Can I Get My Filipina Wife a Schengen Visa?

[Kano in Manila 1]

I hope someone can help me with this. I have read that the husband can be the financial sponsor but the application process still mentions a lot of stuff she doesn’t have like tax returns, paystubs, property ownership. We are just married. She is 20 and has never had a job and her family doesn’t have much money. I am 44, American, have a modest income and some savings and own a home. Realistically what are my chances of getting her a shengen visa to go to France for a week this summer for the Olympics? Thanks very much in advance. 

Edited April 19 by Kano in Manila

[Boiler 44,928]

Is she a US LPR if so pretty good.

[Kano in Manila 1]

40 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Is she a US LPR if so pretty good.

No, she is a Philippine citizen. She hasn’t even been out of the country yet. Thanks. 

Edited April 19 by Kano in Manila

[top_secret 2,299]

My wife got a Schengen visa on her own in the Philippines before we were married and another one just recently as a LPR. She was initially denied by France so she went embassy shopping and upon doing some research we found the Netherlands is the most "Filipino friendly" Schengen country by virtue of the lowest denial rate for Filipino passports, longest stay allowances, and largest raw numbers of visa issued to Filipinos.  However, if your plan is to visit the olympics then you should probably still go with the french embassy even though we had a bad experience there.  Of course even with the French denial we still visited France using the Netherlands visa.

 

Schengen applications tend to be very paperwork intensive.  For income and assets just list yours and highlight that she is your wife so those are family assets and family income. Make her an authorized user on some credit cards since that demonstrates she has independent means to support herself while traveling. Pay close attention to all the other requirements like plane ticket, hotel bookings, detailed travel plan, insurance.   She will have to go to Manila and visit the VFS Application center for biometrics and to submit the application. 

[Vermyndax 33]

What a very timely topic. My wife is here in the USA as a permanent resident. We had planned to go to Greece and Italy for vacation. Long story short, Greece will not accept any PSA certificates from Philippines.

 

in Philippines your wife needs to get an Apostille certification for her PSA documents. Information about this is on the website at https://www.apostille.gov.ph

 

i don’t know how France will treat you, but the Greece consulate treated my wife and daughter like absolute garbage. They even said their PSA certificates were “garbage,” and yes they used that term.

 

My advice… check into the Apostille requirements so you don’t get surprised like we did. 

[Kano in Manila 1]

If I get her a Schengen visa in a country like the Netherlands can I then just travel to France or other Schengen countries like Italy inside the 30 days? Don’t I need a complete itinerary booked to even apply for the visa. This is the headache for me, I’d like to see if I can get her there at all and then make concrete plans like visiting France for a week and maybe Italy for a few days but it feels like I have to book everything and spend all this money without any surety we can even go. 

[top_secret 2,299]

On 4/20/2024 at 9:55 PM, Kano in Manila said:

If I get her a Schengen visa in a country like the Netherlands can I then just travel to France or other Schengen countries like Italy inside the 30 days? Don’t I need a complete itinerary booked to even apply for the visa. This is the headache for me, I’d like to see if I can get her there at all and then make concrete plans like visiting France for a week and maybe Italy for a few days but it feels like I have to book everything and spend all this money without any surety we can even go. 

 

 

Getting a Schengen visa for a Filipina is about a category 5 headache.  As I mentioned, it is VERY paperwork intensive.  It can be done but it is not easy. You need a DETAILED day by day itinerary.  I suggest keeping it very simple and basic, involving only the country you are applying at.  You could always change your mind later.  For the visa application we submitted an itinerary for the Netherlands, sightseeing a few days in Amsterdam, a few days Rotterdam and the Hague.  We googled "top tourist attractions in the Netherlands."  and pretty much listed that.  Then after she had the visa ,we totally changed our mind and spent a couple days in Amsterdam, then few off to Rome and Paris.  She should enter through the country that gave her the visa.  Technically she should apply at the embassy of the country where she will spend the most time but point of entry is the only place where it would be questioned. You need confirmed hotel bookings for every day of the itinerary.  We did them on booking.com with big chain hotels that have free online cancelation without penalty.   She needs an airline ticket for the visa application.   Actually both of you together if you are sponsoring her.  I booked a dummy award ticket with frequent flyer miles that had penalty free cancelation so she submitted a real ticket.  Other have used services that make dummy booking for a fee.  She needs to buy health insurance that is approved for Schengen travel and covers her stay.  That's not really that expensive.  Plus all the financial paperwork etc etc.  It is a HUGE pain in the ###.

 

Allot of wealthier Filipinos tend to pay travel agents to prepare their paperwork for Schengen visa applications.  I do not have any recommendations there.

 

[spicynujac 23]

I have not done this but my only advice would be:

 

A) Consider your girl travel to any country first, so she has proof of tourism in her passport (Taiwan is visa free and my PH partner just got visa approval for a trip to Japan for her first trip out of the country).  Japan visa was pretty easy, needed a bunch of documents from me and around 1500 PHP fee with 1 week processing time.  The main fear immigration authorities have is someone is coming to stay long term and work while unauthorized.

 

B) Have heard from multiple sources that Netherlands is a good choice.  I would also look in to whether Spain is a good option, considering the Spanish ties to PH.  I do believe you must enter on the country that issued you a visa (or be prepared to prove that you will be heading there and spending most of your time there if you enter via another EU country).

 

Yes it's a bit of a pain, but it's a walk in the park compared to the USA's system

Generally if you follow all the steps you should be approved.

[Kano in Manila 1]

I am just now fully understanding the timeline for getting my apostilled marriage certificate after a Utah online marriage. Am I correct in assuming this will be required for any type of schengen visa application or even immigration screening to a visa free country like Thailand or Singapore? Does the digital Utah marriage certificate I was emailed get me anywhere? Thanks in advance. 

[top_secret 2,299]

8 hours ago, Kano in Manila said:

I am just now fully understanding the timeline for getting my apostilled marriage certificate after a Utah online marriage. Am I correct in assuming this will be required for any type of schengen visa application or even immigration screening to a visa free country like Thailand or Singapore? Does the digital Utah marriage certificate I was emailed get me anywhere? Thanks in advance. 

 

Utah County estimates the Apostille process takes approximately 2 weeks.  https://www.utahcounty.gov/Dept/Clerk/Marriage/certcopy.html

 

We were not asked for an Apostille marriage certificate on my wifes Schengen visa application but Vermyndax was, so possibly YMMV or it may be embassy specific for different Schengen countries.  Apostille or even a marriage certificate at all is not a requirement for traveling to Thailand or Singapore.  Philippine immigration would be most impressed with a PSA Report of Marriage, and the Philippine Consulate requires an apostille for that, but ROM is not a requirement for traveling for tourism either.

 

[Kano in Manila 1]

Thank you. May I ask which for Schengen country you applied?