Visa Guide
Schengen Tourist Visa from India: Fees, Documents & Timeline
8 min readUpdated 16 October 2026NextQuest visa desk
A single Schengen visa opens France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and 25 other European countries. It's also the visa where small documentation mistakes cause the most refusals. This guide covers the exact checklist, realistic timelines, and how we prepare files that get approved.
Embassy fee
≈ ₹9,300 (€90)
NextQuest service fee
₹2,500
Processing time
10–15 working days
Indicative figures — embassy fees change without notice. We confirm the exact all-in total before filing.
Which country do you apply through?
Apply to the country where you'll spend the most nights. If nights are equal, apply to your country of first entry. Applying to the 'wrong' embassy is a classic refusal trigger — we map your itinerary to the right mission before anything else.
Complete document checklist
- Passport valid 3+ months beyond your return, with 2 blank pages
- Photographs meeting Schengen biometric specs
- Bank statements (typically 3–6 months) showing sufficient balance
- Employment proof: salary slips, leave approval, or business registration
- Travel insurance with €30,000 medical coverage (we arrange compliant policies)
- Flight reservation and hotel bookings for the whole route
- Day-wise itinerary and a cover letter explaining your trip
Fees, biometrics and timeline
The embassy fee is €90 (≈ ₹9,300) plus our ₹2,500 service fee, with decisions typically in 10–15 working days after your biometrics appointment at VFS/BLS. Appointment availability is the real bottleneck in peak season (April–July) — start 6–8 weeks before travel. Figures are indicative and confirmed before filing.
Why Schengen files get refused
Every NextQuest Schengen file gets a consultant review against these four points before submission.
- Weak ties to India — no clear job, business or family anchor shown
- Funds appearing suddenly before application — statements should show a stable pattern
- Vague itinerary — 'Europe 10 days' instead of a city-wise plan
- Cover letter that doesn't match the bookings
Frequently asked questions
Typically 10–15 working days after biometrics, but appointment slots are the constraint — in summer, booking the appointment itself can take weeks. Start 6–8 weeks before your trip.
Europe, without the paperwork stress
Document checklist, cover letter, insurance and biometrics guidance — all handled by our visa desk.