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Check your Schengen short-stay application before you apply

A Schengen refusal arrives as a form with boxes ticked. This page shows you the boxes, in the Visa Code wording, and lets you see which of them your application has not answered yet.

consular officer the consulate of the member state that decided the application Short-stay visa (type C)
01
Box 1, Article 32(1)(a)(i)

A false, counterfeit or forged travel document was presented

a false, counterfeit or forged travel document was presented

What the officer assesses: Whether the travel document itself is genuine.

02
Box 2, Article 32(1)(a)(ii)

The purpose and conditions of the intended stay were not justified

you have not provided justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay

What the officer assesses: Whether the documents explain what you are going to do, where you will stay, and on what terms.

Evidence that addresses it

  • A dated itinerary covering every day of the stay
  • Accommodation bookings for the full period, or an invitation with the host's address and status
  • Flight reservations matching the itinerary
  • Evidence of the reason for the trip: conference registration, event tickets, a business letter from both companies
  • For a visit to family or friends, the host's proof of residence and their formal invitation where the member state uses one
03
Box 3, Article 32(1)(a)(iii)

Insufficient means of subsistence for the stay and for the return

you have not provided proof of sufficient means of subsistence, for the duration of the intended stay or for the return to the country of origin or residence

What the officer assesses: Whether you can pay for the stay at the member state's published daily rate, and get home.

Evidence that addresses it

  • Three to six months of bank statements, stamped by the bank or officially downloaded
  • Payslips for the same period
  • A return or onward ticket reservation
  • Where a sponsor pays: their formal undertaking in the member state's format, their statements, their payslips and their residence status
  • Evidence of the source of any large recent credit
04
Box 4, Article 32(1)(a)(iv)

You have already stayed 90 days in the current 180-day period

you have already stayed for 90 days during the current 180-day period on the territory of the Member States on the basis of a uniform visa or a visa with limited territorial validity

What the officer assesses: Arithmetic on your entry and exit stamps.

Evidence that addresses it

  • A full set of entry and exit stamps, page by page
  • A day count for the intended trip against the rolling 180-day window
  • Revised travel dates that fall outside the used allowance
05
Box 5, Article 32(1)(a)(v)

An alert has been issued in the Schengen Information System

an alert has been issued in the Schengen Information System (SIS) for the purpose of refusing entry

What the officer assesses: Whether a member state has entered an alert against you.

06
Box 6, Article 32(1)(a)(vi)

Considered a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or international relations

one or more Member States consider you to be a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of one or more of the Member States

What the officer assesses: Security and public policy records held by the member states.

07
Box 7, Article 32(1)(a)(vii)

Travel medical insurance was not provided or is inadequate

proof of holding adequate and valid travel medical insurance was not provided

What the officer assesses: Whether the policy covers the whole stay, the whole Schengen area, and at least EUR 30,000 for medical repatriation and emergency care.

Evidence that addresses it

  • A travel medical insurance certificate naming the insured person, the policy dates, the territory (all Schengen member states) and cover of at least EUR 30,000
  • Proof of payment for the policy
08
Box 8, Article 32(1)(b)

The information submitted was not reliable

the information submitted regarding the justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not reliable

What the officer assesses: Whether the consulate believes the documents and the statements. Reasonable doubts as to the authenticity of supporting documents or the veracity of their contents sit here.

Evidence that addresses it

  • Documents that can be verified: letterhead with a working telephone number, an email domain that matches the company, a named signatory with a job title
  • Booking confirmations that are still live on the day of the application, not cancelled reservations
  • A short covering note explaining any inconsistency the consulate could see
  • Original documents with translations by a certified translator where required
09
Box 9, Article 32(1)(b)

Your intention to leave before the visa expires could not be ascertained

your intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the expiry of the visa could not be ascertained

What the officer assesses: Whether your circumstances at home give the consulate a reason to be sure you will go back.

Evidence that addresses it

  • Employment letter with role, start date, salary and approved leave
  • Payslips and matching salary credits
  • Property documents in the applicant's name
  • Evidence of dependants and of care responsibilities
  • Previous passports showing visas used and returns made on time
  • Business registration and tax filings where self-employed

The refusal is given on the standard form in Annex VI of the Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009. The ticked boxes are the grounds. The appeal route, its authority and its deadline are printed on that form and the printed version governs.

Check now

Check your Schengen short-stay application before you apply

A Schengen refusal arrives as a form with boxes ticked. This page shows you the boxes, in the Visa Code wording, and lets you see which of them your application has not answered yet.

Start your check