Guide: Other Regular Income Statements For A Schengen Visa

What Are Other Regular Income Statements For Your Schengen Visa Application?

The “other regular income statements for your Schengen Visa application” are additional documents that you should submit when applying for your Schengen Visa, except for the main documents that you must submit in order to prove that you have income. 

For the Embassy/Consulate officers, some of the most important documents for your application are your employment documents, as they bring proof of your income and show your “rootedness” – the ties that you have in your country of residence. 

This is the main reason why you are requested to submit your employment contract, payslips, Certificate of Employment (COE), No Objection (NOC) Letter from Employer, etc. 

Also, every unemployed Visa applicant is requested to submit proof of their sponsors’s income (outside of a sponsorship invitation letter, which is a mandatory required document for unemployed applicants). 

Submitting proof of other income is highly recommended even though it is not a mandatory Visa requirement – It cannot be mandatory because, if you do not submit additional documents to prove that you have other income, the Embassy/Consulate officers will assume that you do not earn any money outside of your main income (you are not even required to mention your additional sources of income on the Visa application form). 

There are several types of documents that you can submit to prove that you have extra income. If you are employed and submit your Income Tax Return (ITR) (which is a mandatory document for some Embassies/Consulates) the Visa officers can easily check if you have other income sources, as they should be stated on this document. However, not everyone declares all sources of income when filling out the Income Tax Return for tax purposes. 

If you have another source of income and did not declare it, we still recommend you submit other documents to prove that you make extra money – especially if your regular employment income is low on the financial means test. 

In an ideal scenario, you should declare all of your sources of income but the Embassy/Consulate officers are not tax agents and they are more interested to know that you have enough financial means in your country of residence. 

However, the choice should depend mostly on your personal situation. For example, if you have a high salary and you didn’t declare a secondary source of income, other income statements might not add any value to your application. 

But if you receive a low or average wage and make extra money from sources that you didn’t declare to your Government Tax Authority, you should submit relevant documents to prove that you make extra money. 

We recommend you submit additional proof of income regardless of the Visa type you are applying for (single entry Visa or multiple entry Visa). 

Please note that even if you do not show proof of additional income, the Embassy/Consulate officers may ask you details about your other sources of income during the Visa interview, when you are required to submit your documents and pay the Schengen Visa fee. 

The Importance Of The Other Regular Income Statements For Your Schengen Visa

Submitting other regular income statements can be extremely important for your Schengen Visafor two main reasons:

1. They bring proof of your rootedness 

Not bringing enough proof of rootedness or deep ties in your country of residence can lead to your tourist Visa rejection. 

Your sources of income (together with your family ties) are the most important proof that you can provide, which shows your strong ties to your country of residence and the probability of your return home after you travel to a European country. 

For the diplomatic mission officers, it is extremely important to check your “rootedness” so that they can be sure that you will not stay in the Schengen Area illegally. 

2. They bring proof of financial means

The Embassy/Consulate officers will approve your Schengen Visa only if you bring proof of enough financial means to cover your expenses during your stay in a Schengen country (showing proof of sufficient funds is one of the most important Schengen Visa requirements). 

However, bringing proof of additional financial means will add more value to your Schengen Visa application – because the more income you have, the easier it is for you to travel within the Schengen Area. 

Your additional income statements will show the Visa officers that you have extra money to cover all of your expenses during your trip within the Schengen Territory (e.g., travel insurance, hotel and flight reservations, day-to-day expenses, etc.).

Every Visa holder must have enough means of subsistence so that they won’t be a burden for the Schengen Area country they will be travelling to. 

Types Of Other Regular Income Statements For Your Schengen VisaApplication

As mentioned previously, the earned income (the money you get from your employer or through your own business if you are self-employed) is typically your primary income stream and the most common proof of rootedness and financial means. 

Nevertheless, there are other types of additional income statements that you can submit for your Schengen Visa application.

Below you will find a list of the most common extra income sources that could add value to your Schengen Visa application. 

The rental income is the income that you get from renting one or more properties that you own. If you own a house or any other physical space for rent (e.g. a store) we highly recommend you prove it to the Embassy/Consulate officers. Make a copy of your rental contract (or any other form of rental/lease agreement valid in the state where the property is located) and submit it together with the rest of your documents. 

In case you have rented out a property but you don’t have a written rental agreement and you cannot prove through your bank statements that you get money from rental, we recommend that you submit a copy of the document that shows you own that property (e.g. sales contract/real estate purchase agreement, certificate of inheritance, etc.). Owning a property can still bring proof of your rootedness. 

You can get extra money from a second job or business. For example, you can work extra during the weekend, at night, collaborate with a company for a few hours a week, or work as a freelancer in your free time. 

Even if you have a stable job that provides your main source of income, proving that you have a secondary job will add more value to your Schengen Visa application. 

This is not only because it brings additional proof of your rootedness and financial means but also because a hard-working and responsible person makes a good impression on the Embassy/Consulate officers. 

If you have a secondary job, you can simply submit a copy of your second employment agreement (without submitting all the employment documents that are requested from your primary employer). 

If you do not have a written contract for your secondary job (e.g., you didn’t register the contract in order to save money on taxes) you can simply discuss with the employer and ask them to write a letter in which they confirm that you work for them. Ask them to mention the amount of money you get (even if you work for them a few hours a week and you get a small amount of money). 

If you work as a freelancer in your free time, you can bring proof of additional income by submitting your most recent receipts. 

If you are married, this will bring strong proof of your rootedness (as we mentioned above, your job and your family are the key elements that show your rootedness).

However, you can add even more value to your Schengen Visa application by showing to the Embassy/Consulate officers the income of your spouse – as long as they are not travelling with you (e.g. a copy of their employment contract where the monthly wage is clearly mentioned). Also, you can submit the bank statements of your spouse together with the proof of their income. 

We do not recommend you submit a lot of documents to prove the salary/income of your spouse (do not forget that the applicant is you and not your spouse) but only a few relevant documents where it states that your spouse has a specific income – unless you do not declare your spouse’s income when filling out your Income Tax Return, but this depends on the laws in your country of residence. 

If the law in the state where you are a citizen or resident requires you to declare your spouse’s income and you have not done this, you can still submit documents to prove your whole income as a family. 

Many people choose to generate money through investing. Examples of investments are bonds, stocks, real estate (e.g., a vacation house, piece of land, manufacturing unit, etc.), cryptocurrencies, commodities (e.g., precious metal, natural resources), annuities, etc. 

We recommend you submit any kind of proof that shows you have invested money to generate future income. 

Some investments can easily show your rootedness (for example, buying a piece of land to generate income can prove that you intend to return from the Schengen state you will be travelling to).

Also, investments will prove that you have a stable life in your country of residence (because you have enough financial means to invest money for your future).

There are different types of small online businesses (including businesses in which you do not actively participate and generate passive income) that can bring you extra money. 

For example, you can sell a course on websites such as Udemy or Coursera or use advertisements to generate income on a free platform such as YouTube. Or, you can make money with affiliate marketing as a website owner, blogger, or social media influencer. 

If this is applicable to your situation and your bank statements do not prove that you get extra money from your small online business (e.g. you get paid through your PayPal account and do not transfer money into your bank account regularly) you can submit any kind of proof that shows you receive extra money. 

For example, you can print a page showing your PayPal balance as proof of additional funds.

An online business will not bring evidence of your rootedness (since you are free to run an online business anywhere in the world) but will show to the Embassy/Consulate officers that you have extra money to cover the expenses for your trip to the Schengen Zone. 

In some countries, gambling income is taxable. Gambling income cannot actually be considered as “regular income”, as you do not get money at specific intervals from games of chance or wagers of events (e.g. you play poker online and make money regularly). 

If you get an amount of money from gambling that you consider significant for your Schengen Visa application, you can submit any kind of proof of your gambling winnings (the type of evidence that you can bring depends on the laws in your country of residence and the type of gambling that generated your income – e.g. casino, lottery, raffle, races, bingo, etc.). 

Just as the income generated from online businesses, the gambling income will not necessarily bring proof of your rootedness but you can use it to show that you have extra money to cover your expenses during your trip to the Schengen Region. 

Applying for a Schengen Visa with a Sponsor and Need Your Sponsor’s Proof of Other Regular Income?

If you have a sponsor who will be funding your Europe trip, it is recommended that you provide evidence of any additional income that your sponsor may have (if applicable). 

While this is not a mandatory requirement, in some circumstances, it can significantly increase your chances of getting your application approved.

For example, if your sponsor is unable to show enough funds in their bank account, submitting proof of additional income can demonstrate to the Embassy officers they have the financial ability to cover all of the expenses for your Schengen Area trip.  

If your sponsor is getting additional income from sources such as investments, rental, or gambling, make sure you carefully read this guide and let them know to obtain proof of other regular income. 

Or, you can share this guide with your sponsor, allowing them to get a better understanding of what is considered additional income and how to obtain statements of other regular income.