The Final Cut: Shengen Visa

I hurdled the application process.

I successfully went through the long financial aid application.

I got the scholarship. I was able to raise the remaining funds.

I had a passport. I had a US Visa. I got a confirmed booking.


But I did not have a Shengen Visa.

The Shengen Visa is the "unified Visa" system in Europe. With this, you may just enter one country in the region and travel freely throughout the Shengen zone. Internal border controls have disappeared; and there are no (or few) stops or checks.

FYI, the 15 Shengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finlad, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. All these countries except Norway and Iceland are European Union members.

There are also a lot of countries NOT required to have the S.Visa when entering the countries above - but we are the Philippines :-) so we obviously need it. (I remember someone telling me to blame the millions of Filipinos living illegally abroad because they are the main reason why obtaining Visas in the Philippines is hard)

I never had any experiences on Visa application. Thanks to my parents, I have had a US Visa since I was three years old and we just kept on renewing it. Right before 9/11 I was renewed with a 10-year US Visa, which will expire in 2010. I am sure it is a lot harder to get one now.

The stories I heard about the quest for the much coveted US Visa were enough to make me so jittery when I applied for my Shengen. By joining Up with People (UWP) I was bound to be unemployed for the next 5 months and then some. And a lot of people told me that "employment" is a big factor that they consider when giving Visas - because this is proof that one is bound to his or her country and not planning to leave illegally.

Well, some people can lie during the interview, right? But I was afraid that if I lie about unemployment, they might ask another question that can put me on the spot...

It was such a short interview which puzzled me greatly. Then they got my passport and asked me to wait approximately 2 weeks for a courier to bring me my Visa decision.

2 agonizingly painful weeks.

Which ended today.

It turns out that HONESTY pays! I got my Visa, and we are good to go!

Next step: Panic Packing!

By the way, I am still using my maiden name, "Marianna Alfa G. Fernando" in all my documents , not yet my married name. I haven't had the time to change IDs and status yet. But I promise I am bringing my husband in my heart and in my spirit.