Guide: Proof Of School Enrolment Letter For A Schengen Visa
What Is A Certificate Of Enrolment For A Schengen Visa?
A Certificate of Enrolment (proof of school enrolment or school enrolment letter) for Visa purposes is a certificate or letter issued by a school or university where it states that you are enrolled in a specific course of study for a specific school or academic year.
Please note that a certificate of enrolment is NOT a valid document attesting that a degree has been awarded, it only outlines you are enrolled at the school.
If you are a student or you are attending a specific course of study, submitting a Certificate of Enrolment is mandatory for every Embassy/Consulate/Visa Application Center.
The Certificate of Enrolment must show that you are currently enrolled in a specific course of study. Therefore, if you are planning to travel to a Schengen Country during summer or semester university break, your Certificate (or Letter) of Enrolment must prove that you are enrolled for the next year or semester.
If you submit a letter of enrolment showing that you are enrolled for a school year or semester that has finished, Embassies/Consulates won’t accept your certificate as a valid evidence of enrolment and this may cost you the approval of your Visa application.
For example, let’s assume that your first academic year ends in June 2020 and the second academic year starts in October 2020. If you are planning to travel to the Schengen countries in July 2020, your Certificate of Enrolment must show that you are enrolled for the second academic year that starts in October 2020 and not that you were enrolled for the first academic year that ended in June 2020.
Also, if you are planning to get a Schengen Visa for tourism purposes it means that Embassies/Consulates want you to submit a Certificate (or Letter) of Enrolment issued by your school or university, which is located in your country of residence.
However, there are two types of situations when a Certificate of Enrolment or proof of enrolment refers to a certificate issued by a Schengen educational institution where it states that you have been accepted to study in a Schengen country:
- When you are applying for a type C short-term Schengen Visa (with a maximum of 90 days duration of stay) because you plan to attend a short course of study, meaning that you do not travel for tourism purposes but for study purposes.
For example, suppose you plan to attend a course with a duration of 2 months at an educational institution in Germany. In this case, you must submit evidence of enrolment from the educational institution in Germany that has accepted you as a student.
Of course, if you are enrolled at a school or university in your country of residence, you still have to submit the Certificate of Enrolment from your school or university.
If this situation is applicable to you, where you are enrolled in two schools or universities at the same time (e.g., one in your country of residence and one in the Schengen Region), you must submit two Certificates of Enrolment with your application: first, a certificate from the educational institution in your country of residence. Secondly, a certificate from the Schengen educational institution that has accepted you to attend a study course.
- When you are applying for a type D long-term National Visa because you plan to study for at least one academic year at a Schengen educational institution.
Long-term National Visas are issued for applicants who have strong reasons to spend more than 90 days within a Schengen country (typically, they are issued for work and study purposes).
If you plan to study for a longer period in a Schengen country, you will have to submit a Certificate of Enrolment that proves you have been accepted as a student by a Schengen educational institution and you must study on campus (not virtually).
Also, if you are already enrolled at an educational institution in your country of residence (for example, many students want to study in a one-year abroad program), you must submit two certificates of Enrolment: the one from the school in your country of residence and the one from a Schengen school.
However, if you intend to travel to a Schengen country for study purposes and you must submit a Certificate of Enrolment from a Schengen educational institution, it would be more appropriate to use the expression “Letter of Acceptance” (because a Schengen school or university can accept you as a student and once you get your Schengen Visa, you can actually enroll at that specific school or university.
However, some Schengen schools or universities may request you to pay 100% upfront or make a partial payment and in this case, they can actually issue an enrolment certificate for you).
Thus, the type of certificate(s) of Enrolment that you must submit depend on your Visa purpose (and Visa type as well).
Please note that the purpose of this guide is to focus on the Certificate of Enrolment issued by the school or university located in your country of residence.
Important: A Certificate of Enrolment is not the same as a No Objection Letter (NOC).
The Certificate of Enrolment and the No Objection Letter (NOC) are two different Visa requirements and we strongly recommend you submit both of them.
To learn more about getting a No Objection Letter for Visa applications and what details it should contain, please check our Guide – Student No Objection Certificate for Visa (NOC letter).
The Importance Of The Certificate Of Enrolment (School Enrolment Letter) For A Schengen Visa
When it comes to students, the enrolment at a school or university brings strong proof of their intentions to return to their countries of residence, as most of the time, students are unemployed or do not have stable and well-paid jobs that can be considered evidence of rootedness.
Thus, your Enrolment Letter shows that you have student obligations and you are likely to return to continue your studies once your trip within the Schengen Area ends.
Also, the Certificate of Enrolment can bring additional evidence of identity or address (in case a student’s home address is mentioned on the certificate).
Important – If you have very good school or academic results or even a scholarship we strongly advise you to submit evidence of your school results or scholarship. They will bring additional evidence of your intentions to return to your home country.
Also, a high level of school/university achievements and/or a merit scholarship will prove to the Visa officers that you are a dedicated and responsible person (and therefore they will see you as a trustworthy Visa candidate who has no intention to stay in the Schengen Area illegally).
How To Get A Certificate Of Enrolment (School Enrolment Letter) For Your Schengen Visa Application
You can get a Certificate of Enrolment by requesting it from the responsible person at your school or university.
There is no general rule concerning the way you can request a Certificate of Enrolment as it depends on the rules of your school or university.
Some schools and universities allow students to download the certificate of enrolment directly from their accounts created through the school or university’s portal while some others issue it after they have requested the certificate via mail or directly at the Students’ Secretariat or Affairs Office.
If you are not sure about the way you can request a Certificate of Enrolment from your school or university just ask the Students’ Secretariat or Affairs Office.
We highly recommend you mention the reason why you request a Certificate of Enrolment (which is your Schengen Visa application). This is because some schools or universities provide students with more than one type of Certificate of Enrolment.
For example, they allow them to download the certificate from their personal student account (this type of certificate is useful especially for organisations such as banks or insurance companies) but they also issue Certificates of Enrolment containing the School or University’s logo and brand seal (this type of certificate is mostly recommended for study permits/visas or border crossing).
If your school or university allows you to get a Certificate of Enrolment only from your personal student account, just download it and submit it to the Embassy/Consulate. In case your school or university can provide certificates containing their official seal (sometimes they may request a fee for this type of certificate) we recommend you get one and submit it for your Schengen Visa application.
Submitting a Certificate of Enrolment that you have downloaded from your personal account will not necessarily lead to the rejection of your Visa, but the seal of your school or university will make the certificate appear more genuine or authentic.
Alternatively, you can download the certificate from your personal school account and then ask someone at the Secretariat or Affairs Office to sign and stamp it in order to make the certificate appear more authentic.
The Certificate of Enrolment should contain relevant information about you and the educational institution where you are currently enrolled (e.g., academic adviser address, phone number, email, etc.)
Important: Almost all schools and universities have their own Certificate of Enrolment template. However, if for any reason your school or university does not have a specific letter sample or the proper template format in English, please feel free to contact us. Writing the Letter of Enrolment is not difficult, but a professional template can make this process a lot more easier.
We will provide you with all the templates and samples you need as a student (including templates and samples for your No Objection Letter (NOC) from your school or university). We can also provide you with detailed answers to any questions you may have.
Common Mistakes To Avoid When Submitting The School Enrolment Letter For Your Schengen Visa
● Submitting a Certificate of Enrolment that does not show you are enrolled for the current academic year
This one is perhaps the biggest mistake that you can make when submitting your Certificate of Enrolment to the consular officer. Your certificate does not have to prove only that you have enrolled at a school or university for a previous school/academic year but that you are enrolled for the current school/academic year.
Please note that submitting a Certificate of Enrolment that does not show you are enrolled for the current academic year may jeopardise your application and travel plans.
● Not submitting a Certificate of Enrolment if you have decided to freeze (or not attend) one academic year
If you have frozen your academic year during which you want to travel to Europe, do not make the mistake of not submitting any school or university documents at all.
As a Visa applicant, you can prove your rootedness by submitting evidence that you have enrolled at school/university in the past and you have frozen one academic year.
Potentially, you can prove the reason why you made this decision (for example, if you have frozen your academic year to work temporarily or take care of a relative this can bring evidence of your intentions to return to your country of residence).
● Information on your Certificate of Enrolment does not match the information on your other documents
Make sure that all your personal details on your Certificate of Enrolment (e.g., your full name, your date and place of birth, and your passport number) match the details on your other documents.
Otherwise, you risk your Visa application being rejected or delayed. Do not forget that all of your documents must show consistency.
● Getting confused between a Certificate of Enrolment and a Student No Objection Letter (NOC)
As a student applicant, you must submit both a Certificate of Enrolment and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) Letter from your school when applying for a Schengen Visa.
The Certificate of Enrolment shows that you are enrolled in a specific course of study for a specific academic year. The No Objection Letter (NOC) shows that your school has no objection towards you getting a Schengen Visa to travel to Europe.
Thus, you should submit both of them and not just one of these letters as each of them is an important Visa requirement and a necessary part of the Visa application process.
You should also know that there are two types of No Objection Letters: No Objection Letters (NOC) for students and No Objection Letters (NOC) for employees written by an employer (you can get them from the Human Resource Department of a company).
