Is Marriage Certificate Required For Schengen Visa

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TheSchengen Visa is a short-stay visa that allows visitors to stay in the Schengen Area of countries - which have removed almost all internal border controls - for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. The Schengen Area includes most EU countries (but not Cyprus or Ireland). It also includes some countries outside the EU - but not the UK.

Schengen countries have created a list of the required documents you need to submit depending on your purpose of entry into the Area - and these requirements are more or less the same for each Schengen state. Here we will provide you with a checklist of the documents you need to meet the Schengen Visa requirements:

You should include an invitation letter from the person you plan to visit, as well as, if applicable, proof of the relationship with the person inviting you, such as a marriage or birth certificate. They must clearly state the duration, purpose, and how you propose to financially support yourself during your visit - this could include an affidavit of support promising you financial or material support.

If you are an employee traveling on company business, you will also need to provide a letter from your employer describing the purpose of your visit, while those invited by a company within the Schengen Area will need to present a letter of invitation sent via email to the consulate of the country you plan to travel to. You will also need to provide an employment contract, a bank statement documenting the last six months of statements, permission from your employer, and an income tax return.

If you are going to the Schengen Area to study in a university or a college, you will need an acceptance letter inviting you to join the institution you plan to attend. The letter must have all the details of your stay there, including your major, the duration of your studies, how the studies will be financed, where you will stay, and contact details.

You will need an invitation letter from those sponsoring you to attend the event, specifying its itinerary, location, purpose, and why your presence is required. Your sponsor will also need to provide contact details, proof of identity and documentation outlining the nature of the event.

Domestic Cruises

In addition to required documents stated below, guests must contact the appropriate embassy or consulate of the countries they will be visiting for specific travel documentation requirements.

Europe and Transatlantic Cruises

U.S Permanent Residents must contact the appropriate embassy or consulate of the countries they will be visiting for specific travel documentation requirements. Carnival assumes no responsibility for advising guests of Immigration requirements.

Schengen Visa Requirements

Under the Schengen regulations, citizens of certain countries will need a valid visa to visit or transit through any country in the Schengen area. There are currently 26 European countries that participate in the Schengen Agreement. The agreement eliminates all internal border controls between the participating countries. Once you enter a Schengen country, you may travel continuously for up to 90 days within the member countries.

Visa requirements vary depending on the passport under which you are traveling and the countries being visited. Proper travel documentation is required at embarkation and throughout the cruise. We strongly suggest that guests visit www.schengenvisa.cc for additional Schengen Visa information and check with the appropriate embassy or consulate of the countries they will be visiting for specific travel documentation requirements. Be sure to provide the complete itinerary of the cruise so the embassy or consulate can provide the correct information. Guests may also contact a visa service agency for assistance.

Please Note: For those about to or recently have been married, we strongly recommend that if the non-expired government-issued photo I.D. is in the maiden name, the cruise booking be made in the maiden name (do not include the married name); If the reservation was made in the married name, but the non-expired government-issued photo I.D. is in the maiden name, documentation (original or clear, legible copy) supporting this change is required (at embarkation), such as a marriage certificate or marriage license. Failure to bring documentation bridging the name differences could result in denied boarding.

Traveling with Minors

When traveling with a minor where one parent or both parents or legal guardians are not cruising, we strongly recommend bringing an original signed letter from the absent parent(s) or legal guardians authorizing the minor to travel with you. If there is no second parent with legal claims to the minor (due to sole custody, deceased, etc.) other relevant paperwork, such as a court decision, death certificate, birth certificate naming only one parent, would be useful to bring in place of a signed letter. This will expedite processing by the Department of Homeland Security.

If you are an EU citizen and you are living in or travelling to another EU country, your family can join you, including core family members who are not EU citizens. If, for example, you are a French citizen living in Italy, and your spouse is a US citizen, they can join you in Italy.

However, this does not apply to the country of your nationality. If, for example, you are a German national and your non-EU family members want to join you in Germany national rules apply.

Depending on the country they are from, your non-EU family member may need a visa. If a visa is required, it should be free of charge and issued under an accelerated application procedure as a core family member of an EU citizen (see the information on applying for a visa below).

Your non-EU core family members refers to your spouse, children, dependent descendants, dependent parents or dependent grandparents. It also applies to your non-EU registered partner but only if the country they are travelling to considers registered partnerships as equivalent to marriage.

Under certain conditions, other non-EU extended family members travelling with you or joining you may also be entitled to an accelerated visa application procedure: siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, as well as your non-EU durable partner. This also applies to registered partners in countries where registered partnerships are not considered as equivalent to marriage. EU countries do not automatically have to facilitate their entry, but they do have to consider the request.

Your non-EU family members must carry a valid passport and, depending on the country they are from, they may also need an entry visa. If they have a residence document (card or permit) they may be exempt from visa requirements (see tool below). There is a list of countries whose nationals do not need a visa to visit the EU for short stays up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Contact the consulate or embassy of the country you are travelling to well in advance to find out which documents your non-EU family member will be asked to present at the border. The information on travel documents and visas provided here also applies for travel to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

If your non-EU family member has a residence card or a residence permit issued by a Schengen area country they may not need a visa. Using the tool below, check if they need an entry visa for the country they are travelling to.

Ying, the Chinese spouse of a German national living in Finland, has been issued with a residence card as an EU national family member in Finland. Ying and her husband wish to travel to Romania for an autumn break. As Ying has a valid passport and a residence card as an EU family member, she is not required to obtain an entry visa to travel to Romania.

Marek is a Czech citizen. He resides with Meera, his Indian spouse in Bulgaria. Meera holds a valid passport and a residence card as an EU family member issued by Bulgaria. Meera travels alone to France and then to Ireland on holiday. As Meera has a valid passport and a residence card, she does not need to obtain an entry visa to travel to any of those 2 countries, even if she travels alone.

Joyce, a Nigerian national, lives in the Netherlands with her Dutch husband Luuk. As a family member of a Dutch national, Joyce has been issued with a Dutch residence permit in the Netherlands. Joyce wishes to join Luuk on his next business trip to Dublin. As Ireland is not part of the Schengen area and does not recognise Schengen residence permits, Joyce is required to obtain an entry visa to travel to Ireland with Luuk.

The information provided here applies for travel to the 27 EU countries and to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. However, some specific rules might apply for travel to Switzerland (check the information on visas provided by the Swiss authorities).

If your non-EU family members need an entry visa, they should apply for one in advance from the consulate or embassy of the country they wish to travel to. If they will be travelling together with you or joining you (in an EU country other than the country of your nationality), their visa should be processed as soon as possible on the basis of an accelerated procedure, free of charge. Processing times for visa applications of non-EU family members exceeding 15 days should be exceptional and duly justified.

Your non-EU family member should clearly indicate on their visa application form that they are applying for an entry visa as a family member of an EU citizen. If this is not clear on the application form, they may be issued with the wrong type of visa for which they will be charged.

An EU country may also refuse a visa application for reasons linked to "public policy public security or public health". If this happens, the authorities must prove that the visa applicant poses a "genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat". An EU country may also refuse a visa application for reasons linked to abuse or fraud.

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