Short stay
Tourism, family visits and business, up to 90 days in any 180. Applied for at the consulate of your main destination, with a 15 calendar day decision target that extends to 45 where more documents are asked for.
Destinations we file for and plan travel to
Each route has its own rules, its own real timeline and its own way of going wrong. Here is the honest version for the ones we handle most.
Europe and the Schengen Area
France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, Greece, Poland and the rest of the Schengen states, plus Ireland, which is outside Schengen and needs its own visa.
Long stay and study
National visas rather than Schengen visas, each with its own process — Campus France, blocked accounts in Germany, university-led applications in the Netherlands. The pre-consular step is usually the long pole.
What holds it up
Appointment availability in peak season, insurance policies that fall short on repatriation cover, and applications lodged at the wrong consulate. All three are avoidable before you start.
United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia
Four English-speaking destinations with four quite different gatekeeping mechanisms.
| Route | How it is decided | The step people underestimate |
|---|---|---|
| UK Standard Visitor | Online application assessed on the written file by a caseworker | Demonstrating genuine visitor intent, rather than completing the form |
| UK Student route | CAS issued by the sponsor, then the visa application | Funds held for 28 consecutive days before applying |
| US B-1/B-2 | Consular interview, with the DS-160 on the officer's screen | Interview slot waiting times, and consistency across the whole file |
| US F-1 | I-20 and SEVIS payment, then the interview | Explaining the funding source, not just the balance |
| Canada TRV and study permit | Written file, no interview in most cases | Biometrics scheduling and the purpose of travel letter |
| Australia subclass 600 and 500 | ImmiAccount lodgement against the genuine entrant requirement | Health examinations and certified translations |
The Gulf, and Asia
UAE, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia
Electronic tourist visas issued through a sponsor, with no interview and short processing times. The failure mode here is technical rather than substantive — photographs and passport scans that do not meet the specification. Season matters more than anything else for the trip itself.
Southeast and South Asia
Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Nepal, most of them visa-free or e-visa for many nationalities. Because entry is easy, the planning effort goes into internal transport and monsoon timing, where the same month can be high season in one country and unusable in the next.
Questions about specific routes
Which Schengen consulate should I apply to?
The consulate of the country where you will spend the most nights. Where the nights are equal across several countries, you apply to the country you enter first. Applying to the wrong one is among the most common reasons an application is returned without being assessed.
How far ahead can I apply for a Schengen visa?
Short-stay Schengen applications may be lodged up to six months before the intended travel date, and three months earlier for seafarers. Because appointment slots in peak season are the real constraint, applying at the earliest permitted point is usually the right call.
Does a visa refusal from one country affect an application to another?
It has to be declared, and most countries ask about previous refusals anywhere in the world. A declared refusal that is properly explained is far less damaging than an undeclared one, which is treated as misrepresentation.
What is the 90/180 rule?
A short-stay Schengen visa allows a maximum of 90 days of presence within any rolling 180-day period across the whole Schengen Area combined. It is counted backwards from any given day, not per country and not per calendar year.