[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by lancer_rit

Yes, you need to apply to the country of maximum stay. If you stay in all countries same amount of time, then country of entry.

The printed form ( filled in Pen) and supporting documents have to be submitted to VFS office right?

[lancer_rit]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

The printed form ( filled in Pen) and supporting documents have to be submitted to VFS office right?

Yes for most European countries, though you still need to choose VFS for specific country and seek appointment for it. A few schengen countries don’t use VFS - Spain for example uses another agency.

[jacobvarughese]

That's right. Spain uses BLS as their facilitator.

[Prodigy07]

Can someone please clarify my doubts w.r.t German Tourist visa?

a) Do we require confirmed return air tickets when applying for German Schengen visa?

b) What's the minimum medical insurance cover that's needed? I see that it's 30K euros!

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

Can someone please clarify my doubts w.r.t German Tourist visa?

a) Do we require confirmed return air tickets when applying for German Schengen visa?

b) What's the minimum medical insurance cover that's needed? I see that it's 30K euros!

Yes, you need to show return tickets along with confirmed hotel bookings or proof of stay. Regarding medical insurance, I usually get a total cover of 500k USD. I think thats not a big deal and is standard fot travel insurance. However, please note that they may ask for five days extra coverage for health insurance. Usually I ask for a weeks extra coverage.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

a) Do we require confirmed return air tickets when applying for German Schengen visa?

Return flight tickets and hotel reservations for the duration of your stay are necessary; what will also help are tickets of any travel you plan to do during your stay.

Eg. While applying for the Schengen visa at Italy we also submitted our train tickets from Rome - Florence - Naples - Rome, even though we were flying in/out of Rome.

b) What's the minimum medical insurance cover that's needed? I see that it's 30K euros!

It isn't that expensive. Just take a quote from Reliance/Tata AIG.

Make sure you take insurance for at-least ten days even if your travel is less than that. It has to include repatriation of remains.

Eg. When I travelled, I took insurance for ten days from Reliance, with a 50k Euro cover for Rs. 1450.

[Prodigy07]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

It isn't that expensive. Just take a quote from Reliance/Tata AIG.

Make sure you take insurance for at-least ten days even if your travel is less than that. It has to include repatriation of remains.

Eg. When I travelled, I took insurance for ten days from Reliance, with a 50k Euro cover for Rs. 1450.

Thanks for the inputs Audioholic and Libran

Few more questions:

My travel agent says that there's some offer currently going on for the airfares which is valid till 14-Feb. Post that, she says that the airfares might go a little higher. Would that be true?

Also, how do I avail travel insurance? Can that be done online?

My BIL will send me the invite letter, would that also help?

[sameer sultan]

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

Can someone please clarify my doubts w.r.t German Tourist visa?

a) Do we require confirmed return air tickets when applying for German Schengen visa?

b) What's the minimum medical insurance cover that's needed? I see that it's 30K euros!

Hi

a) In case your visa is denied or delayed the cancellation charges or rescheduling charges for the confirmed air tickets will work out very expensive. Hence you can get an itinerary of your air tickets from a travel agent to submit along with your application.Once your visa is approved you can book your tickets.

b) I take travel insurance from Religare costs Rs. 555/- for EUR30000 validity 10 days.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

My travel agent says that there's some offer currently going on for the airfares which is valid till 14-Feb. Post that, she says that the airfares might go a little higher. Would that be true?

Nobody can predict a thing about airfares.If you see the fares are reasonable now,go ahead and do the booking.Get the agent to only issue an itinerary,you can apply for the visa alongwith that.Issue the ticket only once you have your visa issued.If the same agent is doing your tickets and visa processing,then they would know the process.

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

Also, how do I avail travel insurance? Can that be done online?

yes travel insurance can be bought online.

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

My BIL will send me the invite letter, would that also help?

Help for what?not sure what you meant here

[sameer sultan]

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

Thanks for the inputs Audioholic and Libran

Few more questions:

My travel agent says that there's some offer currently going on for the airfares which is valid till 14-Feb. Post that, she says that the airfares might go a little higher. Would that be true?

Also, how do I avail travel insurance? Can that be done online?

My BIL will send me the invite letter, would that also help?

1)If you have previous Schengen visas issued and your papers are in order i.e.. Bank Statements with regular transactions tax returns pay slips or business registration papers then you should get your visa issued. If that's the case you can buy the air tickets under the offer which your travel agent has mentioned.

2)You can buy travel insurance online or just email your passport copy and travel dates to rana.pratap@religare.com they will send you a payment link once you make the payment the insurance policy will be emailed to you.

3) Yes if your BIL sends an invitation letter it will be helpful for your visa application. The invitation letter should be addressed to the German consulate and should mention your passport details and those of whom are travelling with you. Your BIL should also mention the purpose of your visit in the letter and that you are welcome to stay in his house during your visit to Germany. Then you won't need to enclose hotel bookings. Just the tickets/itinerary travel insurance along with your financial documents will suffice to go with your application.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

Also, how do I avail travel insurance? Can that be done online?

My BIL will send me the invite letter, would that also help?

Visit any insurance provider's website - Apollo Munich, Religare, Reliance General - any one of the providers listed in the German consulate's website. Most of them provide the option to buy it online after submitting your approximate travel dates and passport details. They offer packages, tailor-made for travel in the EU. It's always a good idea to have insurance cover over and above the minimum mandated amount of 30K EUR. To give you an idea about the figures, cost of 50K EUR insurance for about 25 days is round about INR 1k.

In addition to the Invite letter, if your BIL can provide you with a Formal Obligation Letter (Verpflichtungserklärung), it'll give you a much better chance of getting the visa than with you providing your financials et al. I'm not very sure if this document is issued for people who are not in direct blood relation (other than spouse, children, parents, siblings), but it's worth a try.

[Jeroen]

I noticed we are talking about travel insurance and medical insurance. Please note these are two very different things. Some travel insurance might offer certain medical coverages and or repartition. Make sure you know what you are getting. Some travel insurance include third party coverage, others don't.

If you use a credit card to book your flights/hotels etc. you might be insured against all sorts of stuff as well.

Jeroen

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

Also, how do I avail travel insurance? Can that be done online?

I bought it online: on the Reliance website

https://www.reliancegeneral.co.in/In...Insurance.aspx

My BIL will send me the invite letter, would that also help?

Are you planning to stay at his place? To be honest, these invites can backfire at times. It raises the suspicion of possible immigration.

Unless you're planning to stay at his place, I'd say, skip his letter and use the hotel bookings. Almost all hotels (from airbnbs to 5-star) accept pay-at-checkin bookings so you don't pay any money to reserve a room.

Just my opinion; I've seen people get rejected when they show letters of invitation with the reason "Intent to leave Schengen territory not clear".

Originally Posted by Jeroen

If you use a credit card to book your flights/hotels etc. you might be insured against all sorts of stuff as well.

Yes; but I don't think Consulates will accept that as proof of medical Insurance. They need a proper policy.

[Prodigy07]

Friends - Thanks for all your inputs

I also have one more query regarding airfare.

The airfare is slightly expensive when quoted by the agent, whereas the fares are slightly cheaper at the Airlines web portal!

What could be the reason?

I'm planning to book the tickets through agent as they would help me verify if the papers required for Schengen visa are good.

They also suggest that I wait until I get the visa stamped.

But, I see that the fares are increasing every day :(

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

The airfare is slightly expensive when quoted by the agent, whereas the fares are slightly cheaper at the Airlines web portal!

What could be the reason?

Agent comission vs web fares, nothing else.

If you find the difference substantial, you can always approach any reputed agent directly just for visa processing and get the flight tickets booked separately.

However, you will have to book the tickets in that case. Most agents just block tickets and confirm the same once your travel plans are finalized after visa.