My name is Natalia, I am a citizen of the Philippines. I possess only one citizenship and a Philippines-issued regular (non-diplomatic) passport for international travel. However, I have a permanent residence in Ukraine.
In this article, I will share with you how I obtained my first ever multiple-entry Schengen Visa via the Consulate of Hungary, located in Berehove, Ukraine. This was a Type C multiple entry visa which was valid for one year, and allowed me to visit the Schengen member countries for up to 90 days. This application was submitted directly to the consulate.
Let’s review what is a Schengen Visa. This visa allows Filipinos and other Nationals from third countries to enter the Schengen Area or a zone comprising 29 countries in Europe.
Why do I need a Schengen Visa?
I need a visa because I live in Ukraine. Due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, I can still work anywhere around the world for as long as there’s Internet. Tourism in Ukraine now has been limited and I have the option to visit neighboring countries.
Why am I applying for a Schengen Visa via the Hungarian consulate?
At the moment, there are no flights from Ukraine due to the war. The only way to get out of Ukraine is by bus, train, or private vehicle. I live in the city where the nearest place to apply for the visa is the Consulate of Hungary in Berehove City. Also, the main reason is that every time I enter a Schengen zone, most of the time, my first point of entry is Hungary. Also, I will be spending more time in Hungary than in any other Schengen member country. For example, I will be spending a total of 16 days in Hungary, but will only spend 4 days in Croatia, or 4 days in Slovenia, 3 days in Sovakia, etcetera.
What are the requirements to be submitted when applying for a Schengen Visa (Type C).
Before gathering the requirements, the first step was to make an appointment. If you are in Ukraine, it is necessary to find the official website of the Hungarian consulate/embassy and from there you will find the correct link to create an appointment. A few days before the scheduled visit, the consulate or embassy should send an email requiring the applicant to reconfirm the appointment.
This was the link where I made the appointment:
https://konzinfobooking.mfa.gov.hu
It’s ideal to print the confirmed appointment showing the date and time of the visit. This helps to overcome the language barrier as appointments are usually in the local language. In my case, the appointment was in Hungarian or Magyar. When I arrived at the consulate, I just showed it to the Hungarian security guard because they either spoke in Ukrainian or Magyar.
Let’s proceed with the standard requirements. There are a set of standard requirements that are the same, regardless of where you apply for a Schengen Visa. The requirements are the following:
1.1 Printed signed Schengen visa application form. It is important to fill in the correct form and make sure it’s the form to apply for a Schengen Visa (Type C), for a short-term stay not more than 90 days. The form must be filled in in a Latin letter and you need to pay attention to the consulate/embassy’s advice on whether to use a blue ink pen or not. Part of the application is an area to affix the date, place, and applicant’s signature. This must be completed only on the day of the actual visit and in front of the officer processing the visa application.
1.2 Applicant’s passport. This is the bio page and the validity of the passport must exceed the validity of the desired visa for at least 3 months.
1.3 A copy of a previously issued Schengen visa. This helps strengthen any visa application.
1.4 One high-quality passport-size formal photo made not earlier than 6 months ago. The photo I submitted was taken against a white background. And I suggest that at the back of the photo, you write your name, and the date the photo was taken and affix your signature.
1.5 A travel medical insurance that is valid for the entire territory of Schengen zone (or Europe). The insurance should be able to cover medical costs amounting to a minimum of €30,000 euros. The validity of insurance must exceed the period of stay specified in the visa application form by 15 days. For example, if your last exit date from the Schengen zone is November 1, then your insurance must still be valid until November 16. The insurance must also cover the number of stays inside the Schengen zone. It is important to note that you only buy travel medical insurance that is accepted by the consulate/embassy and they usually provide a list of qualified medical insurance providers.
1.6 Proof of steady income such as a bank statement showing debit and credit in the last six months. This is needed to show that you can fund the entire travel. If you are a business owner or sole proprietor, you need to provide supporting documents and related bank statement.
The next set of requirements depends on whether the applicant was applying in his/her home country or the country of residence. In my case, as a permanent resident of Ukraine and applying for Schengen visa in Ukraine, the following requirements were mandatory:
1.7 Copy of Permanent residence ID (front and back side) and documents related to this residence permit such as proof of permanent address or temporary address (for applicants with Internally Displaced Person (IDP) status due to war).
1.8 Copy of marriage certificate and spouse’s passport bio page. This was necessary because I am married and my permanent residence was granted by Ukraine government based on my marriage to a Ukrainian citizen. These also prove a strong roots in Ukraine.
The next set of requirements is all about supporting documents based on the travel itinerary.
1.9 A travel itinerary showing why you need to apply for a multiple-entry Schengen type C visa. This is optional but highly recommended to aid the visa processing officer to quickly get the overall picture of your trip. It is important to note that you design your travel itinerary and follow the 90/180-day rule. This means that, you can not stay over 90 days inside the schengen zone in the past six months. The short-stay calculator will help you track this.
https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/border-crossing/short-stay-calculator_en
Itineraries in 2024
| Date | Time | Destination / Activities |
| March 23 | 07:42 | Chop, Ukraine > Zahony, Hungary |
| March 23-29 | Budapest, Hungary | |
| March 29 | 19:40 | Zahony, Hungary > Chop, Ukraine |
| April 2 | 10:25 | Chop, Ukraine > Zahony, Hungary |
| April 2-3 | Budapest, Hungary | |
| April 3 | 6:00 | Ryan Air flight, Budapest, Hungary to Zadar, Croatia |
| April 3-5 | Zadar, Croatia | |
| April 5-7 | Pula, Croatia | |
| April 7-9 | Ljubljana, Slovenia | |
| April 9-11 | Maribor, Slovenia | |
| April 11 | 19:40 | Zahony, Hungary > Chop, Ukraine |
| May 30 | 16:20 | Mukachevo, Ukraine > Budapest Hungary |
| May 30-31 | Budapest Hungary | |
| May 31 | 06:10 | Ryan Air flight, Budapest, Hungary to Rome, Italy |
| May 31 – June 4 | Rome, Italy | |
| June 4-6 | Bratislava, Slovakia | |
| June 6-8 | Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia | |
| June 8 | Kosice, Slovakia > Uzhhorod, Ukraine | |
| August 6 | 06:02 | Chop, Ukraine > Zahony, Hungary |
| August 6-9 | Balatonföldvár, Hungary | |
| August 9-13 | Keszthely, Hungary | |
| August 13 | Zahony, Hungary > Chop, Ukraine | |
| October 1 | 06:02 | Chop, Ukraine > Zahony, Hungary |
| October1-2 | Budapest, Hungary | |
| October 2 | Wizz Air flight, Budapest, Hungary to Nice, France | |
| October 2-5 | Nice, France | |
| October 5-7 | Marseille, France | |
| October 7-9 | Lyon, France | |
| October 9-11 | Geneva, Switzerland | |
| October 11 | 10:10 | EasyJet flight, Geneva, Switzerland to Budapest, Hungary |
| 19:40 | Zahony, Hungary > Chop, Ukraine | |
| November 8 | 06:02 | Chop, Ukraine > Zahony, Hungary |
| November 8-9 | Budapest, Hungary | |
| November 9 | 18:05 | Ryan Air flight, Budapest, Hungary to Barcelona, Spain |
| November 9-13 | Barcelona, Spain | |
| November 13-15 | Zaragoza, Spain | |
| November 15-18 | Madrid, Spain | |
| November 18 | 11:45 | Iberia Air flight, Madrid, Spain to Budapest, Hungary |
| 21:30 | Budapest, Hungary to Mukachevo, Ukraine |
1.10 Printed paid inbound transportation ticket to enter the Schengen zone.
1.11 Printed hotel booking confirmation or accommodation confirmation. You also need to print the proof of payment.
1.12 Printed paid outbound transportation ticket to exit the Schengen zone.
1.13 A cover letter. This is optional and in my application, I did not have one. But Ms. Kach Umandap, founder of Two Monkeys Travel Group, who also visited 193 countries using only a Philippines passport strongly recommend this. The cover letter gives you a space to formally ask something in your favor. You will never know you will get something if you never ask!
Schengen Visa Application Submission Appoinment Day
After gathering all the requirements, the next step was to appear at the consulate. What happens there depends on the management. In my experience, the visa section officer checked each document and asked how many days I would spend in their country (Hungary), and the total number of days I would spend inside the Schengen zone. The original permanent residence ID was also examined and returned to me, but they kept the original passport.
The officer then showed all my documents to the Consul General. The Consul did ask me questions and I was able to answer all of them as they were only related to my travel itinerary and a little background about myself and how I came to be in Ukraine. Thus, any applicant should be able to ace any visa application interview! After this, the officer entered my application into their Schengen visa information system.
After the interview, the next step was to pay for the visa. At the time, the visa fee was €90 Euro. Paying for the visa also depends on the management. It’s either you go to the bank and deposit the amount to their bank account or pay the fee directly to the cashier if they have one onsite. After that, the proof of payment was submitted to the visa processing officer. In return, I was provided with a passport claim stub showing the date and time of passport pickup. I was told that within 15 days, I might receive an email or call if they need more supporting documents.
Schengen Visa Application Duration
The next step was to wait for the visa approval. Here in Ukraine, the waiting time was 15 days. Hence, I waited and thankfully I did not receive any call from them asking me to provide more documents.
Schengen Visa Application Result and Passport Claim Day
The next part of the experience was the claiming of a passport or the moment of truth because you might think that you could get a multiple entry visa, but how many days and how long is the validity? In my experience, I requested a multiple entry visa valid for 9 months with a total of 60 days to stay in the Schengen zone. To my surprise, after my second interview with the Consul General, he returned my passport with a one-year valid Schengen visa allowing me to spend 90 days in the Schengen area (of course without breaking the 90/180-day rule!) It was one of my greatest achievements, and I’m very thankful for Hungary!
And here ends my story on how I got my very first multiple-entry Schengen Type C visa!
Kindly let me know in the comments section the additional requirements you submitted in your recent application or any requirements depending on where you are going to apply for the visa. I wish you good luck and I hope you will get the visa you need to explore the Schengen member countries.