The short answer
Fill in the Schengen visa application form exactly as your passport and papers read: names in fields 1 to 3 as printed in the passport, your real employer, purpose, main destination and dates, and who pays. Use the online version where your embassy requires it, then print, check every page and sign before your appointment.
In Bangla
শেনজেন ভিসার আবেদন ফর্ম পাসপোর্ট ও কাগজপত্রের সাথে হুবহু মিলিয়ে পূরণ করুন: ১ থেকে ৩ নম্বর ঘরে নাম পাসপোর্টে যেমন আছে তেমন লিখুন, তারপর আসল নিয়োগকর্তা, উদ্দেশ্য, মূল গন্তব্য, তারিখ আর খরচ কে দেবেন তা লিখুন। দূতাবাস অনলাইনে চাইলে অনলাইনে পূরণ করুন, তারপর প্রিন্ট করে প্রতিটি পাতা মিলিয়ে স্বাক্ষর দিন।
Key takeaways
- The harmonised Schengen form has 32 numbered fields and a declaration, and every country's online version asks the same questions.
- Fields 1 to 3 must match the passport exactly, and every later answer must match your supporting papers.
- Germany, France and the Netherlands require the form online, while Italy's checklist asks for it filled in English or Italian and signed.
- Field 25 is your main destination, and it has to match the consulate you apply to and the nights you have booked.
- The form is free, and you are responsible for every answer even when someone else typed it.
The Schengen visa application form looks like paperwork, but officers use it as the index to your whole file, and every answer is compared with your passport and papers. This guide goes through the harmonised form section by section for Bangladeshi applicants, shows where each country wants it completed, and lists the mistakes that cause trouble at the consulate.
Where do you get the Schengen visa application form?
The form is free, and where you fill it in depends on your main destination. Germany wants it on VIDEX, France on France-Visas and the Netherlands on the Dutch consular portal. Italy's checklist asks for the form filled in English or Italian and signed. For other countries, take it from the embassy or visa-centre site.
Whatever the system, the questions follow the same harmonised form from the EU Visa Code, so the guidance below works for all of them. The German embassy also posts a Bangla version for reference, but its counter accepts only the English or German form. For the rest of the process, from booking to collection, see our Schengen visa from Bangladesh guide.
What goes in each part of the form?
The form has 32 numbered fields in five groups: who you are, your travel document, your home and work, your trip, and who pays. Family members of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens leave out fields 21, 22, 30, 31 and 32. The table shows what each group asks and which paper the officer compares it with.
| Fields | What they ask | Compared with |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Surname, surname at birth, first names | The passport's data page, letter for letter |
| 4 to 9 | Date and place of birth, country of birth, nationality, sex, civil status | The passport, and the marriage or divorce certificate |
| 10 to 11 | Parental authority for minors, national identity number | Birth certificate, parents' consent, NID |
| 12 to 16 | Type and number of travel document, issue and expiry dates, issuing country | The passport itself |
| 17 to 18 | An EU, EEA or Swiss family member, if any, and the relationship | Their passport or ID and the relationship papers |
| 19 to 20 | Home address, email and phone; residence in another country | Your address papers and any residence permit |
| 21 to 22 | Current occupation; employer's name, address and phone, or school | Employer letter, trade licence or enrolment letter |
| 23 to 24 | Purpose of the journey and further details | Covering letter, invitation and day plan |
| 25 to 27 | Main destination, first entry, entries requested and travel dates | Hotel bookings, flight reservation and leave |
| 28 to 29 | Fingerprints given for an earlier Schengen visa; entry permit for a final destination | Old passports and visas |
| 30 to 31 | Inviting person or hotel; inviting company | Invitation letter or hotel confirmation |
| 32 | Who pays for the trip and by what means | Bank statements and any sponsor's papers |
How to fill in the Schengen visa form, field by field
- 1
Copy your names exactly (fields 1 to 3)
Write the surname and given names as printed on the passport's data page. If the passport shows a single name, follow the embassy's instruction for the empty field rather than inventing a split. A former surname goes in field 2.
- 2
Take personal details from documents (fields 4 to 11)
Use the passport for birth details and nationality. Civil status must match your marriage or divorce certificate, and the national identity number in field 11 is your NID.
- 3
Enter the passport (fields 12 to 16)
Tick ordinary passport, then copy the number, issue date, expiry date and issuing country. Confirm the passport stays valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen area.
- 4
Describe home and work (fields 19 to 22)
Give an address and phone where you can be reached during processing. For occupation, use the job title on your employer letter or trade licence; students give the school's name and address.
- 5
State the purpose and destinations (fields 23 to 27)
Tick one main purpose and add detail in field 24; the covering letter expands on it. Field 25 is where you spend the longest time, field 26 where you enter first, and the dates must match the flight reservation.
- 6
Record earlier fingerprints (field 28)
If you gave fingerprints for a Schengen visa before, tick yes and add the date and visa sticker number if you know them. Check old passports rather than guessing.
- 7
Name the host or hotel (fields 30 and 31)
Give the inviting person or the hotel for the main stay, with the address and phone exactly as the invitation or booking shows. Business travellers add the inviting company in field 31.
- 8
Say who pays (field 32)
Tick yourself or a sponsor and the means of support. If a relative pays, name them and bring their papers, because the answer has to match your statements.
- 9
Check, print and sign
Read every page against your papers, print all pages, including the barcodes where the online system adds them, and sign. A child's form is signed by the parents or legal guardian.
Can someone else fill in the form for you?
Yes. An agency, a relative or a visa centre's form-filling service can type it, but you sign it, and the declaration makes you responsible for every answer. The form itself warns that false statements lead to refusal or annulment of a visa and can bring prosecution, so read the printed version against your papers before signing.
If an agency prepares your file, ask whether it checks with Visolv. It drafts the form answers in the order of the official form from your actual papers, ties each answer to the page it came from, and agency staff approve the draft before you see it, so the form and the papers say the same thing. Here is how that works.
What are the most common mistakes on the form?
The most common mistakes are small mismatches: a name spelt differently from the passport, travel dates that differ from the reservation, a main destination that does not match the hotel nights, or an occupation that differs from the employer letter. Each one forces the officer to decide which paper to believe.
- Copying names from the NID instead of the passport. The form follows the passport.
- Ticking several purposes. Choose the main one and explain the rest in field 24.
- Picking a main destination for its reputation. Field 25 has to reflect where most of your nights are.
- Leaving dates loose. Arrival and departure in field 27 should match the reservation and the leave letter.
- Guessing at field 28. Look for an earlier Schengen visa in old passports instead of ticking no out of habit.
- Signing an unread form. If someone else typed it, you still answer for every line.
What happens to the form after you sign it?
At the visa centre, staff check that the form is signed and matches the passport, take your fingerprints and photo, and add the form to your file. The consulate then reads it against your papers and stores the data in the Visa Information System, where other Schengen consulates can see it for up to five years.
So a careful form pays off beyond this trip. Your next application is compared with this one, and consistent answers make the next file easier to read. If this application is refused, our guide on what to do after a Schengen refusal explains how to read the refusal form.
The Schengen visa application form rewards care, not cleverness. Copy your passport exactly, describe the trip you will really take, check each answer against your papers, and if you use help, go through a visa agency that uses Visolv so the form and the file match.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Schengen visa application form free?
Yes. The harmonised form states that it is free, and the official online versions on VIDEX, France-Visas and the Dutch consular portal cost nothing to use. You pay only the visa fee and the visa centre's service fee when you lodge. If someone charges you for a blank form, download the same form from an official site instead.
Can I fill in the Schengen form by hand?
It depends on the country. Germany, France and the Netherlands require the form online and have you print it from their systems, with barcodes on the German version. Italy's checklist asks for the form duly filled in English or Italian and signed. Check your main destination's checklist, and write clearly in capitals where handwriting is accepted.
What should I write as the main destination on the form?
Write the Schengen country where you will spend the longest time, or, if two stays are equal, the country you will visit first. That answer, in field 25, must match the consulate you apply to and your hotel bookings. Field 26 is separate and asks for the country where you will first enter the Schengen area.
What if my passport shows only one name?
Copy the passport exactly and follow your embassy's or visa centre's instruction for the empty name field rather than splitting the name yourself. Consistency matters more than format: the same spelling should then appear on the insurance, the bookings and the covering letter. Ask the visa centre before the appointment if the online system will not accept the entry.
Who signs the Schengen form for a child?
A minor's form is signed by the parents or legal guardian. Italy's checklist says both parents or the legal guardian must sign, and field 10 asks for the guardian's name, address, phone, email and nationality. The child's file also needs a birth certificate and the consent of any parent who is not travelling.
Does the Schengen form ask about previous visas?
The current harmonised form asks in field 28 whether your fingerprints were collected for an earlier Schengen visa application, with the date and visa sticker number if known. Embassy checklists separately ask for copies of earlier Schengen, UK, US or Canada visas. Answer accurately, because consulates can see earlier applications in the Visa Information System.
The Visolv team
Editorial team, Easital Technologies (Dhaka)
Visolv is software for visa agencies, made in Dhaka by Easital Technologies: an AI caseworker that reads and checks every paper in a client's file, writes the drafts and builds the upload pack under the agency's own brand. We write about what we see in real visa files from Bangladesh.
