I have planned countless domestic trips and three international trips so far, but all those countries offered visas on arrival. So, when we considered obtaining a Schengen visa, we were a little doubtful. However, after much speculation and connecting with multiple tour organizers, we decided to do it all by ourselves. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do it. All the URLs can be found at the end.

Step 1: Book a Visa Appointment

We booked the appointment through VFS Pune on June 29 for a Switzerland tourist visa. The appointment date was July 10 at 8:30 a.m., and we paid INR 5,250 for two as the visa application fee.

Step 2: Prepare the Required Documents

The document checklist can be found at the end. Although we prepared two sets of all the documents for both of us, a few were not required at the VFS office (e.g., only one set of travel insurance and itinerary was collected for both of us). There is no harm in preparing additional documents. P.S.: We spent INR 1,057 on printouts and photocopies (not all were needed, though).

• Appointment Confirmation Document: This needs to be printed out and submitted as part of the visa documents. At VFS, the charges for printouts or photocopies are quite high. We had to print out this document, and for two copies, it cost INR 150.
• Completed Schengen Visa Application Form: The URL to download the form has been shared at the end. The form can be filled out and downloaded later, or downloaded and filled out later. We filled out the form on our laptop, then downloaded it and signed it at the VFS office. As a precaution, we downloaded another set of blank forms in case there was something wrong with the first one.
• Original Passports with Requisite Validity.
• Previous Passport: Even though we carried these, they were not submitted. Also, there was no valid visa attached to our old passports.
• Two Passport-Sized Photographs: These should meet the visa specifications. We had these photos taken two days before the appointment date. The specifications can be found in the checklist.
• Introduction Letter (NOC/Leave Approval, etc.): We submitted our respective company-approved visa reference letters (NOC letters). This must be on business letterhead from the employer/company and must be signed and stamped by HR. There are additional specifications as well, which can be found in the checklist. For me, it took ten days to get the visa reference letter after numerous follow-ups, but Premanku received it in 2-3 days. It depends on the employer, but from now on, I’ll request it well ahead of time.
• Travel Insurance with Medical Coverage: We bought and attached the printout of the International Travel Insurance Policy from Acko, which cost us INR 1,667 for two.
• Confirmed Flight E-tickets for the Round Trip.
• Train or Flight Ticket Reservations to Travel within Schengen Countries.
• Hotel Reservation Receipts.
• Personal Bank Statements from the Last Six Months.
• Salary Account Bank Statements from the Last Three Months.
• ITR Acknowledgment Receipt for the Past Two Assessment Years.
• Payslips for the Last Three Months as Proof of Income.
• Cover Letter and Planned Itinerary for the Trip: We provided two separate cover letters addressing the Embassy of Switzerland. Plenty of sample cover letters can be found online.
• Photocopy of Marriage Registration Certificate (if applicable).
• Additional Documents: Photocopy of PAN card, etc.

Step 3: Visit the VFS Office for the Appointment

On the morning of July 10, we arrived at the VFS Pune office at 8:20 a.m. After the security check, our process started around 8:30 a.m. It took some time to sort the documents. We were given a form to fill out our address to receive our passports via post. Once that was done, we had to pay INR 8,100 per person in cash as the visa fee. The checklist mentioned 80 Euros. The last part was biometrics. Our names, birthdates, passport numbers, gender, and country were verified. After collecting fingerprints, we were given a receipt, and it was all done.

The process was quite smooth and was completed within 40 minutes. There is a VFS Premium Lounge service available, which costs INR 3,000 per person, but we did not opt for that. If you have all the documents ready, it doesn’t take much time. Our appointment was in the early morning, and we did not see any crowd.

On the VFS site, all the details are self-explanatory. Here is the URL:

Here is the URL for the VFS site to book an appointment:

We prepared the documents as per the VFS Switzerland checklist. Here is the URL:

Click to access checklist-tourist.pdf

Here is the URL for the visa application form:

Click to access visumantrag-schen-2020-en-de.pdf

We received the visa within five working days.