How to Fill the Schengen Visa Application Form 2026 Every Field Explained
Updated: 2026 12 min read
The Schengen visa application form looks straightforward but small mistakes, vague answers, or contradictions between your form and your documents are among the most common reasons for rejection. This guide walks through every section of the standard form, explains what each field is really asking, and shows you exactly what to write.
Before you start: The EU uses a standardised Schengen application form across all member states. Most consulates and VFS/BLS centres either use this form directly or an online version of it. Download the official form from the consulate website of the country you are applying to do not use old or unofficial copies.
Enter your surname exactly as it appears in your passport same spelling, same order. Do not use nicknames or shortened versions.
Example: If passport says SHARMA, write SHARMA. If it says DE SILVA, write DE SILVA (including particles like DE, VAN, etc.)
Field 2: First name(s) (Given name(s))
Enter all given names exactly as in your passport. Include middle names if they appear in your passport.
Example: Passport says RAHUL ANIL write RAHUL ANIL, not just RAHUL.
Field 3: Date of birth
Use DD/MM/YYYY format. Must match your passport exactly.
Example: 15 March 1990 → write 15/03/1990
Field 4: Place of birth
Enter city and country of birth as shown in your passport. If your passport lists a city, use that city.
Example: Mumbai, India
Field 5: Country of birth
The country whose territory corresponds to your place of birth even if borders changed. Use the country name as it was when you were born if the form is pre-2000, otherwise use current country name unless passport differs.
Field 6: Current nationality / Field 7: Nationality at birth
Enter your current passport nationality. If you have dual nationality, enter both. Field 7 asks if you had a different nationality at birth important for naturalised citizens.
Example: Indian (current) / Pakistani (at birth, if applicable)
Field 8: Sex
Tick Male, Female, or Other as per your passport.
Field 9: Marital status
Select: Single, Married, Registered partnership, Separated, Divorced, Widow(er), or Other.
This matters for assessing home ties married with children in your home country is a strong indicator you will return.
Field 10: Minor children (only if applicable)
If you are a minor travelling alone or with one parent, this field covers parental authority details. Most adults can skip or mark N/A.
Your current residential address where you actually live now, not your home country address if you're living abroad. Include flat number, street, city, postcode, and country.
Example (UK resident): Flat 4, 22 Church Road, Manchester, M14 5TQ, United Kingdom
Field 17: Email address / telephone number
Provide a working email and phone number. Some consulates contact you during processing. Make sure this email is one you check regularly.
Field 18: Residence in a country other than country of current nationality
If you live in a different country to your passport nationality (e.g. Indian passport but living in the UK), tick Yes and provide your residency permit number and expiry date.
Example: Yes BRP Number: ZA1234567, expires 30/06/2027. This is critical consulates need to verify you have the legal right to apply from your current country.
Field 19: Current occupation
Select from the list: Employed, Self-employed, Student, Retired, Unemployed, or Other. Then name your employer/institution.
Status
What to write in "Employer/School" field
Employed
Full name of your company + address
Self-employed
Your business name or "Self-employed [profession]"
Student
Name of university/college + city
Retired
Write "Retired" no employer needed
Unemployed
Write "Unemployed" provide sponsor's details elsewhere
Onward journey booking to non-Schengen destination
Never tick Tourism if you're visiting a cousin or friend. Tick "Visiting family/friends" lying here is a common reason for refusal.
Field 21: Member State of first entry
The first Schengen country you will physically arrive in, even if it's just a connection or brief stop. If you fly into Amsterdam to reach Paris Netherlands is your first entry country.
Rule: If you spend most of your trip in one country, apply to that country. If multiple countries equally, apply to the first one you enter. This determines which consulate you must apply to.
Field 22: Number of entries requested
Select: 1 (single), 2 (double), or Multiple.
First-time applicants: select 1 unless your itinerary clearly requires re-entry. You can request multiple and explain why in your cover letter but the consulate decides. See our entry type guide for full details.
Fields 23 & 24: Duration of stay / Arrival and departure dates
Field 23 enter the total number of days you plan to be inside Schengen. Entry and exit days both count as full days.
Fields 24 your planned arrival date and departure date from Schengen.
These dates must match your flight reservation and hotel booking exactly. Mismatches between form and documents are a quick rejection trigger.
Field 25: Destination country / countries
List all Schengen countries you plan to visit, in order. If you're spending 10 days in Italy and 3 in France, write: Italy, France.
Main destination = country where you spend the most time. If equal, list the first country you enter first.
Field 26: Intended date of arrival in / departure from Schengen
Same as field 24 in most versions of the form. Enter your planned first day inside Schengen and your last day.
Field 27: Surname and first name of person(s) responsible for you / inviting person or organisation
Only complete this if someone in Schengen is responsible for your costs or accommodation for example, a host family, employer, or hotel chain. Otherwise, leave blank or tick N/A.
If you're self-funded with a booked hotel, you typically do not need to fill this your hotel booking covers accommodation and your bank statements cover costs.
Field 28: Means of subsistence during stay and proof of means
How will you fund yourself during the trip? Tick all that apply:
Option
What to attach
Cash
Bank statements showing available funds
Traveller's cheques
Copy of cheques
Credit card
Bank statement or credit card statement showing limit/balance
Prepaid accommodation/transport
Hotel + flight confirmed bookings
Costs covered by host
Sponsorship/invitation letter + host's bank statements
Field 29: Previous Schengen visas in the last 3 years
If you have had any Schengen visas in the past 3 years, tick Yes and fill in the dates and visa type. Include visas you didn't use.
Never tick No if you have had a Schengen visa. The VIS database records all visas issued across all Schengen countries. A lie here is immediately detectable and will result in refusal.
Field 30: Fingerprints collected previously for a Schengen visa
If you have given fingerprints before (since 2015 onwards for most countries), tick Yes and give the approximate date and consulate. Fingerprints are stored for 5–9 months in the VIS.
If you gave prints less than 5–9 months ago and they are still valid, you may not need to re-submit in person but check with your specific consulate.
Field 31: Entry permit for final destination country (if applicable)
Only relevant if you are in transit through Schengen on the way to a non-Schengen country that requires a visa. Example: travelling from India → Paris → USA. In that case, enter your US visa details here.
If Schengen is your final destination, tick N/A or leave blank.
Field 32: Refusal of a Schengen visa, refusal of entry, or expulsion in the past
This covers: Schengen visa refusal, being turned away at a Schengen border, or being expelled from any Schengen country.
You must declare all refusals honestly. These are cross-checked in the VIS. If you were refused, tick Yes, state the country, year, and reason given. You can address this in your cover letter but you cannot hide it.
Field 33: Relationship to an EU/EEA/Swiss national (if applicable)
Only complete if you are a non-EU/EEA/Swiss family member exercising free movement rights with an EU/EEA/Swiss national. If so, state the relationship (spouse, child, parent, registered partner) and the EU citizen's details.
You confirm that the information you have given is true and complete, that you are aware of grounds for refusal, and that you consent to data processing.
Sign in the designated box. Do not sign digitally unless the consulate's online system requires it for paper forms, use a black or blue pen.
If the applicant is a minor, the parent/guardian signs.
Filled-In Specimen: Every Field, One Consistent Applicant
Field-by-field explanations tell you what a box means. They do not show you what a finished form looks like, and most errors come from fields that are individually correct but contradict each other. Below is one complete worked example — a fictional Indian passport holder in Mumbai applying for an 8-day trip to France — filled straight through so you can see how the answers hang together.
The keys below are the official field labels from the EU harmonised application form, quoted as they appear on the paper form and in consulate online portals. Numbering differs between national portals and older form revisions, so match on the label, not the number. Replace every value with your own — this is a shape to copy, not content to submit.
Surname (family name): SHARMA
Surname at birth (former family name(s)): N/A
First name(s) (given name(s)): ROHIT KUMAR
Date of birth: 14/03/1990
Place of birth: PUNE
Country of birth: INDIA
Current nationality: INDIAN | Nationality at birth, if different: N/A | Other nationalities: NONE
Date of issue: 09/06/2021 | Valid until: 08/06/2031 | Issued by (country): INDIA
Applicant’s home address and e-mail address: 402 Sunview Apartments, Linking Road, Bandra West, Mumbai 400050, India — rohit.sharma@example.com Telephone number(s): +91 98200 00000
Residence in a country other than the country of current nationality: No
Current occupation: Senior Software Engineer
Employer and employer’s address and telephone number: Meridian Systems Pvt Ltd, 7th Floor, Tower B, Nirlon Knowledge Park, Goregaon East, Mumbai 400063, India — +91 22 4000 0000
Purpose(s) of the journey: Tourism
Additional information on purpose of stay: N/A
Member State(s) of main destination (and other Member States of destination, if applicable): FRANCE (main); BELGIUM
Member State of first entry: FRANCE
Number of entries requested: Single entry
Duration of the intended stay or transit (indicate number of days): 8
Schengen visas issued during the past three years: No
Fingerprints collected previously for the purpose of applying for a Schengen visa: No
Entry permit for the final country of destination, where applicable: N/A (France is the final destination; this field is only for onward travel to a non-Schengen country that requires its own visa)
Intended date of arrival of the first intended stay in the Schengen area: 12/05/2027
Intended date of departure from the Schengen area: 19/05/2027
Surname and first name of the inviting person(s) in the Member State(s). If not applicable, name of hotel(s) or temporary accommodation(s) in the Member State(s):
Hotel Le Marais Central, 18 Rue du Temple, 75004 Paris, France — +33 1 42 00 00 00 — reservations@example.com (nights 1–5)
Hotel Grand Place, 9 Rue des Bouchers, 1000 Brussels, Belgium — +32 2 500 00 00 (nights 6–8)
Name and address of inviting company/organisation: N/A
Cost of travelling and living during the applicant’s stay is covered: By the applicant himself/herself — means of support: cash, credit card, prepaid accommodation, prepaid transport
Personal data of the family member who is an EU, EEA or CH citizen: N/A
Family relationship with an EU, EEA or CH citizen: N/A
Place and date: Mumbai, 02/04/2027
Signature (for minors, signature of parental authority / legal guardian): sign by hand in black or blue ink
The three cross-checks an officer makes on this form. Every one of them compares a form field against a document, so a form that is internally perfect can still fail:
Main destination vs nights. The specimen above spends 5 nights in France and 3 in Belgium, so France is correctly the main destination and the French consulate is the right place to apply. Flip those nights and you must apply to Belgium. See how the main destination rule works after a visa is issued.
Arrival and departure dates vs insurance and tickets. The dates here must be inside your insurance validity, not merely adjacent to it. Schengen requires a minimum of €30,000 medical cover — check yours against the Schengen travel insurance requirement.
Accommodation field vs your bookings. The hotel names, addresses and night ranges on the form must match the reservations you attach, night for night, with no gaps. Build them from your day-by-day travel itinerary template.
Once the form is filled, the covering letter is what explains anything the form cannot — a gap in the itinerary, a sponsor, a prior refusal. Use the Schengen visa cover letter template to write it, and keep every date in it identical to the specimen fields above.
The form asks for hotel name, flight dates, and insurance details. Embassies cross-check each. Lock these down before submitting so nothing on the form contradicts your attachments.
What should I write in the purpose of journey field?
Write the actual reason for your trip Tourism, Business, Visiting family/friends, Study, Medical, etc. It must match your supporting documents exactly.
What do I write in "Member State of first entry"?
The first Schengen country you will physically arrive in even if that's just your transit point. This determines which consulate processes your application.
What does "means of subsistence" mean?
How you will fund your stay cash, credit card, prepaid trip, or a sponsor covering your costs. Select all that apply and attach the relevant proof documents.
Do I need a confirmed ticket for the travel dates?
A flight reservation (not a purchased ticket) is usually sufficient. The dates on your form must match your reservation and accommodation.
What if I had a prior Schengen rejection must I declare it?
Yes, always. The VIS database holds refusal records and lying is detectable. Declare it, explain what changed, and address it in your cover letter.
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