How to Show Subsistence Proof for a Schengen Visa

Posted date: 31 May 2022

A Schengen visa is a relatively short visa that permits its holder to freely travel within the Schengen area. There are no travel restrictions between the 26 nations that comprise the Schengen area or Schengen States. A Schengen visa is a document issued by a Schengen State that allows you to a planned stay in the Schengen States for no more than 90 days in any 180-day period ("short-stay visa"), or a transit through the Schengen States' international transit zones ("airport transit visa").

When applying for a visa, the Embassy or Consulate of the Schengen countries to which you wish to visit will ask you to present various supporting documents, one of which is proof of subsistence. As a Schengen candidate, this document demonstrates that you have the financial means to travel and stay in a Schengen state while meeting the living conditions of the Schengen hosting nation.

Please remember that if you cannot afford to subsidize your planned living and/or travel expenditures in the Schengen area at the time you submit your application, but can credibly prove that you will be able to do that in the long run, you may still be evaluated to have satisfactorily demonstrated proof of subsistence within your period of visa validity.

What is the best way to show proof of subsistence?

You must show evidence that you can afford to remain in the Schengen region for the duration of your trip, as well as that you can afford to leave the Schengen area once your visa expires.

Please keep in mind that your withdrawal from the Schengen region can be to your own country or to a third nation where you do not have citizenship or residence; if the latter, you must show confirmation that you will be able to enter the nation upon arrival.

At least one of the following can be used to demonstrate evidence of subsistence:

• Statement from the bank (s).

• Payment receipts (and/or proof of work) from several months (usually at least three).

• The official invitation.

• The personal invitation.

Whenever possible, bring genuine materials/documents of the aforementioned; otherwise, print out/make photocopies of them to submit with your visa application.

In some situations, private lodging and/or proof of lodging might serve as proof that you have secured proof of subsistence for your stay in your particular Member State 

For children, generally accepted proof of sustenance can be in the form of a legal guardian pledging to cover all expenditures associated with the applicant's anticipated stay in the Schengen area. In this scenario, the applicant's legal guardian must submit the same proofs of subsistence as previously.

While different nations have varying requirements/preferences for demonstrating means of subsistence for Schengen visas, the types of proofs (and accompanying documentation) listed above are core needs. Detained info about submitting proof of subsistence is most likely available from the consulate of the nation you are applying to. Consult your local consulate or embassy for information on how to produce proof of sustenance in the Schengen country where you plan to remain.

Posted By

GSP Admin