A Schengen visa allows travelers to visit the coveted Schengen countries for a well-defined period depending on the purpose and motive of the visit. These countries have exceptional work, tourism, and educational opportunities for people from all walks of life. It can be discouraging for an individual to receive visa rejection after going through the strenuous labor of filing the application in the first place. However, with the right approach in the right direction, you can reapply or appeal to your previous application by writing an immaculate cover letter that presents your case to the visa officials again. Since you received a rejection earlier, the structure and writing style of your cover letter for Schengen Visa Refusal has to be more convincing and reliable this time.
What is a cover letter for Schengen Visa After Refusal?
A cover letter for Schengen visa refusal is a document referred to the visa officials in which you justify your reasons for wishing to enter and stay in the country in order to fulfill a purpose. In their write-up, applicants have to give due importance to the reasons that the officials have stated for which they have rejected their application. The cover letter should pick up each reason separately and address it with defined information and added supporting documents. Although there can be a different rejection for individuals with distinct profiles, some common grounds for visa refusal are low financial strength, unclear intention to return to own country, no focused purpose, incorrect documents, etc. With guidance from professional academic writers, these points are easy to acknowledge and redefine while crafting a new cover letter. The entire essay has to be encapsulated within 2 pages or should range between 1000-1500 words only.
Points to remember while crafting your cover letter for Schengen Visa Refusal
Brief Profile Introduction: Introduce yourself by stating your name, citizenship, and passport details. Move on to why you are writing this application and the purpose you want to achieve with your visit to the Schengen country. Within the introductory paragraph itself, deliver the information that you have unfortunately received a visa rejection previously for this similar application and are applying again with added trustworthy information and a decent justification on your part.
Acknowledge your rejection: In the second paragraph itself, give details of the reasons that resulted in your initial rejection. Give due importance to each point and justify them separately. A strong purpose and motive for your travel and vital prerequisites should not be taken lightly. A thorough research about how to address your limitations can prove to be beneficial to you.
Letter of Invitation: A visitation letter from events, family or friends, companies, and employers can be a strong document to validate your travel purpose. Mention clear details of the name, contact details, and address of the person or organization that has invited you so that they can be contacted for cross-checking.
Overview of your life- Give an overview of the life that you live in your own country. You can talk about your family and the bond you share with them, professional details, and why you chose to work in this field(only if relevant to the purpose of your application), etc. Subtly depict your personality and positive personality traits that make you a trustworthy candidate who will abide by the rules of a foreign country.
Importance of this trip- Provide details of the benefits that you hope to achieve with your travel. You can shed some light on the formal or informal reasons that will change or affect your life ahead. Describe your reasons to the point and do not exaggerate on unnecessary sentiments and emotions simply to convince the visa officials.
Relevance with past and future life– Showcase the relevance of your trip by connecting it with the effect it can have on your life ahead or has affected you previously. For eg. If a relative of yours with whom you shared strong emotional bonds in the past is now inviting you to visit them for some time, then you can emphasize the emotional fulfillment that you expect from this excursion along with your will to create new memories.
Highlight new information– If the applicant has added new information or added extra documents to their profile then they can stress how this makes their case stronger and they have made all possible attempts to rectify their previous errors. This too can indicate your passion and clear intent to visit Schengen countries by depicting considerable efforts on your part.
Emphasize your visit purpose– Before concluding your cover letter or giving a vote of thanks to the officials for considering your application again, precisely reiterate your purpose for applying for a visa.
Detailed Analysis and Explanation of General Refusal Points
- Incomplete/forged travel documents– The visa filing process requires you to submit multiple documents and their copies. Proof of academic qualifications, valid passport, accommodation details, identity papers, proof of DOB, invitation letter or flight details can be the few documents that can be named. If they are incomplete, invalid, or are submitted in an unacceptable condition then your application is certain to be rejected. Moreover, do not make the grave error of giving false information about any of the documents. It is a possibility that you can be barred from entering any Schengen Country again if found guilty.
- Unreliable purpose of visit- It is one of the most common refusal reasons received by the applicants. It is advised that you weave your entire cover letter around the intent and purpose that have motivated you to visit or temporarily stay in any of the Schengen countries. If you are a student applying for a degree or diploma course, then focus on the course details and the passion and future goals you have from your study program. If you are a tourist looking for some international exposure and recreational activities, then highlight your itinerary, accommodation details, and the activities you have planned. A professional who is applying for business and work purposes can give appropriate details about their company, field of work, and the specific task that they have undertaken in the Schengen country.
- Insufficiency of Funds– The Schengen visa cannot be granted to individuals who do not have adequate finances to support them during their stay abroad. Elaborate on your and your immediate family’s employment and income along with other investments and profits that contribute to the advancement of your finances. Write the numerical worth of your movable/immovable assets and other valuables that are in your possession and can be evidence of your financial strength. Assure the visa officials in your cover letter that this time you have added sufficient and previously missing documents and bank statements that show your economic prowess in your home country. Elaborate on how you are planning to pay for your travel fare, accommodation, and food requirements or if you have a sponsor who will be covering your expenses for you.
- Lack of reasons to return– It will be difficult for the Schengen visa officials to approve your cover letter if there are limited, unreliable, and incomplete details about your motive to return to your home country after your stay. You can strengthen the value of this point by elaborating your family ties and the responsibility you have towards them, professional opportunities in your country, property that needs to be looked after, financial needs of your dependents, social responsibilities, etc.
- Security Threat by SIS– If you have previously traveled to any of the Schengen countries and have indulged in any unlawful activity like harming the infrastructure or other criminal activities that the country then the country can impose restrictions on you and term you as a security threat. Similarly, if you are a part of any such situation in your home country too, which you consider is minute or wrong; then you can present your justification in your cover letter for Schengen visa refusal.
- Suspected permanent immigration– If the visa officials suspect your motive/intent behind coming to Schengen country as a person who wants to immigrate to their country for a delayed period, then the chances of your visa acceptance become minimal. Thus, to counter this scenario, make sure that the overall presentation of your cover letter and deliverance of important points is written in clear writing with believable content. Give particular attention to your reasons for returning to your home country and the responsibilities or tasks that lay ahead for you. Leave no doubts about your intention to leave the country before the deadline for your visa approaches.
- Proof of insurance- Your visa application might demand travel, or health insurance along with significant medical reports. Restate in your refusal cover letter that you have attached all insurance documents expected from you.
Sample Cover Letter For Schengen Visa Refusal
(Name)
(Address)
(E-Mail)
(Date)
(Embassy’s Name)
(Embassy’s Address)
(City and country)
Subject: Application for Schengen Visa after Refusal
Dear Sir/Madam
I XYZ, an Indian citizen with passport number (___), am writing this application to sincerely request you grant me a Schengen Visa for a period of 120 days. The purpose of my visit is to fulfill my professional responsibilities and assist my company in setting up software and developing applications at our new branches in Denmark and Germany. Unfortunately, I received a visa refusal for a similar application on (date).
I would like to express my genuine gratitude to you for considering my primary visa request. However, since I received a refusal, I would like to request you to kindly examine my re-visa request where I have addressed all my rejection reasons in detail and find me worthy of receiving a Schengen visa. My initial application was rejected for the following reasons:
- Justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not provided.
- Justification of the purpose and conditions of the intended airport transit was not provided.
- There are reasonable doubts as to your intention to leave the territory of the member states before the expiry of the visa.
Purpose of visit
I am a software developer and have an experience of 5 years in this field of work. Currently, I am employed with (company’s name) in the position of senior software developer. I have been associated with this multi-national company since 2021 and first joined as a software engineer. My employers and team leader have witnessed and facilitated my growth and advancement of skills in this field. Thus, when the time came for my company to expand its business in some particular Schengen countries, I was appointed as the lead senior software developer who will be working and overseeing the tasks. I will be responsible for quality enhancement of applications, leading software development projects, coding, team collaborations, debugging, assessing the new recruits, guiding them with their work, etc. My sincere motive for this visit is to start working on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and contribute to the success of my company which has always showered me with wonderful opportunities to grow.
Purpose of airport transit
During the time of my travel that is from (mention dates), there is an extreme limitation of the direct flights to Denmark as they are occupied because of the festival season. Thus, I have no option left but to make a transit from country X to country Y. I request you to allow me to stay in country X for a maximum of 20 hours before I board another flight to reach my destination. With my profile, I have enclosed all documents that will prove my situation to you. This includes information about the limited number of direct flights and my accommodation details during the period of transit.
Reasons to Return to Home Country
I am a permanent employee of XYZ company. My motive for this international travel is towards the professional responsibilities bestowed upon me by my team leader. I am expected to resume my work in my home country on (date). My travel purpose and duration have been decided by the company itself and I have provided all their contact details with my documents.
Moreover, I have a family of 4 members other than me in my country. They are dependent on me for financial and emotional support. I live with my elderly parents, wife, and a 5-year-old son. It will be overwhelming for me to stay away from them for a period of 4 months and therefore, will be eagerly looking forward to reuniting with my dear ones as soon as possible. At all costs, I do not want to miss out on the growing years of my child and wish to be present for me always.
This trip to the various Schengen countries is of great importance to me as it will add immense value to my career. Excellent opportunities await me in both the short and long term. I am certain that I will be able to grow in my personal as well as professional life and work in positions such as a technical architect or chief technical officer. My company expects that towards the end of my trip, I should have set up well-functioning teams and software that are capable of meeting the company targets. My company will be sponsoring my trip and will cover expenses like travel fare, living expenses, and food requirements. I also plan on doing some tourist activities and shopping for myself as well as my family. I will be bearing the cost of these expenses myself. I have also enclosed all my financial details and worth with this profile application and hope that you give it due consideration.
Finally, I am much obliged to you for reading my application and hope that you accept my visa request.
Sincerely
XYZ
Conclusion
The demand for Schengen Visas has increased significantly in the last few decades. To tackle this situation, the visa officials give notable priority to your cover letters so as to understand your profile and character. The suitability of your motive to visit, funds to cover your cost, and reasons to come back home are the primary points that have unsurmountable relevance in your document. Double-check that the reading of your application does not leave any unanswered questions or doubts as you justify your purpose and the conditions under which you will be staying in the country. It is best to plan out all your actions and travel details before filing your visa request. Do not undermine the value of error-free documents either and reiterate that you pass the eligibility criteria for applying for a Schengen Visa. Since the Schengen countries have various native and rural languages, you are not obligated to write in any of them. Simply adopt a formal English language that is free of grammatical mistakes and clearly explains your point of view. You can also take help from Professionals who are experts in writing Cover Letter for Visa. We, at Contentholic have helped many people write their Cover Letter for Visa Applications for the past 13 years. Get in touch with our team to get a well-written Cover letter and visit Schengen countries without any issues.
