Quick tips, before you apply.
Short, practical advice from the questions people ask Arshaq every week. Tap a tip to read it.
Schengen · 3 min readWhich Schengen embassy should you apply to?
The main-destination rule, the tie-breaker, and when to apply.
Which Schengen embassy should you apply to?
The main-destination rule, the tie-breaker, and when to apply.
A Schengen visa covers 29 countries, but you apply through just one. Picking the wrong embassy is a common reason files are sent back.
The rule
- Apply to the country where you spend the most nights
- If nights are equal, apply to the country you enter first
- For business trips, the country of your main meeting or event usually counts as the main destination
When to apply
Most Schengen embassies accept applications up to six months before travel and at least 15 days before. In summer, start early: appointment slots go fast.
Write your night count per country on your itinerary. It makes the choice obvious, for you and for the officer.
Rules change. Confirm current requirements with the embassy or with Arshaq before you apply.
Documents · 2 min readCheck your UAE residence visa first
Most embassies look at how long it stays valid after you come back.
Check your UAE residence visa first
Most embassies look at how long it stays valid after you come back.
Before you book anything, look at the expiry date on your UAE residence visa. Most embassies expect it to be valid for at least three months after your return date.
If it expires soon
- Renew it before you apply, not after
- Use the renewed residence visa and Emirates ID in your file
- Keep the old copy only if the embassy asks for history
This one check saves you a trip back to the visa centre. People ask me about it every week.
Rules change. Confirm current requirements with the embassy or with Arshaq before you apply.
Funds · 3 min readBank statements that tell a calm story
Steady is better than big. Here is what officers look for.
Bank statements that tell a calm story
Steady is better than big. Here is what officers look for.
Officers read your statements to see two things: that you can pay for the trip, and that your money comes from a normal, steady source.
What helps
- Three to six months of statements, stamped or downloaded from your bank
- Regular salary or business income going in
- A balance that comfortably covers the trip
What raises questions
- A large deposit just before applying, with no explanation
- Statements that stop before the application date
- A balance that only appears in the last few days
If something looks unusual, explain it in one line in your cover letter. A sponsor letter from family can also support the financial side.
Rules change. Confirm current requirements with the embassy or with Arshaq before you apply.
Schengen · 3 min readSchengen travel insurance: what it must cover
The €30,000 rule, which dates it must match, and where people slip.
Schengen travel insurance: what it must cover
The €30,000 rule, which dates it must match, and where people slip.
Every Schengen short-stay application needs travel medical insurance. It sends files back more often than almost anything else, and nearly always for small reasons.
What the policy must include
- At least €30,000 of medical cover, including emergency treatment and repatriation
- Validity in every Schengen country, not just the one you are visiting
- Cover for the whole stay, from the day you enter to the day you leave
Where people slip
- Insurance that ends a day before the return flight
- A policy that only covers the main country
- A cheap plan that leaves out repatriation
Match your insurance dates to your flight reservation, then add a day on each side. It costs little and removes the most common mismatch.
Rules change. Confirm current requirements with the embassy or with Arshaq before you apply.
Planning · 3 min readDon’t pay for flights before your visa
What a genuine reservation is, why it beats a paid ticket, and the line you never cross.
Don’t pay for flights before your visa
What a genuine reservation is, why it beats a paid ticket, and the line you never cross.
Most embassies advise against buying non-refundable flights before your visa is approved. If the decision takes longer or your dates move, you lose the money.
What to use instead
- A genuine, changeable or refundable booking from an airline or agent
- A held reservation that shows real flight numbers and your name
- Hotel bookings with free cancellation
The line you never cross
A reservation must be real. Never submit an edited or made-up ticket. Officers can check, and a false document causes far bigger problems than a delay.
Keep your reservation dates identical across the itinerary, insurance and cover letter.
Rules change. Confirm current requirements with the embassy or with Arshaq before you apply.
UK · 3 min readUK visa on a new passport? Bring the old one
Your travel history lives in your old passport. Here is how to show it.
UK visa on a new passport? Bring the old one
Your travel history lives in your old passport. Here is how to show it.
A fresh passport has empty pages, and empty pages say nothing about how you travel. Your previous trips still count; you just need to show them.
What to do
- Keep and bring your old passports, even expired ones
- List previous visas where the form asks about travel history
- Include copies of earlier UK, US, Schengen or other visas if you have them
Lost the old passport? Say so plainly in your cover letter and list the trips you remember with rough dates. This saves you a trip back.
Rules change. Confirm current requirements with the embassy or with Arshaq before you apply.
Documents · 4 min readA cover letter in five simple parts
One page that ties your documents together, so the officer doesn’t have to.
A cover letter in five simple parts
One page that ties your documents together, so the officer doesn’t have to.
A cover letter is not a formality. It is the one page that connects everything in your file.
The five parts
- Who you are: name, nationality, UAE residence and job
- The trip: destination, purpose and exact dates
- Funding: who pays and where the money comes from
- Your return: job, family, lease or business that brings you back
- The documents: a short list of what is attached
Keep it to one page. Every date and amount in the letter should match a document in the file.
Rules change. Confirm current requirements with the embassy or with Arshaq before you apply.
USA · 4 min readThe US DS-160 form without starting over
What to prepare before you open the form, and how not to lose your progress.
The US DS-160 form without starting over
What to prepare before you open the form, and how not to lose your progress.
The DS-160 is the online application for a US visitor visa. It is long, it times out, and every answer must match what you say at the interview.
Before you start
- Your passport and any previous US visas
- Travel dates and where you will stay
- Employment details, including your manager’s contact
- A recent photo that meets the US photo rules
While you fill it
- Save often and note your application ID
- Answer exactly; do not round dates or guess
- Print the confirmation page with the barcode for your interview
Read your answers once more the night before the interview. The officer will ask about the same things.
Rules change. Confirm current requirements with the embassy or with Arshaq before you apply.
Refusals · 4 min readRefused before? Fix this first
Why the same file rarely gets a different result, and what to change.
Refused before? Fix this first
Why the same file rarely gets a different result, and what to change.
A refusal is not the end, but reapplying with the same documents rarely changes the outcome. Start with the refusal letter.
Step by step
- Read the reason given, word for word
- Add evidence that answers that exact point
- Explain in your cover letter what has changed
- Declare the earlier refusal honestly in the new form
Never hide a previous refusal. Most systems already show it, and hiding it creates a far more serious problem.
Rules change. Confirm current requirements with the embassy or with Arshaq before you apply.