What Are the Copies of Previous Schengen Visas for Your Schengen Visa Application?
When applying for a Schengen Visa, Embassies and Consulates require you to submit copies of your previous Schengen Visas – meaning any Visas that have been issued to you in the past by one of the Schengen Member States.
Submitting copies of your previous Schengen Visas is an important requirement because it helps you demonstrate your travel history and prove that you have previously complied with the Schengen Visa regulations.
This will be taken into consideration when evaluating your current application and therefore increase your chances of success.
Essentially, they show proof that you have previously travelled to the Schengen Area and then returned to your country of residence, which can indicate that you do not pose a potential risk of overstaying your Visa and residing in Europe illegally.
However, if this is the first time you are applying for a Schengen Visa and do not hold any previous Schengen Visas, fret not – you can still get your application approved as long as you meet all the Visa requirements.
Most Embassies require you to submit copies of previous Visas issued in the last 3 years by any Schengen Member State. However, if you hold any Schengen Visas that are older than 3 years – say, 4 or 5 years – it’s advisable to submit copies of them too.
They can still serve as evidence of your travel history and compliance with the Schengen Visa requirements, and can potentially strengthen your application.
How to Get Copies of Your Previous Schengen Visas
If you have any Schengen Visas that have been issued to you in the past, these can be found:
- On your old passport (that is no longer valid)
- On your valid passport
No matter if your previous Schengen Visas are found on your old passport or your current one, we recommend that you submit certified copies of them.
A certified copy is a copy of an original document that has been verified by a competent authority to be a true and accurate representation of the original document.
Submitting certified copies of your previous Schengen Visas is not a mandatory requirement, but it can strengthen your application because an authorised individual has confirmed that the copy is authentic and identical to the original.
This guide outlines all the essential steps required to obtain a certified passport copy. However, these outlined steps can be followed to obtain certified copies of any official documents, including copies of your previous Schengen Visas.
We recommend that you read our guide carefully so you can know the exact steps to take in order to obtain certified copies of your previous Schengen Visas.
Make sure the copies you provide are clear, complete, and legible, and that all the details, including dates, are visible.
