Getting family over for a visit: how the visitor visa works

If your family lives in a visa-required country, a visit means a Schengen visa (Type C). The paperwork looks worse than it is, but the refusal rate is real, and almost all of it comes down to one issue.

Who needs one

Nationals of visa-required countries need a visa to enter the Schengen area: Turkey, Pakistan, India, the Philippines, Iran, Egypt and much of Africa among them. The list is fixed by EU Regulation 2018/1806.

Step 1: the invitation, from this end

As host you log in at nyidanmark.dk and complete the digital invitation, forms VU1 or VU2. You state:

• who you are inviting: name, date of birth, nationality
• your relationship to them
• the period of the visit
• whether you are covering travel and accommodation.

Step 2: the application, from theirs

Your relative then applies through the Danish embassy or a VFS Global office in their country. Reckon on 15 to 30 days.

What they need to bring

• a passport valid for at least three months beyond the visa
• travel insurance covering at least EUR 30,000
• a return ticket or a clear plan for the return
• evidence of funds, bank statements
• evidence of ties to the home country: work, property, family
• and the digital invitation from you.

Why applications get refused

Almost always one of four things:

• Doubt about the return. Weak ties at home read as a risk of overstaying, this is by far the most common ground.
• Finances. A thin balance, or no documentation of who is paying.
• No travel insurance.
• A previous breach. An overstay or unlawful work anywhere in Schengen.

Where to put the effort

Everything hinges on demonstrating that your relative has reasons to go home:

• settled employment, with a letter from the employer confirming approved leave
• a home they own, a tenancy, or a business
• a spouse and children remaining in the country
• ongoing study, membership or community commitments.

If it is refused

A refusal can be appealed to the Immigration Appeals Board within the deadline, see our piece on appeals. Alternatively a fresh application can be made, but only with the original objection properly answered; an identical resubmission gets the same result.

We can help with the application or with a refusal that has already arrived.