...
European Schengen Visa Application Process
Documents for Visa Interview
Please check with the relevant embassy, as these might differ for each country issuing the Schengen visa.
Visa form filled in and signed
SWORN Declaration Form
Invitation letter from the event organizer
Ticket & Invoice
Pay Slip Last six months
Axelerant Sponsor letter
Photos (2 - 4. Not more than six months old. white background; Size: 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm, depending on the country of the primary purpose.)
Appointment confirmation letter
Your current passport and most recently expired passport ( valid for at least six months )
Photocopies of your passport and expired passport. For Spain, photocopies of all pages, including blank pages, are required.
Travel Insurance for the travel period ( should cover two more weeks after arrival in the home country)
Detailed Travel Itinerary
Visa Fee ( Cash or DD )
Flight or Travel documents (the Spain embassy insists on having tickets or an explanation if not flight for each leg of your journey )
Accommodation confirmation: Temporary hotel bookings could be made via bookings.com / hotels.com with fully refundable hotels for visa application. Later, they can be canceled after receipt of the visa, and actual bookings with Airbnb, hostels, hotels, etc., can be done.
Supporting documents for your application, as applicable. All photocopies or duplicates should be self-attested, if possible.
You can carry your mobile phone or a carry bag to the embassy as they have a place to keep it while you attend the interview. (For Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai)
United Kingdom Visa Application Process
Documents for Visa Interview
Invitation letter
Ticket & Invoice
Photos ("45 millimeters (mm) high by 35mm wide in color on plain white photographic paper taken against a plain cream or light grey background")
Visa Form ( Duly filled in and signed )
Visa Appointment confirmation Printout ( prior appointment has to be taken via their online site )
Travel Itinerary
Pay Slip Last six months
Axelerant Sponsor letter
Passport
Appointment confirmation letter
Your current passport and most recently expired passport.
Supporting documents for your application, as applicable. All photocopies or duplicates should be self-attested, if possible.
You can carry your mobile phone or a carry bag to the embassy as they have a place to keep it while you attend the interview. (For Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai)
USA Visa Application Process
Fill and submit DS-160 Confirmation Slip [Sample filled DS-160 forms]
Point of contact in the US (Example: Client or event coordinator details)
Name
Address
Phone Number
Hotel address (Place where you plan on staying when you first arrive in the US)
Tentative travel dates
Your Passport details (It should be valid for at least 1 one year when applying for a visa)
Employer details
Head office address
Phone number
Invitation Letter
For client visit - seek from Client.
Sponsorship Letter
For client visit - seek from Employer.
For the event - seek from the event website.
Schedule of Visit
For client visits: ( Schedule (PDF), Schedule (DOC) )
Things to keep in mind when filling out the DS-160 form
If you don’t don't have your surname mentioned in your passport, make sure you put your first name and middle name in the given name/ last name field.
Book Appointment
Check for the current waiting period for the embassy in your city.
For cities like New Delhi with long waiting queues to take , make an appointment at least 3-4 weeks in advance.
Submit your DS-160 form and get the confirmation number.
Register and log in here - https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/?language=English&country=India.
Fill in all the necessary details.
Make payment via NEFT / IMPS (Please keep a record of the account No. you made the payment to) (Make NEFT payment in the allowed hours (10 am to 6 pm); else, it gets delayed to the next day.)
Wait for a day for the system to auto-update & register your payment; there is no need to enter a receipt no. if you’re If you're making payment via NEFT / IMPS
Once the system registers your payment, it’ll it'll update the portal and allow you to book an appointment for your OFC and Interview.
If this is the first time you apply have applied for a US visa, you have to book an OFC appointment before the actual interview. The OFC and interview cannot be held on the same day. You may book an interview slot on the day following the OFC appointment.
Pick the end-of-day slots for OFC (Pro tip: between 4 PM pm and 6 PMpm) and morning slots for Interview (Pro tip: between 09:30 am and 12:30 am).
Documents for Visa Interview
It is recommended to carry all the documents you can gather, but they typically only check the documents marked as required.
[Required] Confirmation slip (DS-160 Confirmation Slip)
[Required] Appointment confirmation letter
[Required] Passport
Invitation letter
Event Ticket & Invoice
Pay Slip Last 6 six months
Axelerant Sponsor letter
Your current passport and most recently expired passport.
Supporting documents for your application, as applicable.
You can carry your mobile phone or a carry bag with you to the US embassy as they have a place where you can to keep it while you attend the interview. (For Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai)
Passport
Check the status of your passport herePLEASE NOTE: For client visits on B-1, you are not going to "WORK" but rather on "BUSINESS" for training, knowledge transfer, introductions, etc. This is important to note and remember for all conversations with the embassy and at the port of entry immigration officer. Otherwise, you will be denied.
Port Of Entry
Carry your passport while you stand in line. Keep smiling and wish in prior.
Make sure to keep the documents (Invitation letter, Schedule if you stay more than 2 two weeks, Sponsorship letter, and company ID) ready.
Do not say that you will be working by any chance; say that your purpose of the visit is for brainstorming and technical discussions about a new product.
You must remember the exact dates you are flying in and flying out, including any other travel plans , if submitted as part of the itinerary.
Travel and Accommodation
Telephone and Calling
(share country-specific information here)
Tips for surviving in the US
Forex card
Forex cards can be purchased for a nominal fee from almost any nationalized bank or agency such as Thomas Cook. Please check with the bank if you can top up the prepaid forex card via net banking. This would be critical since you’ll receive your per-diem in your bank account (Kotak and HDFC bank allows the top-up of your card via net banking).
Documents for obtaining Forex card
Passport copy of the cardholder
ID Proof of the family member who is visiting the branch to make the top-up (if the bank doesn’t support net banking top-up)
Valid Visa
Travel Ticket
In case of en-cashing the money, you can encash up to $4000 with no conditions; if you want to encash more than $5000, you have to provide the declaration for the money. Money withdrawal at Allpoint is free; they don't change the $2 per transaction. Generally, they do at other banks' ATM’s http://www.allpointnetwork.com/.PLEASE NOTE: For client visits on B-1, you are not going to “WORK” but rather on “BUSINESS” for training, knowledge transfer, introductions, etc. This is very important to note and remember for all conversations with the embassy and at the port of entry immigration officer. Otherwise, you will be denied.
Phone Numbers
If you’re in the US for more than 4 or 5 days, you’ll need a US phone number. These are easily obtainable in the US; you can get one without even stating your name!
Plans are usually for one month, and an unlimited text and voice plan is common and cheap (I suggest ULTRA mobile connection which charges $30 / month, i.e., providing unlimited to 11 countries and 1GB 3G data Don’t go with AT&T/Verizone they are expensive and limited to USA calling/texting)
Get one with some data too. If the vendor tried to sell you one with free India calling, I’d suggest not going for it since you can always VOIP back home, but if you think you’ll need it, get it.
Invitation Letter
For client visit - seek from Client.
Sponsorship Letter
For client visit - seek from Employer.
For the event - seek from the event website.
Schedule of Visit
For client visits: ( Schedule (PDF), Schedule (DOC) )
Steps for Schengen Visa Application Process
Book Appointment
Documents for Visa Interview
Please check with the relevant embassy as these might differ for each country issuing the Schengen visa.
Visa form filled in and signed
SWORN Declaration Form
Invitation letter from the event organizer
Ticket & Invoice
Pay Slip Last 6 months
Axelerant Sponsor letter
Photos (2 - 4. Not more than 6 months old. white background; Size: 4.5cmx3.5cm, depending on the country of the main purpose.)
Appointment confirmation letter
Your current passport and most recently expired passport ( valid for at least 6 months )
Photocopies of your passport and expired passport. For Spain, photocopies of all pages, including blank pages, are required.
Travel Insurance for the travel period ( should cover two more weeks after arrival in home country)
Detailed Travel Itinerary
Visa Fee ( Cash or DD )
Flight or Travel documents ( Spain embassy insist on having tickets or explanation if not flight for each leg of your journey )
Accommodation confirmation: Temporary hotel bookings could be made via bookings.com / hotels.com with fully refundable hotels for visa application. Later they can be canceled after receipt of the visa, and actual bookings with Airbnb, hostels, hotels, etc., can be done.
Supporting documents for your application, as applicable. All photocopies or duplicates should be self-attested, if possible.
You can carry your mobile phone or a carry bag with you to the embassy as they have a place where you can keep it while you attend the interview. (For Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai)
Travel and Accommodation
Telephone and Calling
Lyca Mobile in Ireland, Poland, Amsterdam, Italy, etc.. offers cheap calls to India. Sim card is usually free. Top-ups can be done online as well.
General Tips
Forex card
Works like a charm in UK, Ireland, and EU countries as well.
Forex cards can be purchased for a nominal fee from almost any nationalized bank. Please check with the bank if you can top up the prepaid forex card via net banking. This would be critical since you’ll receive your per-diem in your bank account (Kotak and HDFC bank allows the top-up of your card via net banking).
Documents for obtaining Forex card
Passport copy of the cardholder
ID Proof of the family member who is visiting the branch to make the top-up (if the bank doesn’t support net banking top-up)
Valid Visa
Travel Ticket
In case of en-cashing the money you can encash up to $4000 with no conditions. If you want to encash more than $5000, you have to provide the declaration for the money. Money withdrawal at Allpoint is free; they don't change the $2 per transaction. Generally, they do at other banks' ATM’s http://www.allpointnetwork.com/.
UK Visa Application Process
Documents for Visa Interview
Invitation letter
Ticket & Invoice
Photos ( "45 millimeters (mm) high by 35mm wide in color on plain white photographic paper taken against a plain cream or light grey background" )
Visa Form ( Duly filled in and signed )
Visa Appointment confirmation Printout ( prior appointment has to be taken via their online site )
Travel Itinerary
Pay Slip Last 6 months
Axelerant Sponsor letter
Passport
Appointment confirmation letter
Your current passport and most recently expired passport.
Supporting documents for your application, as applicable. All photocopies or duplicates should be self-attested, if possible.
You can carry your mobile phone or a carry bag with you to the embassy as they have a place where you can keep it while you attend the interview. (For Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai)
Travel and Accommodation
Filing Expenses
...
.