What is a Cover Letter for Schengen Visa Application and What Important Points Should it Include?

I have had some people sending me private messages to ask help about what to do when their visa application got denied. I have no experience about making a remonstration, so I mostly just tell them to follow the instructions given by the embassy in their denial letter.

The denial letter will include a leaflet where the embassy will cross-mark the reasons for the denial along with information about the legal remedy.

Legal Remedy for Denied Schengen Visa Application
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Reason 3. You have not provided proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the duration of the intended stay or for the return journey to the country of origin or residence.
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Reason 8. The information submitted regarding the justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not reliable
Reason 9. Your intention to leave the territory of the member States before the expiry of the visa could not be ascertained.
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First, I would like to mention that I have successfully applied for visit visas to Germany with the invitation of my German boyfriend (now husband) prior to applying for a marriage visa. Meaning, this article may be more helpful in relation to a sponsored visit visa application. 

The embassy does not accept incomplete applications. That is also stated in their checklist for visit visa application. I have always submitted complete documents, to the letter. This means that I also follow all the instructions. If the embassy says print the application in A4 size paper, follow it! If the embassy says, don't staple your picture into the application form, don't! Arrange the documents as instructed. Provide clear (if possible, colored) photocopies of documents as required. Double, triple check your documents before submission. Every detail counts.

NOTE: The embassy has the right to retain ALL documents you have submitted during your visa application. DO NOT submit original copies of documents that you want to keep later (e.g. ITR, Title of Properties, etc.) The only original document the embassy may require is the Formal Obligation from your host. Read the check-list carefully.

My profile when I applied for a visit visa for the first time in 2016:

• Employed by same company for 10 years
• Met my boyfriend once prior to visit visa application
• Visited two non-visa countries before visa application for tourism purposes (self-financed)
• Applied for a 30-day visit
• Submitted all documents, to the letter
• Submitted a Formal Obligation
• No Proof of personal properties submitted
• No Bank Statement submitted

Changes in my profile in my subsequent applications between 2016 - 2018:

• Self-employed
• Proven proper use of previous visit visa
• Applied for a 90-day visit

Now, let's discuss the points listed in those pictures, not in relation to a remonstration, but in order to address it already upon application.

What? How to address it? I already have COMPLETE documents!

You can add value to your application by submitting a convincing cover letter.

What is a Cover Letter and what is its purpose?

A cover letter is simply a letter that will serve as an introduction of all the other documents you submitted in the application. A cover letter can serve as your second voice in the application. It can be a personalised validation of the information that you supplied in your application form and can also serve to explain additional points in your application which cannot be presented thru a document. 

An excellent cover letter should be:

• Cohesive. The cover letter should tie-up all the documentation you submitted.
• Consistent with details. It should be consistent with the details supplied in your application form and the content of your documents.
• Honest. This is self-explanatory. Aside from getting your visa application denied, you also risk being banned from future visa applications if you supply fake documents or bogus information.
• Concise. This could be tricky with all the points you need to cover as discussed below, but as much as possible give your information clearly and briefly. Don't give a full-blown story of your life.

What points should be covered in the cover letter?

Purpose of your application (Why are you going to Germany?) 

As I mentioned before, I applied my visit visas with my then-boyfriend as the sponsor. My purpose of travel is simply stated as, to visit my boyfriend in Germany. No other elaboration. If you want to elaborate, mention, for example, meeting his parents or family. Do not use clichés such as, ''to see the many beautiful sights of Germany.'' Be specific.

An overview of your itinerary

This should include the entry and exit dates to and from the Schengen area and the means of travel. For example: Entry date - 10.10.2019, MNL - FRA via Singapore Airlines. You do not need to buy a flight ticket for a visit visa application. This part of your cover letter will be enough to explain the travel details and duration. Indicate also if you have plans of travelling to other countries. Make sure that your travel plans are consistent with your purpose of visit.

If you are employed, match the no. of days you requested for your visit visa with your approved leave of absence from work. Note that it is very uncommon for an employer to allow a 90-day leave in the Philippines and the embassy also knows this.

Family ties and a short introduction of yourself

This is not mentioned in the visa checklist but your cover letter should also give a short overview of your family profile. Are your parents living in the Philippines or abroad? Do they depend on you financially? How many siblings do you have and do they work, do they live with you or your parents? Do you have family responsibilities such as taking care of your parents or children? As you answer these questions, you should already understand the purpose of this profiling.

In the context of the Filipino culture, your family can be the reason for you to either come back to the Philippines OR tempt you to work illegally in order to support them. Highlight the economic stability of your family members.

You should also include a short introduction of yourself, showing that you have a stable financial situation in the Philippines. Sadly, for a Philippine passport holder, this is always the premise of all our tourist/ visit visa applications, that we will use this as a short-cut to find work in other countries. We need to convince the embassy that this is not the case for us.

Economic bonds

Show evidence that you have a steady source of income. Your cover letter should explain how you earn your living, how long you have been in your job and what is your current position.

DO NOT present documents, such as ownership of a car or a condo or a house and lot, that will not match with your employment and professional situation. The embassy is well aware of how much an average waged worker in the Philippines earns and if you submit mismatched documents, it can give the impression that you are faking it.

An ITR is one of the easiest document you can submit as legal proof of your income. It also gives a good impression if you can show that you are a good law-abiding Filipino if you pay your taxes, especially when you are self-employed. If you are a licensed professional, mention it too and include a copy of your PRC ID Card in your application.

Previous travels outside of the Philippines

If you have been out of the country before, mention this and attach a copy of the passport data page and the pages with the immigration stamps. Give emphasis that you never abused your previous visa/s and that you have always returned to your home country without violating any visa rules.

Changes in personal situation (since last visa was granted)

If you have been granted previous Schengen visa/s but your personal situation has changed since your last approval, explain how and why your current situation is more to your advantage. For example, my first application was when I was still employed. When I applied the second time, I was still officially employed, but I can not submit an approved application leave. My employer will not allow me a 90-day leave from work. In my letter, I explained why I can not submit such document and that I plan to resign and will be self-employed upon my return from Germany. I explained how this is more beneficial to me, in terms of flexibility and possibility of more income. I also submitted as proof of my registration a copy of the accomplished and stamped BIR Form 1901.

Proof of financial coverage for the whole visit

For visit visa, this can be covered by a Formal Obligation from your sponsor (the person who invited you). The Formal Obligation is a document one can get from the Aliens Authority or Ausländerbehörde. You can also add for emphasis that your sponsor will cover all your costs, including accommodation, flights and transportation.

I personally never submitted a Bank Certificate or Bank Statement in all my applications but if you feel compelled that the submission of these documents will strengthen your application, DO NOT use the common tactic of ''show money'', wherein the applicant borrows a big amount of money from some relative and have it deposited to their account. Your ''show money'' should also be consistent with your income. The person who will evaluate your application is not stupid.

Note: It is important to know the difference that while both visitor visa and tourist visa are categories of Schengen visa, a visitor visa can either be sponsored OR self-financed; a Tourist Visa, on the other hand, should be self-financed. 

Proof of relationship to your sponsor

If you have a sponsor, give a short narrative of your relationship, i.e. for a boyfriend who sponsors the visit, mention how you met, how many times he has visited you, and for how long. Mention also your means of communication (FB messenger, WhatsApp, etc,) and the frequency. Attach photocopies of his passport with the Philippine immigration stamps during his visits. If you have been on a holiday trip together, mention this and include also boarding passes or hotel invoices that reflect both your names.

If you have no other way to show proof of relationship except your chat conversations, don't print out the whole 499,998 pages of it. Provide excerpts of your normal conversations from different periods in your relationship to show frequency of communication. You may omit the intimate parts. The embassy is not interested in your love story.


Include also a short declaration of your future plans giving emphasis and guarantee that you know the visa rules and will not violate it.

Do not use suggestive terms (of endearment) when referring to your sponsor. If your sponsor is your boyfriend, refer to him as such. Do not use the term, ''hubby,'' if he is not your husband. Do not refer to him as your fiancé, if you are not officially engaged.

Mention the documents you submitted for each point you have covered. If there are any documents you cannot submit, specify the reasons why you cannot submit and explain alternative documents that you may have submitted.

Who should write the Cover Letter?

By definition, a cover letter should be written by the visa applicant. BUT. I believe it will also add value if your sponsor can show that he knows all the points covered above about the person that he is inviting (proof of relationship.) I would recommend, then, that your sponsor include all the points discussed above in his Letter of Invitation. Just make sure that if your sponsor writes the letter, you completely understand the full details. The letter may be in German or English. In my case, my husband (who is more attentive to details) and I will first make a draft in English and if all is satisfactory for both of us, he will make the final letter with a German and an English version. You may submit your letter in original or scanned (printed email) copy. It should be signed.

NOTE: I would like to digress a little with the topic of the letter of invitation. Some people seem to misinterpret the term ''informal letter of invitation'' as listed in the embassy website. I think that refers to any informal invitation addressed to YOU by the sponsor. If you address any letter to the embassy, remember that you are writing to a government agency and should observe formalities.

Bah! I NEVER had to write all those complicated stuff, and I got approved!

Well, there is no surefire formula for a successful visa application, but the more visa criteria points you meet, the closer you are to getting approved. So, for those who are planning to apply, try including a cover letter. It just might be what's missing in your application. Viel Glück!