Certificate of employment for a Schengen visa

An entry permit to EU countries is approved if there is a correctly issued certificate from the place of work for a visa. This is one of the most important documents that must meet a variety of requirements. But non-working citizens can apply for a visa if there is another confirmation of financial independence.

What is help from work

A certificate from work is a document that is issued to a future tourist by an employer at an official place of employment.

She proves several points to visa officers at once:

1. Having an official job... The applicant is employed, which means that he has every reason to return to his homeland. He will not stay abroad as an illegal immigrant;
2. Stable income. The foreigner has a constant source of funds. This means that he will support himself on the trip;
3. Material status. The higher the salary, the higher the material status of a citizen. A high-earning foreigner will leave a larger amount of money in the country than will support its economy.

Requirements for help from work

The following requirements are imposed on the income document:

• Drawn up on the official letterhead of the organization in A4 format;
• The legal name of the employer and all details must be indicated;
• Salary is indicated for a period from 3 to 6 months (depending on the country of entry);
• The date from which the foreigner works in the company and his position must be present;
• The salary is indicated in the currency in which the employee receives it (usually in rubles);
• The purpose for which the certificate was issued is indicated.

Important! The consulate will accept the document the first time only if it fully meets the requirements.

How to arrange

All Schengen countries have similar requirements for the certificate, as well as for photographs. It can be done in free form, but the document should look according to the following parameters:

1. At the very top of the sheet, the name of the Consulate is indicated, where confirmation is required. If this is not possible according to the rules of the company, the phrase “For filing at the place of demand” will be enough;
2. The heading of the letterhead lists all the details of the employer: PSRN, TIN, website, e-mail, phone number, address;
3. Under the word "REFERENCE" in the center of the sheet is the main part of the document. It begins with data on who the document was issued to (name, position of the employee);
4. Next, the name of the company and the date from which the employee works there are indicated;
5. This is followed by the average monthly salary. Usually one number will be enough, but some countries require a note on the amount of salary for the past 3 months;
6. It is imperative that a note is made that for the duration of the trip, the employee is provided with a planned vacation along with the dates of the vacation;
7. Below is the number of issue and the signature of two persons. The director and the chief accountant / HR worker can sign the paper.

The document must be certified by the round seal of the company. An up-to-date sample of the Help is shown below.

Download a blank certificate from the place of work to the embassy .doc

Important! If the document is issued to the director himself, he cannot sign it. In this case, the signatures are put by the deputy director and the accountant (or personnel worker). Relatives also do not have the right to sign each other's income papers.

How to confirm the income of an individual entrepreneur

If the visa applicant is an individual entrepreneur, he must present:

• IP registration certificate (copy). The earlier the IP was opened, the more confidence there will be in the applicant;
• Tax registration certificate (copy);
• Help 3-NDFL (only for some countries). It must be ordered in advance from the tax office.

All copies must be certified by the organization's stamp and the words "copy is correct".

Certificate validity period

Each state has its own requirements for how long the document should be valid. As a standard, when applying to the Consulate, it should be no more than a month old. For an urgent visa, fresh paper 2-3 days old is served.

Whether the data is checked from the help

Visa officers have the right to selectively check the document on some applicants.

Usually they are interested in the following information:

• Is there a named company in reality;
• Does the visa applicant work there;
• Does the position and salary of the foreigner correspond to the information specified on the paper.

Visa officers can organize a check in several ways: call the employer, order a 2-NDFL certificate or request a copy of the work book. If the employer does not answer during the call on the provided phone number, the visa may not be approved for the applicant.

Important! Providing inaccurate information threatens to refuse a visa.

Alternative proof of income

There are also alternative ways to prove financial independence by sticking a visa to a passport. This:

1. Bank account statement. Issued by an unemployed person or a pensioner. If a person is not officially settled, an impressive amount should be on the account;
2. Sponsorship letter. Suitable if the visa applicant cannot provide for himself. The sponsor can be a blood relative, spouse or company if a business trip is planned. The letter is drawn up in free form, it must be supplemented with an account statement of the provider;
3. Help 2-NDFL. There should be provided information about the manager, name and position of the applicant, the amount of monthly income, as well as the total amount of income, excluding deductions and withholding taxes.

Only a pensioner or an unemployed person can apply for a visa without submitting a work certificate. If a citizen is employed, in any case he will have to take proof of profit at work. With a small salary, you can supplement the document with a receipt from the bank or a sponsorship letter in order to be guaranteed to open a visa.

Registration of a certificate of employment for different EU countries

The states of the European Union have different requirements for the registration of income certificates. For instance:

1. The UK requires the document to be translated into English. It is also necessary to supplement it with a certified photocopy of the work book;
2. For a visa to France, proof of income in the national language is required. What is required is a certificate, not a 2-NDFL form;
3. Every month income is enough for a Greek visa from 15,000 rubles, and to obtain a permit to America, a minimum salary of 30,000 rubles is required;
4. The German Consulate requires a certificate in German and its scan (high-quality photo);
5. To enter Finland, a certificate is not required, it is enough to indicate information about the employer in the application form. But you still have to hand over the biometric data;
6. Delegations in Denmark take economic security very seriously. The applicant's income for the approval of the permit must be at least 500 euros. The working certificate is also supplemented by a bank statement certified by the teller.

Proof of financial independence - an extremely important procedure for visa approval. Individuals with a high salary are more likely to open Schengen than applicants with a low salary. But the latter can successfully obtain a visa by supplementing their certificate with a bank statement.