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Important information regarding

Emigration Clearance Stamping

(Jinu Mathew)

With effect from 01/10/07 POE would be waived for the following countries . POE is required  for applicants with Work permit.

 Malaysia

Thailand

Indonesia

Gulf countries (Except Iran and Israel)

POE has been waived off for all the other countries as per the Notification( dated 28/12/06) by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs)

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by Siddharth Mathur
 

The name "Schengen" originates from a small town in Luxembourg. In June 1985, seven European Union countries signed a treaty to end internal border checkpoints and controls. More countries have joined the treaty over the past years. At present, there are 15 Schengen countries, all in Europe.

The 15 Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. All these countries except Norway and Iceland are European Union members.

Traveling in Europe has been simplified with the introduction of the Schengen visa. As a visitor to the Schengen area, you will enjoy the many advantages of this unified visa system.

With a Schengen visa, you may enter one country and travel freely throughout the Schengen zone. Internal border controls have disappeared; there are no or few stops and checks. This means that internal air, road and train travel are handled as domestic trips, similar to travel from one US state to another. Those who traveled in Europe before Schengen know the difference.

All depends on the place(s) you want to visit. If you intend to visit only one Schengen country, you must apply at the Embassy or Consulate of that particular country. You apply at the Embassy or Consulate responsible for the state where you live.

If you intend to visit several Schengen countries, you must apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country which is your main destination.

If you intend to visit several Schengen countries but do not have a main destination, you should apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country which is your first point of entry.

The Schengen countries have joined efforts to enhance the quality of their service to the public. A central database, common procedures and criteria for visa issuance and use of the same visa sticker with high-level built-in security are all assets for both our countries and you the visitor. Moreover, the use of a common visa system has enabled us to re-organize our office network. Today the Schengen countries are represented by professional and skilled staff at a much wider network than before. We now have over 1,500 offices worldwide, of which nearly 100 are located in the United States.

The Schengen visa helps promote a unified Europe, and is therefore an important symbol of the European Union

Member States of the Schengen area have elaborated uniform rules as to the type of visas which may be issued for a short-term stay, not exceeding three months, on the territory of one, several or all of those States.

The Schengen member states offer visa-free travel to holders of certain passports that allows 90-day travel for tourist purposes.

The uniform visa enables aliens that are subject to the visa requirement to present themselves at the external border of the Member State which issued the visa or that of another Member State and request transit or stay, depending on the type of visa. The uniform visa is granted in the form of a sticker affixed by a Member State onto a passport, travel document or another valid document which entitles the holder to cross the border.

In other words, mere possession of a uniform visa does not confer automatic right of entry. It will only be granted if the other transit or entry conditions laid down by the Schengen Agreement have been met, notably the means of subsistence that aliens must have at their disposal, as well as the purpose and the conditions of the stay.

To obtain a Schengen visa the traveller must take the following steps:

1. He or she must first identify the Schengen country of his or her main destination. This element will determine the State responsible for deciding on the Schengen visa application and therefore the embassy or the consulate where he or she will have lodged the application. If his or her intention is to visit several Schengen countries during the trip, he or she will have to file a visa application at the embassy of the country where he or she will make his first entry in Schengen area. If the Schengen State of the main destination or first entry does not have a diplomatic mission or consular post in his or her country, he or she will have to contact the embassy or the consulate of another Schengen country, normally located in his country, which represents, for the purpose of issuing Schengen visas, the country of his or her principal destination or first entry.

2. He or she must then present the Schengen visa application to the responsible embassy or consulate. A harmonised form is to be submitted, together with a valid passport and, if necessary, the documents supporting the purpose and conditions of the stay in the Schengen area (aim of the visit, duration of the stay, lodging). He or she will also have to prove means of subsistence, i.e. the funds that he or she has to cover: on the one hand, the expenses of the stay taking into account its duration and the place where he or she will reside and, on the other hand, the return to his or her home country. Certain embassies or consulates sometimes call the applicant to appear in person in order to explain verbally the reasons for the visa application.

3. The traveller must finally have a travel insurance which covers, for a minimum of € 30 000, any expenses in connection with repatriation for sanitary reasons or with emergency medical treatment occurred during his stay. The proof of the travel insurance must in principle be provided at the end of the procedure, i.e. when a positive decision has already been made as for the granting of the Schengen visa.

4. Requirements for family members of an EU citizen differ from those indicated above. In general there is no requirement to provide information about employment, or prove means of subsistence. In addition, no fee is required for the visa to be issued.

For citizens of countries not party to the Schengen Agreement, restrictions exist that govern the length of one's stay within the Schengen area. The general rule stipulates a maximum 90-day stay within a 180-day period beginning from the first day of entry. Provided a multiple-entry visa has been granted, one may leave and return a number of times within the 180-day period but the combined stay within the region must total no more than 90 days.