There’s another way for Filipinos to apply schengen visa in the Philippines. This is to apply Schengen Visa at Italian Embassy through VIA Center.  Currently Visa Information and Application Center (or VIA) t serve as liaison for the Italian Embassy and as call center for several others. But here I will only focus on how to Apply Schengen Visa at Italian embassy through VIA Center. I stumbled upon this through pure luck.
So yes, I’m going to Europe again. I’m so happy!
3- Steps to Apply Schengen Visa at Italian Embassy with VIA Center
Step 1 – Schedule an appointment for submission of application form.
There are 2 ways to schedule: (1) Call the expensive 32pesos per minute hotline or (2) Walk-in to sign up for a schedule. If you apply during the low season (not summer), you may even be able to submit the same moment.
Step 2 – Prepare the Requirements
General Requirements for Schengen Visa Application. Or download this check list
- Valid Passport with no less than 3 months validity over the visa expiration;
- COMPLETELY accomplished application form with one recent picture (2X2) with white background
- Original and photocopy of ALL documents required for each applicant (including passport and previous visas).
- Letter of introduction to the Embassy (SAMPLE LETTER)
- If Employed: Certificate of employment & Approved Leave of Absence
- If Self Employed: Business license/permits, registration and financial statement.
- Declaration of annual income (ITR), and approved Leave of Absence
- For Students: Certificate of enrolment and approved leave of absence
- Proof of economic means: Bank certification for dollar and peso accounts accompanied by their corresponding passbook, statements of account. If available, international credit cards, properties, land titles, etc.
- Birth certificate and Marriage Contract (NSO issued)
- Itinerary (SAMPLE ITINERARY ), confirmed round trip flight booking and hotel vouchers or hotel booking under the name of the traveler.
- A letter of invitation addressed to the Embassy, (format of this letter), in case the traveler will stay in a friend’s or relative’s residence. The invitation may be made by an Italian national or a foreign resident legally staying in Italy. A document of identity or permit of stay should accompany the letter of invitation.
- For ALL minors: NSO birth certificate, affidavit of Support and Consent from BOTH parents. In addition, a DSWD clearance for minors not traveling with parents.
- Travel insurance with a coverage of at least 30,000 euros (with 15 days allowance beyond the travel period) obtained only from Schengen accredited insurance companies in the Philippines.
- If not Filipino citizen the applicant needs to show proof of permanent residency in the Philippines (ACR).
- Visa Processing Fee (P1,400) + Service Fee (P3,688)
Step 3 – Submit the Application Form and Requirement
VIA CENTRE MAKATI
3rd Floor, Allegro Center
2284 Chino Roces Extension
Barangay Magallanes, Makati City 1232
VIA CENTRE CEBU
Unit 1004-B 10th Floor Keppel Center,
Samar Loop corner Cardinal Rosales Ave.,
Cebu Business Park, Cebu City
+63-32-412-7447
PROs and CONs with Apply Schengen Visa at Italian Embassy with Via
NEGATIVE
- You have to pay a service fee of PHP1,400 on top of the Schengen Visa fee of 60 Euro (PHP3,700).
- Your application is not prioritized actually. So it takes longer than if you apply directly at the embassy. It takes about 2 weeks to 1 month.
POSITIVE
- You don’t need to wait for 2 months to get a schedule.
- You can call the hotline or just walk in to sign up for appointment.
- You can normally get a schedule for the next day or the day after.
- There’s VIA center in Cebu for those in that area. But there is also a Norwegian Consulate in Cebu if you wanna check that out.
- The VIA Center staff were super nice. There are 9 counters + 1 cashier and everyone were friendly, courteous, and helpful. I was observing! Far cry from many embassy workers who exercise terrorism on applicants to feed their elephant egos.
- When you make a mistake in the application, they don’t send you to another embassy, they help you correct it.
- You don’t have to deal with equally egocentric security guards.
- You can bring your mobile phone.
- There are enough chairs to seat.
Why I did not apply Schengen Visa at the Belgian Embassy
I was going to apply Schengen visa at the Belgian embassy, because the main reason for going to Europe is to attend the Tomorrowland Festival in Belgium. I called up the Belgium embassy hotline (Php32 per minute) on April 7, 2014 to make an appointment and they scheduled me for May 30, 2014. I was super surprised I needed to wait 2 months for an appointment, but thought it’s fine since I don’t plan to leave for Europe until July. Visa only takes 10-15 days per my previous experience.
Who would have thought that my application will not be accepted?
I have been advising people on Schengen Visa for the past 3 years. I thought I’ve hacked the Schengen Visa application for Filipinos! But turns out, there’s one more thing. And that is,
To apply at the embassy of the country you are staying the longest in (most number of days). And if you are visiting several countries and staying equal number of days, you have to apply at the first country of the longest stay.
Because in my mind, the Tomorrowland festival is the main reason for my trip, I decided to apply at the Belgian embassy even if this is the last country of my Eurotrip. I wanted to stay for around 30 days and made an itinerary of 4 weeks in 4 countries staying 7 days on each.
I thought I was going to have quickest appointment record because my documents were complete and arranged according to the checklist sequence. The girl looked over my document for 1 minute and said, ok I’ll go get receipt for your payment. 5 minutes later, she handed me back my whole folder apologizing for not being able to accept my application, and that I should apply at the Italian Embassy instead.
What?
But because Italy was my first stop and my itinerary showed that I am staying the same number of days in Italy as with Belgium. I offered to adjust my itinerary; to put one more day in Belgium and 1 less day in Holland to make Belgium the longest stay. She refused saying because she has already seen it.
Seriously??? Are we in court?Â
My issue was not that I don’t want to go to the Italian embassy, but my concern was what if there were no slot available until July? Since it was already May 30 and I wanted to fly out on July 1?  I scheduled my May 30 appointment on April 7 I told her. She said, sorry I can’t help you.
Why not??? Itineraries are not cast in stone! It’s not like I am missing an important document, fund for travel, or a valid passport. It was just a matter of adjusting 1 more day stay in Belgium to make it the longest stay.
Via to the Rescue
Luckily my trip starts in Italy and VIA center serves Italian embassy. I went to the Italian Embassy first attempting to plead early schedule, but the guard sent me to VIA. I went over to their office in Allegro Center and I was able to get schedule for the 2nd day and my application was accepted. I had actually used an older version of the Schengen Visa application form which I downloaded from the Belgian Embassy website. The women who served me gave me a new application form to fill out there.
Schengen VISA
is the visa issued by the countries in the Schengen agreement that allows no border controls within the said regions. There are currently 26 countries in this agreement,all are countries in the European continent but not necessarily members of the European Union. Schengen Visa is issued for Tourism purposes only.
Philippine passport holders are required Schengen visa to visit one or more of these Member States. This visa is valid in all Schengen states for a stay of up to 90 days within a six-month period for a visit, tourism or business. It is not valid for employment.
Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Austria.
As of January, 2014, valid Schengen visa (type: double or multiple entry), who have already entered the Schengen area, may travel to the following without additional visa and may stay for period equal to the remainder of the time for which the Schengen visa is valid. The said 2 countries membership to Schengen region are in process.
– Croatia
– Cyprus
For INFOÂ on Schenge Visa application directly with an embassy
Go to my previous post Schengen Visa for Filipino passport holders . There are plenty of discussion of applicants various experiences in the comment section.
THIS POST IS NOT PAID BY VIA.PH
Related Visa Posts
How to Apply Australian Visa in the Philippines
How to Apply Japan Visa in the Philippines
How to Apply Chinese Visa in the Philippines
How to Apply UK Visa in the Philippines
How to Apply Tongan Visa in the Philippines
How to Apply Korean Visa in the Philippines
How to Apply South African Visa in the Philippines
Atleast you got your visa, next time you could try asking a multiple entry visa for 3-5 years if you plan to visit the Schengen area more often or wish to hop over to the UK or other non Schengen state in the region and back again.
Those Belgians were rude though! First of all not giving an appointment within 2 weeks (they are obligates to), and secony telling you to apply with the Italians. Which would be right if the journry was cast in stone (you need to apply at the country that you will stay the longest in, if there is no main destination then you need to apply at the country of first entry), you could easily have scrapped the Netherlands from your initairy or just made Belgium the country of longest stay by 1 day. That should have been sufficient. Bad service. Most unfortunate. From what I gather -in no particular order- the Dutch, German and Austrian embassies around the globe are usually more friendy, customer orientated and without much hassle.
But perhaps this complication will be a thing of the past soon enough, as the EU announced more relaxed and flexible Schengen visa rules to boost tourism. See: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-347_en.htm
That is so true about some of the Filipinos working at EU embassies. They’re feeding on the applicants’ eagerness to get approved, enjoying their power to say no instead of being helpful. ang yayabang. A friend who applied at the Netherlands embassy got the same treatment .
May I just ask, how many days/weeks did you have to wait for your appointment? THANKS! Can you please tell me which is the fastest way to get the visa. Is it by booking an appointment through the Italian Embassy website? By calling the premium lines? Or walk-in? THAAANKS IN ADVANCE!!
you can usually get schedule for the next day with via in any which way you prefer.
Officially the waiting time for a Schengen appointment is two weeks maximum. You are always entitled to an appointment at the embassy (thus without external service party of any kind including those appointed be the embassy) And the visa itself should be issued within 15 calendar days, 30 in individual cases were more research is needed and 60 in exceptional cases. You can find this rules in the Visa Code, available at the European Conmission’s Home Affairs webpage on visa.
Wanderlass thus sadly got illegal instructions, the Belgians violated the visa rules! :( In peak season they need to scale up so that people get an appointment in 2 weeks and -if it’s a proper application- the visa in 15 days. Total of 1 month maximum.
hi wanderlass! if I plan to travel june 1, does that mean I can go to VIA for an appointment on January? (5 mos = to take into account VIA processing time and minimum requirement of the embassy).
the earlier you can apply for Schengen visa is 3 months before.
Hello,
Your posts on Schengen visa have been very helpful and honestly, without your blog I wouldn’t know where to find such information online except for visiting the embassy (your blog is the most visited on this, being always on top of searches) :P So really, thanks a lot for taking the time to put up this blog :)
if i apply schegen visa going to Malta from Qatar is that possible? my boy friend want me to visit him in malta by next year i have travel already in europe .London and holland .i am working here in qatar.Thank you.
I’m sure you can find one embassy in Qatar that is a member of Schengen. My guess is if Malta doesn’t have its own embassy, you may have to do it with Italian embassy. Please google nalang.
Hi there! I just want to ask kung ano gagawin ko kapag volunteer lang ako sa work ko?? Hindi nila ako magawan ng leave of absence. And ive been in italy 5years ago. Do i have to show my previous visas that was 5years ago??
hi… thanks for the info regarding VIA… i wanna go back to europe again propably around sept-october… but this time in ITALY.. that’s why i stumble again on your blog….
It was 2011, first time i got my schengen visa from Belgium. It takes long time before i get my visa. Now i am planning to go to Italy and still planning where. Thanks for your itinerary.
I don’t mind paying service fee to VIA. coz just making a schedule in the embassy is really takes much time!
It just takes a bit longer than if you apply directly. My cousin’s experience in the Dutch embassy is amazing, only 7 days in total. Although you need a month booking ahead for schedule.
Thanks for posting this blog..big help
About my mom experience in spanish embassy , my mother got a wrong application form so the 2 months waiting time to get a schedule is wasted.we need to book an appointment again and wait for another 2 months ..sucks !!
is that for real? that’s horrible!
What you said about super bloated egos of filipinos working in the embassy are true. They are also not flexible in accepting minor changes in Visa Application. When I applied in Norwegian Embassy, the Filipina who accepted my application rejected it because I printed the wrong checklist ( The norwegian embassy also accept Denmark, Iceland, Finland etc application on the embassy, I pirnted the Norwgian checklist instead). When I came back to resubmit my aplication the next day, I am so shocked to learn that in between her checking and submission for fingerprints, I have all the time in world to re-print the wrong checklist form. I can even watch movie and submit my final application. Imagine wasting 4 -5 hours just to come back the next day. The 2nd filipina was also shocked to learn that I have to return for that wrong printout.
i have already a form for the proof of sponsorship already signed and with date of travel, but the proof of sponsorship for the date of travel is already expired. due to late sending of mail, the question is can i change the date of travel the sponsor sent me from april 16-23/2016 to a new date of September 14-24/2016. Looking forward for your answer
thank you and God bless