A visa to Sweden is the document that every person who wants to go to this country will have to take up the paperwork. Of course, the process is not easy, but after that you can enjoy all the benefits of a Schengen visa.
Connecting trip
A visa to Sweden is not only a “ticket” to this country. With this document you can travel to all countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement. Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Czech Republic, Spain, Poland - these and many other countries can be visited with an open Schengen visa in one country. True, it will take a long time to go to all of the above. But the Scandinavian countries are in close proximity to Sweden. They have recently been very popular with Russian travelers.
Tourist visa
It should be noted that there are several categories of visas. And what needs to be obtained depends on the purpose of the trip and on how much time is planned to stay in the country. The most popular is a tourist visa to Sweden - category “C”. It is issued to ordinary travelers, as well as to participants in cultural, sports and other events. You can also get it if you plan a trip to relatives. It is drawn up for a maximum of three months (90 days) and is the simplest in terms of receipt. Only there is one caveat. Such a visa to Sweden can be issued only once every six months. So it makes sense to do it for three months, and not for 14 days (such also happen).
Guest and work visas
These types come next in popularity after the tourist. Guest (or, as it is called, a “D” visa) is usually issued if you need to visit close relatives by invitation. To get it, you must present at the consulate an officially executed letter in which a potential traveler is called on a visit. That is, in other words, an invitation from relatives. It acts as a guarantee that a person will have housing and food. In this case, you do not need to confirm your solvency and show a printout that confirms the availability of the hotel room reservation. A visa to Sweden by invitation is issued faster than the rest and without any problems.
Next comes the category “A”. This is a work visa to Sweden. It can be issued only after work in the country is officially offered. In this case, instead of an invitation, it will be necessary to present a contract or agreement. It is worth knowing that if work is planned for up to three months, then you will need to send a request for permission to work. If the person will work in Sweden more than the specified time, you need to obtain a residence permit.
Clearance process
How to get a Schengen visa yourself? First you need to inquire about the location of the Swedish embassies and consulates general. Only there you can apply for a visa. The embassy in the Russian Federation is one, and it is located in Moscow. There are also two consulates - one in St. Petersburg and the other in Kaliningrad.
Of course, you can apply for a visa through service centers. These are private agencies and companies that take on all the responsibilities of a potential tourist. They collect a package of necessary documents, help them competently execute, fill out all the forms and do their job as soon as possible. The coveted stamp can be obtained in a couple of days! It only remains to come for a ready-made passport - and no more worries. There is only one huge but, because of which many people decide to think about how to get a Schengen visa on their own. The fact is that these agencies simply charge incredibly large amounts for their services. And this is understandable, because the volume of work is large, plus everything, this is a very serious matter - you have to contact foreign embassies, consulates and other important bodies. But not everyone can afford to pay several hundred euros, when you can pay only 1800 rubles (at the moment this is the amount that must be paid as a visa fee).
Required documents
So, it has already been said how much a visa costs, now we should talk about what documents must be submitted to the consulate in order to obtain it. In principle, the package of papers that is needed to obtain a stamp is almost the same for all countries. Firstly, a passport is required. And its term should expire at least three months from the day the trip is completed. Copies of this document (all pages) will also be required - they are usually handed over to the consulate. Also, if you need a visa to Sweden, you must fill out a form. This is an official statement-appeal of a person who wants to get a stamp. It must be completed either in English or in Swedish. Signed by the applicant (mandatory). You will need to provide two pictures (3.5 x 4.5 centimeters) - strictly on a white background. You can not do without a certificate taken from the place of work. It should be done on the company letterhead indicating the position and salary of the employee, the address of the company and her phone number.
Information for the unemployed
If a person does not work anywhere, then instead of help, he will be able to provide another document. For students of a university, this is a certificate from the place of study. And for pensioners - a copy of the pension certificate.
In the event that a student needs a Schengen visa to Sweden, the list of documents provided varies slightly. It was said above that one of the main securities required for presentation to the consulate is a questionnaire. Usually it is filled in by the applicant. But if it is not an adult, the statement will be drawn up by his guardian or one of the parents.
Guarantees for the consulate
A trip abroad is a very difficult event. In any case, obtaining a visa is for sure. In order for the embassy not to refuse a person’s extradition, it will be necessary to present a lot of documents and papers, which guarantee that the person has a place to live, what to go on and what means to support himself. So, the first thing you need to buy tickets - in one direction and in the opposite direction. This is a guarantee that a person is going to return to his homeland. The second is to book a hotel or rent an apartment (house, villa, apartment). You will need to contact the property and request a fax with a seal from them. There must be indicated the last name, first name and patronymic of the tourist, as well as the period for which he is settled. The third important document is a bank statement with an account balance. What should be the amount? It is determined by the duration of the trip. In any case, a person should have 40 free euros for every day. That is, if he plans to go on a trip for 10 days, it is necessary that there are four hundred euros on the card. Currency, by the way, does not matter. The amount can be expressed in rubles, dollars, euros, etc.
By the way, in the event that the applicant does not have the opportunity to confirm his solvency, he will need to provide a sponsorship statement and confirmation of the income of the person who incurred all the costs. Only in this letter is it necessary to indicate family ties with a tourist or others.
How much does a visa cost?
The consular fee that must be paid to obtain the coveted stamp is 1800 rubles. This is the price of a standard visa. The cost was changed in 2015, before this amount was less by 400 rubles. If a person needs to do everything quickly, you will have to overpay. The cost of the visa will be 2800 rubles. By the way, citizens of Ukraine, Moldova or Georgia who wish to obtain a visa in Russia will have to pay the same amount. If the questionnaire is submitted by a foreigner who is not a resident of one of the listed countries, then he will have to pay 2,400 rubles.
These are not the only costs to be borne. You will also need to pay for health insurance with a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros. Do not be scared and think that it will come out expensive. Not at all - only 300 rubles. Although the price depends on how many people go to Sweden. 300 rubles is the cost of insurance for 10 days. If the trip is planned for a longer period, then the amount will be a little more.
The timing
You can get a visa pretty quickly if a person has all the necessary documents for this. The stage of preparation of papers should be treated responsibly. If all the documents are collected and properly prepared, then the visa will be issued in about five days. Although much still depends on the time at which a person decided to submit an application. During the holidays, many want to get a Swedish visa. In order not to be late, it is best to go to the consulate in advance - three weeks before the start of the trip. By the way, if you want the process to be carried out as quickly as possible, then you should contact the embassy directly. Because if you go to the consulate, you have to wait, because from there the documents are sent to Moscow for consideration. And in the embassy the whole process is carried out immediately, one might say - directly. In general, here everyone already decides where it is more convenient for him to contact. There are not so many consulates, and the embassy is one at all. The main thing is to pre-register for documents, so as not to stand idle time in the queues.