It is a type of short-term visa that allows you to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within 180 days to visit family or friends residing or living in the Schengen states. This type of visa is also called a C visa. Third-country citizens who have been officially invited to visit the Schengen area to visit their family or friends who are outside of the visa-free entry or airport visa and who are residents or citizens of the Schengen area can get a Schengen Family and Friend Visit Visa. Applications for a Schengen Visiting Family and Friends Visa must be made at least 15 days before the day of the journey, and at the earliest six months before departure.
You must apply for a Visiting Family and Friends Visa either at the consulate or embassy of the Schengen country you intend to go to or at a Visa Application Center affiliated with the country's consulate. If you are going to visit more than one country in the Schengen area, your application should be made at the embassy, consulate, or the applicable Visa Application Center of the country where you will spend most of your time. If you are going to spend a similar part of your time in these multiple countries, then you must submit your application at the embassy, consulate, or the relevant Visa Application Center of the country of your first destination. The processing period for a Family and Friends Visit Visa is usually up to two weeks. In rare cases, it can take 30 to 60 days for consulates to decide on the application.
Visa to Switzerland / How to get visa to Switzerland?
Before visiting this amazing country in the center of Europe, we should do some research about visa to Switzerland. The issue that concerns us here is how to get visa to Switzerland. In general, a short-stay visa allows single or multiple visits to the territory of any Schengen country not exceeding 90 days in any 180 days, when all conditions are met. A short-term visa can be issued for single or multiple entries into the Schengen area. But if you plan to stay in Switzerland for more than 90 days, you should apply for a long-stay visa. Staying longer than 90 days falls under national jurisdiction and is not part of the Schengen Agreement.
Visa procedures to travel to Switzerland vary according to the type of visa you will apply for and your working status. So, what are the types of Swiss visas? Switzerland visa application procedures are grouped under two major headings:
- Immigrant visas (Long-term visas): work permits, family reunification, pre-marital visas, long-term education visas, etc.
- Non-immigrant visas (Short term visas): tourist visa, business visa, visiting friends and family, transit visa, cultural or sports activity visa, short-term education visa.
Your Switzerland visa process will have started when you prepare your documents according to your purpose of travel and working status. According to your purpose of going to Switzerland; The documents you will prepare, such as touristic, commercial, visiting family or friends, participating in cultural events, short-term training, also differ. It also varies depending on your working status: private sector employee, company owner, government office employee, student, housewife, tradesman, or retired.
Switzerland Family and Friends Visa
One of the documents needed for a Swiss family and friend visit visa is the invitation letter you will receive from a relative or friend living in Switzerland. If your relative or friend is a Swiss citizen, they should send a copy of their passport showing that they are citizens, and if they are staying in Switzerland with a residency permit, they should send a photocopy of the residency permit by email.
The invitation letter must be addressed to the Consulate General or Embassy of Switzerland, the name, surname, and degree of relationship of the invited person must be specified. The person you know in Switzerland must also write down the reason for the invitation to Switzerland in detail. The invitation letter should be written on the computer in English or one of the languages spoken in Switzerland and should be signed after printing. In addition, at the end of the letter, the address of residence, telephone number, and e-mail address must be written. The original invitation letter does not need to be sent, it can be scanned and sent by email. For your Swiss family and friend visit visa to be completed on time, it is advantageous to prepare your documents and make an appointment at least 6-7 weeks before your trip.
An invitation letter is among the documents needed for a Swiss visa. The invitation should contain the information of the person to whom the invitation is sent, the purpose of the trip, the full address of the invitation sender, and telephone information. If the person sending the invitation is a Swiss citizen, they must submit a copy of the Swiss residence permit. Invitation for a Switzerland visa can be sent by e-mail or fax.
In the Swiss visa application, the petition addressed to the Swiss Consulate contains information such as the purpose of the trip, how long the trip will take, and for what purpose it will take place in Switzerland. Housewives and students who are not working should indicate their first-degree relative who declares that they will cover their travel expenses. When the Swiss visa travel expenses are provided by someone else, a sponsorship letter should be available alongside the petition.
What documents need for Switzerland visa?
One of the important issues is, of course, the visa requirement for Switzerland. So, what documents need for Switzerland visa? Below is the list of common documents required for visa applicants to travel to Switzerland:
- Visa application form
- Copy of identity card
- 2 new biometric photos (35 x 45 mm)
- Visa recommendation letter
- Flight ticket reservation
- Travel health insurance
- Documents showing your finances: bank statement
- Documents showing additional income: photocopies of the rental agreement, vehicle license
Apart from all these documents, additional documents may be requested from you.
It may take approximately 5-20 days to get this visa type. To obtain a visa, you will need to pay about 80 euros. For more information, you can visit our official website.
Switzerland visa application
Another important issue is the appointment in Switzerland visa application. We provide you with extensive information about Switzerland visa appointments.
You will receive biometric data, that is, a fingerprint scanning procedure. Fingerprinting (biometric data) for Switzerland visa applications is done within the framework of confidentiality. Thanks to the digital finger scanner, 10 fingerprints are taken. While biometric procedures, the applicant should be careful not to have cuts and damage on his fingers. If the Swiss visa applicant finds any physical problem that prevents the fingerprint scanning from being performed, the biometric process is exempted. If it is possible to obtain data from less than 10 fingers, which is proven by a medical report, Swiss visa fingerprint scanning is completed by the necessary procedure. Persons who received a Schengen visa after 2014 (October) do not privately apply for a Swiss visa application for 5 years and do not give fingerprints. Although this is the situation stated, fingerprint renewals are sometimes made for control or critical reasons. Swiss visa applicants can be exempt from biometric fingerprint scanning in some cases. Children under the age of 12 do not need to provide fingerprints if they apply with their parents. The appointment date and time suitable for you will be planned by our representatives so that you can declare fingerprint information for Swiss visa biometric data. In a Switzerland visa application, you can research the details of the visits according to the purpose of travel and you can follow the specified steps to continue your transactions smoothly.
Before making a Swiss visa appointment, you must fill out the Swiss visa online application form. The information affecting the Swiss visa application result must be complete and correct. The Swiss visa application form is a component that can positively affect the outcome of your visa. However, the final decision on the result of the Swiss visa is at the discretion of the Swiss Consulate. After the completion of the Swiss visa application procedures, your passport will be delivered to you by cargo in line with your request.
The question of how many days a Swiss visa will be issued is one of the most frequently asked questions by applicants. After you submit your documents to the Swiss application center, your visa application will be evaluated by the Consular officials and the passport will be returned within 6-8 working days. The Visa issuance period varies according to the density of the Consulates. If they are not busy, the application process usually results in 5 working days.
If the Consulate or Embassy of Switzerland determines that you have a first-degree relative in Switzerland while your application is being examined and if you never mention this person, then your application will be rejected. Or, while your files are in process, the Consulate may request an invitation letter from your relative. If you are not working or do not have a regular income, then Consular officers will consider you a potential immigrant. In this case, you will not be able to get a visa.
