Why it is long

The cover letter and the day-by-day itinerary are written from these answers, together with the documents you send. Short or vague answers produce a thinner letter. Dates, who pays, where you stay, and who travels with you all have to agree with the rest of the file.

The page says this plainly: this is the background we need to prepare your application properly.

Saving as you go

Use Save draft whenever you stop. Required questions are marked with an asterisk, but a draft can be stored unfinished. Saved drafts are visible only to you and your case team.

The form does not save itself while you type. If you close the browser without Save draft, unsaved answers are gone.

A percentage at the top shows how many required questions already have an answer. While you are still working, the status is In progress.

If you ordered on Fiverr

Spreadsheet answers are copied into the questionnaire when the case is opened. Check every prefilled answer. Correct anything that is wrong or out of date. Do not retype the whole form unless an answer is actually blank.

A wrong prefilled answer is as harmful as a wrong new answer: it can change which documents you are asked for.

Answers decide which documents are asked for

The standard checklist is the same set of items for every case. What you answered decides which of those items actually apply.

Examples of the kind of decision involved:

• Whether you are employed, self-employed, a student, retired or unemployed changes whether an employment letter is asked for.
• Who pays for the trip changes whether sponsor documents appear.
• Where you will stay changes whether a hotel booking or a host invitation is relevant.

Until the deciding question is answered, that document can show Waiting for your answer on your side and Waiting to see if this applies on the team side. A button labelled Answer that question takes you to it. After you submit the questionnaire, a blank optional answer is treated as the answer — for example, leaving travelling companions blank because you are travelling alone.

If an answer is wrong, you can be asked for the wrong things, or not asked for something you do need. Change the answer and use Submit updates so the documents page can catch up.

Submitting

When you are ready, use Submit questionnaire. After that, the page shows Submitted and the date it was sent. You can still change answers later with Submit updates.

If the case has been archived, the questionnaire is read-only.

The four confirmations

The first time you submit, the form asks four confirmations under Before you submit. They are recorded against the case with the date. The wording on the form is:

1. I understand Schengen Partners is an independent preparation service, and not a government body, embassy or visa centre.
2. Everything I have entered is true, and I will tell the team if anything changes.
3. I understand the decision belongs to the consulate, and that no outcome can be guaranteed.
4. I accept the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy.

In practice those four points mean:

• Schengen Partners prepares application materials. It is not an embassy, consulate or visa centre, and it does not issue visas.
• You are responsible for the truth of what you enter. If facts change — dates, funding, who travels — tell the team.
• The consulate decides. Paying for preparation does not purchase a visa or a favourable outcome.
• The confirmation names the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy. The links on the form open the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy.

You are not asked for the same confirmations again when you later correct an answer, unless the terms version on record has changed.