SMALL-TOWN GIRLS, MIDNIGHT TRAINS

— travel inspiration for small budgets and big dreams —

travel inspiration for small budgets and big dreams

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A cover letter is one of the requirements when applying for a Schengen visa at the French embassy. In the letter, you’re supposed to explain the purpose of your trip and your proposed day-to-day itinerary. If you’re applying for a visa and you need some ideas for what to say in the letter, how long the letter should be, et cetera, here’s what my 2011 cover letter looked like:

Slight cheesiness alert
Slight cheesiness alert 😀

The itinerary in this letter is only an overview; I submitted a more detailed one as an attachment.

A sample cover letter is included in our Schengen Visa Pack. Other incredibly helpful contents include:

  • A sample Affidavit of Support, which you can use if someone else, like your parents or your boyfriend, is paying for your trip
  • A detailed itinerary template, which includes a budget column to help you prove financial capability for your trip
  • Tips and things you need to know about “show money” requirements for visas

You can learn more about how to get the Schengen Visa Pack HERE. (We accept payments through Cebuana Lhuiller, PayPal, and BPI deposit/transfer, so it’s very easy and convenient.)
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The checklists inside the Schengen Visa Pack are based on the official checklist of the Italian embassy but most Schengen countries have similar requirements anyway so I’m sure you will find them helpful, even if you’re applying at the French or another embassy. (Do make sure that you check with the official embassy/VFS/VIA websites for any new/special requirements they might have.) The sample cover letter, the itinerary template, and the sample Affidavit of Support can definitely be used for any Schengen country.

Also available:

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Good luck and happy travels!

 


 

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Immigration officer tips

 


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Related posts:

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europe 10 days itinerary italy france

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© Small-Town Girls, Midnight Trains. All rights reserved. Thanks to Jasmin of Artistitch for the post inspiration!

70 Responses

  1. Hi. Do you still have your detailed 10 day France-Italy itinerary? Can I have a copy of it? Thank you. 🙂

  2. Hi,

    Me and my boyfriend is planning to apply for a schengen visa. SInce we’re applying together, do we need to have separate cover letter, or one would suffice for both of us?

    1. Hi Riana! Even though you will be applying together, your applications will be separate — that is, you would need to put together your own documents and he would need to put together his own documents — so you would need a separate cover letter.

  3. Hi,

    Me and my father want to apply for a schengen visa, he is self-employed and will be bearing all my expenses for the trip alongside his own, everything is clear thanks to your website and many others as well however we are confused if we need to submit separate covering letters or whether we can list and attach the application forms and the rest of the documents under one covering letter from my dad as my own documents would only be my passport, identification documents and birth certificate aside which all the documents to prove finances are from him and ofcourse the itinerary is the same and have flights and hotels booked for the both of us.

    Please let me know at your earliest convience.
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Jay! I don’t know if there is a specific rule or consideration for families applying together. However, I would suggest that you treat each of your applications as totally separate. Make your own cover letter and have your own copies of each required document, even if they’re identical to what your father will be submitting. If they decide to treat your father’s and your applications as one, then they can just return the extra copies of the documents to you, no harm done — whereas if you only prepare one copy, and they say you need separate copies for each applicant, you would have to find a copier and make the copies. Err on the side of prudence. 🙂 Good luck!

      1. Thought I’d share incase it helps someone in the future, going through a visa drop box each application was submitted separately(ie separate covering letters), while a friends family visited the German embassy and a single covering letter for the entire family was accepted.

  4. hi Ma’am, can i have the copy of your affidavit of support and cover letter in MS word. kindly send in my mail qwertduty1234@gmail.com

    is the affidavit of support is only made by your father or it came from some agency and needed some stamp??

    thank you

  5. hi,

    we are traveling as family. My parents and sister had their visa already after 2 days they applied. However, for me, my husband and 2 yr old daughter, we will apply this coming Tuesday. My worried is my husband is getting his salary only thru cash, and he does not have any bank account. Do youthink po pay slips will be enough to show a prrof of financial, or if i will open a savings account 2 days before the appointment just to show that her cash were transferred in that account. may possible poba madeny kpag ngopen ng account ng biglaan? or I can write a affidavit of support that the hotels and bookings will be paid by my father as his gift to us? Thank you po

    1. Hi Rose. I’m sorry for the delayed reply (there was a death in the family). You mentioned that you were going to apply for a visa last Tuesday. I hope everything went well. I still sent a copy of the affidavit to your email, in case you will find it useful in the future. Also, for what it’s worth, if someone else is sponsoring any part of your travel expenses, it’s best to have that person make an affidavit of support. Opening a savings account 2 days before your appointment probably won’t help — in fact, most countries require a copy of your bank statement 3-6 months before application. For future purposes, I would suggest that you guys open a bank account and start building up your savings there, kahit pa-konti-konti lang muna. Again, I hope your visa application went well and you have a good trip.

  6. Hi Mam,

    Can you tell me how to make sponsorship letter/ affidavit for my fiance? She will only not be having salary slips, ITRs, bank statements. I’m sponsoring her on our honeymoon trip.

    Thanks,
    Ankit Raghuvanshi

  7. Hi! I have few questions in filling up visa application form. Because there are questions that needs to write to name of hotels/accomodations in the member of states. I have 6 accomodations should I write them all? And there’s a follow up question that I should provide the email add and address but its too many and the space doesn’t fit anymore? Hoping for your response soon. Thank you.

    1. Hi Ciel! In that situation, I would usually just write the name of the first hotel that I will be staying in and then just provide a separate sheet of paper with the names and details of the other hotels. I hope that helps. Good luck with your visa and enjoy your trip! 🙂

      1. Hello thank you. I have few more questions regarding applicant’s home address I am currently staying here in Tabuk because I am working here in Saudi and my application will be here as well but I am from Philippines. Which address I will put my address here in Saudi or in the Philippines? As well in in getting travel insurance which address I will put? Thank you for your response.

      2. Hi Ciel. I think you should use the address where you are currently staying but I’m not sure, sorry.

      3. Hell again. I would like to as where will im going to apply a visa? Here in saudi or there in philippines? Which one is better? Im currently eorking here in saudi. Thanks.

      4. Hi Ciel! I really can’t say which would be better because I haven’t tried and don’t know anyone who has tried applying for a visa in Saudi… Maybe you could ask someone who has tried applying in Saudi what their experience was like. And I think it won’t really matter so much, I think what matters more is that you’ve got all the documents that you need. Good luck!

      5. Dear i need student cover letter as i am applying for student visa therefore i need a sample can you help me regarding this

      6. Hi Abid! I’m sorry, I don’t have a sample cover letter for a student visa. Good luck though!

  8. HDli Ma’am,
    I am planning to apply schengen visa to Paris, with my bf invitation. He had his vacation here in Philippines last April,so now it’s my time to meet his family in France. My concerned is, I was separated almost 7 years with my previous husband, but in my passport it’s his surname I bring, because at the very beginning I used it, we are not annulled yet.Do I need to submit a marriage certificate? Or not? Thanks and more power to your page. ..

    Lodelyn

    1. Hi Lodelyn! I’m not sure what’s really the best thing to do in your case, but…hmmmm…if I were in your position, I would just probably prepare a copy of the marriage certificate that has been marked Annulled, and then during the appointment, ask the visa officer if it’s needed. Better to be prepared, I think. Good luck with your visa, enjoy your trip, and thanks for your kind words! 🙂

    1. Hi Muhammad. Unfortunately I am not familiar with the visa requirements for Pakistanis wishing to visit France. I suggest you look up the website of the French embassy in Pakistan — the requirements should be there. Sorry I can’t be of more help. Good luck though!

  9. Ah i see, what about night train ticket confirmations? Do we need to purchase them for the visa application? I read in your cover letter that you submitted train ticket confirmations:)) thank you!

    1. Hi Cheese! Yes, I purchased the night train tickets outright. It’s risky — what if my visa application gets denied, right? — but I bought them ahead of time for two reasons: (1) the train was going to be my accommodation for the night, so the train ticket would take the place of a hotel booking for that day, for visa application purposes; and (2) night train tickets tend to be cheaper if you buy them the moment bookings open, which is around 60-90 days before ETD. Regarding your question of if we *need* to purchase them for the visa application, I’m not sure — I *think* you can just specify in your application that you are taking the night train, that’s why you don’t have a hotel booking for that day, and if they ask if you’ve already bought it, you can just say that you will buy it if your visa gets approved. But, for me, the benefits of buying the train ticket ahead of time outweighed the risk, so I just purchased them outright and just prayed I would get a visa. 😀

  10. Hi
    Both my husband and I need to write a letter for my new visa as I am znot from his country. Do you have any advice or something? I am also 4 months pregnant. And if i dont get a 6 months or longer visa my husband will miss the birth of his first born.

    Pleasebplease please help.

    Alli

    1. Hi Alli. I haven’t tried writing a letter for anything other than a short-term tourist visa but my general advice would be to explain your situation in the letter and to back up all the facts you mention in the letter with documents (for example, an ultrasound report to document your pregnancy). Good luck.

  11. Hi….I have applied for 2 months visa of Germany from Australia. I am a student here in Australia. I submitted all the required documents as per the check list. For Itinerary I gave hotel booking for 2 months and the flight booking. After applying, they gave me an email mentioning that, I need to give them my detailed itinerary of the proposed journey and the purpose of the trip. Later I submitted the document written by me….(the 60 days activities including my accommodation information)…Also I have attached my bus and train schedules in that document.
    Please give me suggestion that, This document is enough for what they required. Thanks in advance.

    1. Hi Royen! Very sorry for the super-late reply. I hope you’ve gotten your visa by now. Have a great trip!

    1. Sorry no. I didn’t make a template for it because I’m sure the consuls will find it strange if a lot of people suddenly had cover letters that sound the same. 😀

  12. Hi,im planning to go poland.can u help me about my cover letter.his my friend and last november he’s here in the philippines for holiday and now is my turn.what am i supposed to write in my cover letter.thank you

    1. Hi Mia! I’ve never tried it, but I suppose if I were you, I would mention some of the details of your relationship, like when and where you met, how long you have been together, what are your future plans, etc. You can mention what you wrote here, that he’s been here in the Philippines, and now he wants you to visit him in Poland. Good luck!

  13. Hi, I am applying for schengen visa to travel to Germany. I work as engineer at local municipality in Dubai, Shall I select the “Job Type” as “Civil servant” or “Others”?

    Thanks in advance for your advice.
    Eyas

    1. Hi Eyas! I’ve just taken a look at the drop-down list of occupations in the application form…and I’m also confused! But I believe “civil servant” connotes government office workers who do administrative work, so unless your job as an engineer mostly involves paperwork, I don’t think that would be a good fit… “Others” would be the safest choice, I think, it’s what I would choose if I were in your place.

  14. Hi,
    I’m applying for Schengen Visa with my sister to Paris,we have an sponsor,do we need to provide also some proofs of income from our sponsor?though my mom works there and our sponsor is her partner,do we need bank statements too? Or do we need train tickets?do we need to state on our letter that our sponsor is my mom’s partner? Kindly give me an idea pls. Thanks in advance

    1. Hi Thet!

      To give you a more comprehensive idea about the requirements, you can read this: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2016/02/27/schengen-visa-french-embassy-new/

      Yes, you will need proof of income and sponsorship from your mom’s partner. You will also need to show how you are connected with your sponsor, so you can submit documents that prove your relationship with your mom (NSO birth cert) + proof of her relationship with your sponsor.

      Good luck!

  15. Hii I am dalip from India , I want information about my invitation letter for France . There have friend who make me invitation ,he find attestation de aquelle , its enough for me get a visa in India ?

    1. Hi Dalip, I cannot possibly say whether anyone’s documents would be enough to get him/her a visa, because the only one who can say that for sure is the consul who makes the decision, and what anyone else will say will just be an opinion. My advice would be to just be meticulous with all your requirements, including your friend’s attestation — maybe find some correspondence that will document your friendship with your host. Good luck!

  16. HI Mam how are you My Name is Rehan belong from Pakistan i need Sample cover letter for applying visa for Hungry i don’t know how to make this letter and its a need of hungry embassy for supporting documents for applying a tourist visa please reply me

    1. Hi Rehan. I just sent you an email — please check your Inbox. Thanks and good luck!

  17. Hi,
    I’m from India and travelling to Istanbul for a week. I am applying for Turkey Tourist Visa through VFS. Among the mandatory documents required an Itinerary/Cover Letter. May I have a sample for a week’s visit, since I understand that a similar practice is carried out for Schengen applications.

  18. Hi. Good day!!
    My daughter have a partner/boyfriend from Finland. Her boyfriend arrived here in Philippines last April 7, 2017 and went back to Finland April 20, 2017. He ask my daughter to apply for a Visa (Shengen) I guess, so she can go to Finland. Please help us how to apply for Shengen Visa here in Phils. and help us make a Cover letter whish is also a requirement. Her Boyfriend will go back here in Philippines this July 2017.

    Thanks for your help. God bless.

    1. Hi Sir Jun,

      I have not tried applying for a Schengen visa through the Norwegian embassy — which handles visa applications for Finland here in the Philippines — so I’m afraid I can’t give your daughter any advice regarding that.

      For the cover letter, we do offer a Schengen Visa Pack, which includes a sample cover letter that you can modify to fit your daughter’s situation. You can read a more detailed description and instructions for how to obtain a copy of our Schengen Visa Pack here: https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/schengen-visa-sample-cover-letter-itinerary-affidavit-support/

      God bless!

  19. I am nationality of india and i wants to apply for schengen visa to travel malta my husband friend is Eu member she is inviting & sponsoring me and covering all the expenses through out the stay … so how to write a cover leyter…. will the visa officer will ask my husband salary slip or bank statement…. as i am an house wife i don’t have proper bank statement …

    1. Hi Josephine! If I were in your position, I would ask my European friend to make a formal Letter of Obligation (if your friend is French, she can do this at their city hall) and I would also submit my husband’s financial documents — the more people supporting the trip, the better. Good luck!

  20. Hi Gaya

    Im planning to apply schengen visa going to Spain and one of the requirements of the sponsor guarantee letter same lng ba yun ng affidavit of support pwede ba siya ang gumawa nun at kailangan pa ba ipa noterized? At sa documents ba ng sponsor pagsasamasamahin ba siya naka stapler as isang file? Hope you could help me this is my first time to apply, at gusto ko sabihin na sa lahat ng blogs na nabasa ko yung sayo ang detailed at klaro, have nice day and God Bless!

    1. Hi Bella! If your sponsor is a Spanish citizen or resident, ask them to inquire at their local town hall regarding the sponsorship letter, kasi may specific document yata na dun sa town hall nila i-e-execute. Don’t staple the documents because the people at the visa application center might want to rearrange them. Good luck!

  21. Follow up question ☺️ What other documents i need to prove to the consulate general that my sponsor is my bf he travel here in the philippines many time and we travel together local and abroad do i nned to include our pictures and photocopy of our old travel tickets thank you again!

    1. Yes, just include them. Actually, just bring all the documents you can think of, tutal if they’re not necessary, the staff will just give them back to you naman.

  22. Hi I been to uk as student from 2010 to 2013 and went just itly in end Of February for few days I lost my passport there and camback early I wana apply france
    Visa so how many chances and if I apply do they find out about my itly visa ?

    1. Hi Ali,

      I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean by “how many chances.”

      The visa application form includes a question about whether you’ve been issued a Schengen visa in the past 3 years, so that is where you will have the opportunity to mention that you had a visa to go to Italy just recently. I’m sure they have a database that they can access to verify that. If you have a photocopy or scan of your old passport (the one that was lost that had a Schengen visa) you should submit that as well.

      Good luck!

  23. can you please help me on how to make a Letter of Presentation, I am applying for a Schengen visa as part of our Diamond Resorts Dream Holiday which will kick on September 8 from Miami to London and we will be arriving in Barcelona on September 21 stay in Barceló,Raval Hotel in Barcelona before we embark on a Norwegian Cruise Line… Europe, Mediterranean 7 day cruise starting on September 24 ; the itinerary will be;
    Day 0…. Barcelona
    Day 1…. at sea
    Day 2….Naples
    Day 3….Civitavecchia/Rome
    Day 4….Livorno/Florence
    Day 5….Cannes
    Day 6….Palma de Mallorca
    Day 7….Barcelona

    after the cruise we want to stay in Barcelona for a six (6) more nights and we will stay in Hotel Atiram before we fly back to Los Angeles on October 7.2017.

    thank you and hope you can help me.
    God bless.

    1. Hi Carmencita! I’m afraid I don’t really have the time right now to make a customized letter. I think what you wrote here is actually a pretty good start and all you have to do is just flesh it out a bit. Good luck!

  24. someone please i’ve been asked for a motivation letter how should i provide it. help!
    plus an itinerary but am only taking a plan to namibia for 5 days and come back to South africa, but i don’t have any itinerary what should i do

  25. Hi want to avail your visa pack. how?
    and for 6 days itinerary.. within near Paris only

    Thank you 🙂

    1. Hi Shielady!

      Thanks for your interest in our Schengen Visa Pack and Comprehensive European Itinerary. You can find a detailed description of these two packs, as well as instructions for how to avail of them, in these articles:

      Schengen Visa Pack – https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/schengen-visa-sample-cover-letter-itinerary-affidavit-support/

      Comprehensive 11-day European Itinerary – https://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2016/01/18/11-days-in-europe-sample-itinerary/#11-day-itinerary

      Please take note, however, that the itinerary is ready-made, for an 11-day holiday covering Paris, venice and Rome. We do not offer customized itineraries at this time. However, if all you need is ideas for your own 6-day itinerary, then it will surely be helpful.

      Good luck in advance!

  26. I am planning to visit four countries (Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Italy ) with my husband and daughter and applying for a Tourist Schengen Visa via Italy Embassy since it remains my main destination . My Travelling dates are 18-Aug-2018 to 31-08-2018 .

    Below are my queries which I am unable to get response from VFS office . Requesting your assistance on the below.

    1) I already have a Business Schengen Visa applied through Belgium Embassy which expires on 14-06-2018 but unfortunately my official trip got cancelled and I could not use the Visa. Can I apply Tourist visa for August now or wait for existing visa to expire. Do I need to give some explanation in the covering letter for not using my Business Visa.

    2) I have already booked train Tickets from Paris to Basel(Switzerland) and Spiez(Switzerland) to Venice (Italy) . But I have not booked advance Train tickets for travelling within Switzerland since I intend to buy Swiss pass when I reach Basel and that will make my within Switzerland Travel free. Please help whether I need to get Swiss pass in advance or I can buy when I reach there . Do I need to give this clarification as well in covering letter.

    1. Hi Silky Puri,

      If you will be applying for a Schengen visa through the Italian embassy, you can direct your questions to the VIA (not VFS) office as they will be the ones to receive your application and can give you guidance that’s more specific to the usual policies of the Italian embassy.

      My five cents on your questions:

      1. You don’t have to wait till your business visa expires. You probably don’t NEED to explain your unused business visa but it won’t hurt to quickly mention it (something like “I was previously granted a Schengen business visa, though the trip that did not push through”) and if they want more details, they can ask you.

      2. I don’t think you need to buy a Swiss pass in advance. You can probably just in your itinerary that you will buy a Swiss pass upon arrival in Switzerland.

      Good luck!

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