forwarded by Becky Chen
The following are Member Countries of the Schengen Convention: AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, FRANCE, GERMANY, GREECE, ITALY, LUXEMBOURG, THE NETHERLANDS, PORTUGAL, SPAIN, NORWAY, DENMARK, ICELAND & SWEDEN. If you intend to visit one of the “Schengen Countries” on business, as a tourist or on a personal visit, you must first obtain a Short Stay Entry Schengen Visa which is valid for all the Schengen countries and which enables you to visit any or all of the above mentioned countries and move freely in all of the Schengen Countries during one trip within the validity of the visa. A Schengen Visa is not appropriate if you wish to remain in a Schengen Member State for longer than 3 months in any six months or take up employment or establish a business, trade or profession. Apart from the short stay entry visa there are 2 other types of Schengen Visa: Airport Transit Visa which allows holders to pass through the international transit zone of an airport of a Schengen Country without giving access to the national territory of the Schengen Member Country. Transit Visa which enables applicants to pass through the territory of one or more Schengen Member Countries on their way to another country,
Please note that the documents required for both the Airport Transit Visa and the Transit Visa may differ from those required for the Short Stay Entry Visa.
PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS
Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of return from your trip. It cannot be damaged and any alterations/extensions must be endorsed by the Home Office or relevant Embassy. Your passport must have minimum two blank facing pages for visa stickers / stamps.
UK Visa Requirements - non UK passport holders
Your UK Visa must be:
Valid UK residency visa (such as work permits, working holiday visas, spousal visas, student visas to name a few) endorsed in your current passport. Home Office letters will NOT be accepted as proof of visa.
Have total validity of more than 6 months to be considered a residence permit.
Valid for at least 3 months beyond the return date from your trip.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A SHORT STAY ENTRY VISA
Where to apply for a Schengen Visa:
If you wish to visit only one Schengen Country you must apply for the visa at the Embassy or Consulate of that Country. If you wish to visit several Schengen Countries you must apply for the visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the Country of your main destination. If you intend to visit several Schengen Countries but do not have a main destination you should apply to the Embassy or Consulate of the first Schengen Country that requires you to have a visa. Visa applications are only accepted if the applicants are resident in the United Kingdom.
NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH THE POST OR WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT.
Please note, all persons wishing to apply for visas to visit Portugal MUST have made a prior APPOINTMENT BY EMAIL OR FAX before attending and submitting their documents in person at the Consulate. The email to make an appointment is HYPERLINK "mailto:consulado@manchester.dgaccp.pt" consulado@manchester.dgaccp.pt and the fax number is 0161 236 20 64. Applicants MUST NOT come to the Consulate without first making an appointment using the email address or fax number provided.
GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE CONSULATE
PLEASE NOTE: The Consulate General is closed on Portuguese National and English Bank Holidays. The Consulate-General in Piccadilly Gardens and the nearest train station is Piccadilly Station. If you are not sure if you require a visa to visit a particular Schengen Country or if you need further information please call the Schengen Visa Information line of that Schengen Member Country. Please check with the different Embassies or Consulates for their Office hours and national holidays.
PLEASE NOTE: HOLDERS OF A SCHENGEN VISA ARE STILL SUBJECT TO IMMIGRATION CONTROL AND ARE NOT GUARANTEED ENTRY INTO ANY OF THE SCHENGEN COUNTRIES EVEN IF THEY HOLD A VALID VISA.
DOCUMENTATION TO BE PROVIDED WITH YOUR APPLICATION
Please note that only applications with the following general and relevant additional supporting documents will be accepted. In some cases further documents might be required at the time of your interview.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL APPLICANTS:
ORIGINAL PLUS A PHOTOCOPY OF THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED INCLUDING THE PASSPORT.
Please Note: If do not have the required photocopies, when attending your appointment your application will not be accepted and you will be required to make a new appointment.
Completed application form, duly signed by the applicant. (All the questions must be answered otherwise the application will not be accepted.);
Proof of current occupation in the U.K.
Certificate of travel insurance for the duration of stay in Schengen. PLEASE NOTE: Proof of travel insurance must be shown when applying for a Schengen Visa.
If employed, a recent letter from the applicants employer, if self-employed, from the applicants solicitor/Accountant/Bank Manager or the Chamber of Commerce;
Letter from School, College, University or from the parent/legal guardian if under 18years of age;
If the applicant is a student in the U.K. a recent letter from the relevant School, College or University confirming applicants status/attendance;
If the applicant is an “au pair”, nanny or domestic, a letter from the employer and the employer’s passport;
Recent passport-size photograph; ( Must be colour with white background, no blue or other colours will be accepted)
Passport or Official Travel Document accepted in all Schengen Countries. Please ensure that it has a blank page (on both sides) for the visa sticker. All documents must be valid for at least three months longer than the validity of the visa;
Resident visa/ permit for the U.K. valid for at least three months beyond the intended stay; PLEASE NOTE: The resident visa/permit MUST be stamped on the passport you are applying for the Schengen Visa.
Proof of the purpose of the visit;
Visit of family, relatives or friend require a recent letter from the applicants host and a declaration of support signed by the Portuguese host and legalised by a Notary Public.
ADDITIONAL FOR TOURISM:
Evidence of Board and Lodging/provisional Hotel booking covering all of your stay in the Schengen Countries, introduction letter from the Travel Agency or Tour Operator, Personal letter of invitation from the applicant’s Host;
Evidence of sufficient funds to support the applicants stay, e.g. recent Bank Statement, Travellers cheques, Credit cards only with a recent credit limit statement, Cash and cheque books of accounts in foreign currencies.
ADDITIONAL FOR BUSINESS:
Official letter of invitation from the applicants foreign business partner or host explaining in detail the nature and duration of stay as requested and evidence of Board and Lodging/confirmed Hotel booking. An invitation fax from the Company/Firm or Organisation must be submitted on application it must specify the date of the visit and the nature of the business in Portugal.
TRANSPORT DOCUMENTATION TO BE PRESENTED:
Provisional ticket booking must be presented on application. However on issuing the visa a confirmed and non-transferable onward or return ticket (airline/train/ferry/coach) as well as a visa for onward destination. If you are driving, a registration document, proof of legal ownership of vehicle, and insurance papers as well as sufficient cash to cover the cost of petrol. Please note that the above documents MUST be presented when requesting your visa. PLEASE DO NOT BUY TICKETS.
PLEASE NOTE THAT WHEN ENTERING PORTUGAL BY LAND OR VIA OTHER SCHENGEN STATE YOU HAVE TO REGISTER WITH THE LOCAL POLICE STATION WITHIN 3 DAYS OF YOUR ARRIVAL IF YOUR PASSPORT IS NOT STAMPED BY IMMIGRATION CONTROL.
Visit of family, relatives or friends require a recent letter from the applicants host and a declaration of support signed by the Portuguese host and legalised by a Notary Public.
COST OF VISA
The cost of a Schengen visa depends, at present, on the tariff as laid down by the issuing Country.
For Portugal the fee is £24.18. Visa fee is payable by cash only, cheques are NOT accepted. The fee is payable on application and non-refundable under any circumstances. If you require o passport to be posted back to you a self addressed pre paid registered envelope must be provided when applying for the visa.
A Schengen Visa will be issued free of charge to the spouse and children of a citizen of an EU Country upon presentation of the original marriage certificate (duly translated if the marriage did not take place Great Britain) and the EU Citizen’s passport. For the children the original full birth certificates are required too.
The appointment is not transferable
An appointment does not guarantee a visa
If you miss your appointment you must apply for a new one repeating the process.
VISAS ARE NOT ISSUED ON THE DAY.
Please Note: Nationals from the following list of countries should allow several weeks from the date of appointment for the processing of their application:
Nationals from: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Bahrain, Burundi, China, Colombia Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Hong Kong CID, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Korea (North), Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Somalia.
This information may be subject to modification without prior notice.
No liability will be accepted by the Consulate General for the possible consequences of any change in procedures or requirements.
FOR ADDITIONAL VISA INFORMATION PLEASE EMAIL US
Consulado Geral de Portugal em Manchester
1 Portland Street
Manchester M1 3BE
Email: consulado@manchester.dgaccp.pt
