A good resource to further read and learn about the Schengen visa rejection reasons can be found on this website (ticket2travel.world). In this post, I will not cover all the reasons for rejection because some of these can be personal and very serious. However, I will cover the most common reasons that they provide which are mostly because you did not provide good documents to support your travel or departure reasons. The notable reasons or the common ones are:

• 10. The information submitted regarding the justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not reliable.
• 13. There are reasonable doubts as to your intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the expiry of the visa.

So, you applied for a Schengen visit visa (maybe via the Dutch embassy) and your visa application was rejected because the visa officer was not convinced by your application, supporting documents, or other material that you are applying for the right visa category with the right documents. The visa rejection is not a red alert about you or your passport, it is just that based on your submission, you do not qualify for a visa. Once you receive the response, you have two choices:

1. Apply again with fresh set of application and supporting documents.
2. Appeal against the visa rejection decision made by the visa officer.

The decision you make does not impact the outcome you will have. You can receive a visa if you apply again (providing the right documents, and explaining the change in circumstances since you last applied) and you can get a rejection in an appeal if you still cannot convince the authorities or satisfy the requirements for the visa.

One example is: you say that you are travelling to the Schengen states to watch a football match, but your travel itinerary says you want to be in the Schengen states for 45 days, your financial situation does not support this, or you do not have work. In this case, the visa officer is likely to reject the visa application.

Note that your visa application is judged based on what you submit in the application (along with supporting documents).

Now, let’s fast forward, you’ve heard the bad news and you are ready to take the next step.

The easy way: Apply again

While a Schengen visa rejection decision can be appealed, it differs per embassy and country. Some countries have a transparent, easy, and smooth procedure to apply for an appeal, others, not so much. In all cases, you are always allowed to reapply. However, note that if you do reapply, make sure to:

• Review, study, and understand why your visa was rejected in the first place. Mostly, a visa is rejected because a document was missing, your plan was not properly communicated, or you did not submit enough supporting documents to prove that you would leave the Schengen states before the expiry of your visa.
• Apply with the supportive documents that you believe you missed or were not able to submit in the earlier application.
• Clearly communicate to the visa officer that you understand why the visa was rejected, and what circumstances demonstrate a change in the situation or compel the visa officer to make a different decision this time.

Reapplying is a new application. You need to make a new application, submit all the documents (including the visa application) again. You will need a new appointment, pay for any visa application fees, and then wait for the new decision.

Since this is a new application, the decision can be either a Visa approved or Visa refused, and you will receive the rejection reasons again. If you receive a visa, then you will receive a stamp in the passport that you can use to travel to the Schengen states. If your visa is rejected, then you will receive the reasons why the visa officer is still not convinced by the documents that you have provided to support your application.

P.S. I have not yet created an outline for applying for a Schengen visit visa or how to sponsor your friends and family for a Schengen visit visa. I will update this blog once I have published the blog.

Now, with the visa application rejected again, you can attempt to appeal against this decision.

The other way: Appeal

Appealing a rejected visa application is a way that not many take. Appeal is your right if you believe that the provided rejection reasons are not grounded, and that you provided enough material to prove and demonstrate to the visa officer why you should be granted a visa.

Note: This guide is primarily for visas applied through The Netherlands embassy for a Schengen visit visa, mainly for friends and family visit. For other countries, a different procedure may apply and the rejection reasons document would provide more information, such as where, when, and how to apply for an appeal. You can read more about appealing your visa rejection on the IND website. You can read how you can appeal a Schengen visa rejection.

An appeal is an official request to have your visa application decision reviewed. An appeal can take up to 6 months of time. If you would like to travel urgently, an appeal is never going to help you. Only appeal for a visa decision review if you have about 6 months to travel, or you can travel after 6-7 months without any impact on the travel or the reasons to travel. In the Netherlands, the appeal can be made:

• Directly yourself.
• Your friend or family (if you applied for a friends and family visa).
• A legal representative.

How to appeal?

You can submit an appeal directly to the IND and provide reasons for why you want to start the appeal procedure. IND will officially receive the application, and start the appeal procedure for your visa application. IND can provide you with further material that you can use to understand why the visa application was denied, and how you can provide supportive documents. IND expects further information, mainly written documents that prove the facts and statements. This can include any changes to the financial, personal, relational, social, or economic ties to your current country.

IND can request documents that they deem needed to proceed with the appeal. Once you submit the documents, IND takes the due legally allowed time to make a decision.

It is often a good practice to use a legal representative to start the appeal procedure with the IND. There are various reasons:

• The legal council is more experienced in the immigration laws and can better convey your message to the IND in legal terms.
• The legal council has most likely supported a similar client in the past and they know what the IND is expecting, and what you must provide to better support your case. Note that while you may think otherwise, every small or ignorable detail is important in making your case strong. For example, do you have social connections or responsibilities? They count.
• The legal costs can be covered if you meet certain requirements.

The legal representative can also support you in making a decision (the final decision is always your own!). So, you end up making an informed decision and not a decision in haste. Especially, if you are going to wait for 6 months to hear back from the IND, you want to make sure you submit everything so that you hear the good news.

Visa approved

If your visa is approved, you will receive a decision from the IND stating that your visa appeal was found well and that the decision is now reversed. You can use this decision to reapply for a visa. When you apply with the letter from IND, you have to submit your passport and pay the visa fees.

The embassy will stamp the visa in your passport and return it to you. You can then travel to the Schengen states using the visa.

Visa denied

It is equally possible that the rejection appeal also fails and results in the appeal being rejected and visa rejection decision being sustained. This is indeed sad. But it is possible.

If this happens, you can proceed and have the appeal rejection fought in a court where a judge makes a decision. This is the next step and the judge can rule in your favor if your provide facts and supporting material, but the rejection can also be sustained.

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A Schengen visa on your passport can mean easy movement between the Schengen states and visit Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, France, and other countries and be able to have that EURO Tour you wanted. A rejection can definitely shatter those dreams, but you always have a choice to reapply or appeal.

Did you learn something in this post? Did I miss something? Let me know and I can update the blog to reflect the needed information.