUR. You’re wondering where to buy insurance. If you apply to a visa center (like VFS), they might provide you with insurance. The one they offer is a valid and often reasonable price.
Proof of financial means
The Schengen officials want to know how you cover the expenses of your trip. The common way is to show bank statements for at least three months old.
If you have a sponsor, friend, or family covering your expenses, provide her/his details.
Proof of accommodation
Make it clear where you will stay during your visit. A hotel reservation receipt could prove it. In case you want to stay with your friend or family member, provide the exact details of them. Your sponsor might provide you shelter. Ask her/him to provide evidence.
Invitation letter
If you have a formal invitation letter from an organization or person in the area, provide it. It will raise the chance to get a visa.
Proof of return
By the experience of applicants, showing the leaving intention country is essential for Schengen officials. They want to know whether you will return to your home country after you’ve done what you wanted.
If you can provide something that convinces them, the hard part is almost over.
Schengen Cultural Visa application process
The application process for Cultural Visa is as follows:
Step 1. Determine whether you need a visa or not?
The above section explained that not everyone needs Cultural Visa. You might be free of it and not know. So before doing anything, determine this point.
If you are a nation on the above list, you don’t need a cultural visa.
Step 2. Figure out the place to apply
Where you need to apply depends on your destination. You need to apply to the embassy or consulate of the country you will visit.
For instance, if you visit France, you have to apply to the French embassy, consulate, or vis center authorized by them.
Providing that you visit two or more Schengen countries, you need to apply to the country where you will stay longer.
For example, John will visit Germany and Finland. He will stay for one week in Germany and three weeks in Finland. So he has to apply to the Finish embassy or consulate in his country.
If you will stay equal times in the two Schengen countries, apply to the country you will arrive first.
For instance, you will visit Spain than go to Portugal. So you have to apply to the Spanish embassy or consulate.
When you know where to apply, schedule a meeting with them.
Step 3. Application form
Completing the application form for Schengen cultural visa is the first step. You can get it from the embassy or consulate’s website. The immigration authorities of that country have the form on their website online.
In some cases, you can get the form in person from them.
Complete it with the true and honest form of your information. Then print, date, and sign it. Keep it until the visa meeting and submit it to the officials. Bear in mind that few countries might require two or three copies of the form.
Step 4. Gather the requirements
You need to provide a few supporting documents to prove your eligibility. See the part above to know what the requirements are for a cultural visa.
If you want to “be safe then sorry,” ask the embassy about the list of requirements. If they require further documents, they will inform you to submit them.
Step 5. Attend the visa interview
Go to the embassy, consulate, or visa center on the scheduled date. Bring all the collected documents. Getting to the meeting a bit early would be better.
Submit all the documents to the officials. Then you need to pay the fee for visa processing. The fee is 60 EUR no matter what country you will visit.
The officials might ask you a few questions about your background and the purpose of your visit. You would better be honest and give true answers. In case they suspect you, they will deny your visa with no mercy!!.
Step 6. Wait for visa processing
Now you need to wait until the embassy works on your visa. The processing time depends on various items. A few samples are s follows:
- The country you apply from,
- The time of the year,
- Your situation
- Which Schengen country you have applied to
Once your vis is ready, the embassy or visa center:
- Will post it to you, or
- You have to pick it up
The receiving method is up to the embassy or visa center.
The earliest and latest time to apply for Schengen Cultural Visa
The question “when to apply for a cultural visa?” passes through the mind of every applicant. The earliest time is six months before the date of your trip. The latest time is 15 days before it. It’s best to submit your application at least one month earlier. Remember that the application process could take a bit longer due to various reasons.
How long does it take to receive Schengen Cultural Visa?
The processing time for Schengen cultural visa is up to various elements. The standard time is 2-3 weeks. Yet, applicants report for a longer time. You’d better apply as early as possible.
How long can you stay in the Schengen Area with a cultural visa?
A Schengen cultural visa is a short-stay visa. So it’s only valid for 90 days in six months. It means you can stay for three months or six months. The time you spend in the Area mustn’t surpass 90 days in that period. If you exceed the maximum allowed period, you need to wait six months so to enter again.
Let’s sum up…
You are going to visit the Schengen Area for cultural, religious, sports, or filming purposes, right? You might need a visa so to enter the country. The appropriate visa for you is a Schengen cultural visa.
The article explained who needs it, who is eligible for it, the requirements, the application process, FAQs, and more.
If you need visa information about other Schengen members, go to the top menu of the website.
In case you need to know about other countries’ visas, go to the home page.
