Applying for a Schengen Visa to Germany in Dubai

Hubby and I have wanted to go to Germany for so long (since 2011) to visit our family, but something always comes up to cancel our plans. However, “good things come to those who wait” and finally, finally, we’ll be pushing through with our trip next month. Hurray!

Although I had applied for a Schengen visa before, that was way back in 2005 and my application was part of our group for the World Youth Day; no personal appearance was asked of me then. This year was the first time we would apply without any help (i.e. travel agency or guide) so I made sure I gathered all the information I needed to apply for our visas.

All the basic things you need to know can be found here (including the forms) but allow me to share what we did so you have an idea about the process.

First thing we had to do was make sure our passports and visas were at least 90 days valid from the first date of our trip. It was a good thing I did my research back in November last year because that’s when I found out Caila’s and my passports were expiring in April and June 2014. Once we received our new passports, I realized that my visa was expiring in July. Fortunately, when I explained the situation to my manager, he understood completely and instructed our PRO to renew my visa 4.5 months prior to when it was due.

Finally all of our passports and visas were valid. Since we weren’t going to Europe as tourists (meaning we knew people there and were being invited to visit), they had to send us a Formal Obligation (“Verpflichtungserklärung” in German) as part of the requirements. We had sent copies of our passports to them in December, and we received the document in March. Once we received the Formal Obligation, that’s when we booked our appointment online. We had to pay a total of Dhs411 for the VFS Service Fee which was automatically charged to Hubby’s credit card.

That done, we started gathering the rest of the documents we needed, and on the 25th of March, Hubby and I headed to VFS in Wafi City with all of these in hand:
• Completed Application forms
• Signed Instruction forms
• Original passports with UAE Residence Visas
• Original Formal Obligation
• Original Employment certificates
• Bank statements of the past 3 months
• Flight booking
• 2 Photographs each (white background)
• Overseas medical insurance
• Photocopies of our passports, visas, and the Formal Obligation
• Printed copy of the Appointment Schedule

There weren’t that many people applying so we didn’t have to wait long before our number was called. However, as there were 4 applications in our group (Hubby’s, mine, Caila’s, Sophie’s), it took the staff almost an hour to sort everything out. Caila and Sophie are below 6 years old, so we didn’t need to bring them along for personal appearance. However, we did have to complete a couple more forms (which the staff provided) as their parents. After she had made sure the documents were in order, we waited for a few minutes and then another staff took our fingerprints. And once that was done, we were given our passport copies with a receipt of all the fees we paid for that day:
• Visa Processing: Dhs300 × 2 (Caila’s and Sophie’s applications were free!)
• SMS Service: Dhs5 × 4
• Courier Service: Dhs30 × 4

We were told it would take at least 2 weeks, but to our surprise, we received our passports on the 2nd of April…just 8 days after we applied. Yaaaay!

Just a month to go and we’ll be in Europe. I can hardly wait!

Day 14: 5 April - KFC Fellowship and Performance

Our morning yesterday was spent at Mamzar Park with the rest of the other Parent Coordinators, PSTs and their children of our KFC cluster. As the newest PSTs were the ones in charge of the fellowship, the only things the rest of us had to bring for the picnic were disposable cups, plates and utensils. It was a big spread of sinangag, menudo, bacon, scrambled eggs, tortang talong, dinakdakan, fried lumpia (which the kids hoarded by themselves), dinuguan, fresh mango and bagoong, banana bread, kutsinta, and I can’t remember what else. Everything was so delicious! And when Marlon and Jhan arrived, they brought with them homemade siomai! Happy tummies again!

As soon as everyone had had their fill and rested a bit, the kids and their daddies or nannies walked to the pool area and enjoyed swimming and splashing around. During that time, the mommies had a meeting to discuss our monthly activity. We didn’t let Sophie swim, but she kept herself entertained by chasing the birds and butterflies that she saw flying around the park.

Yesterday night was the CFC Community Mass and Assembly. We reached the venue just as the KFC kids were singing the last few lines of Seasons of Love, making Hubby and I panic and rush to the stage wings because our performance (the one we had been practicing for last Thursday night) was next. I was supposed to be with the group who entered from the right, but because we were in such a hurry, I ended up joining the other group who entered from the left and just blended in with my original group. Good thing I was in the back so I don't think many people noticed. And because of our nervousness, there were a few steps some of us…ok, a lot of us…forgot. By the time Pharrell Williams’ song "Happy" ended and we had exited the stage, we were all laughing at ourselves and from relief that it was over.

Day 13: 4 April - Unplanned Visit to Dubai Mall

We were on our way to a farm when it suddenly started to rain late Friday morning. That forced us to change our plans and turn towards the nearest mall: Dubai Mall. We first went to the Build-a-Bear Workshop (as requested by Caila) where she watched as a teddy bear was being stuffed, dressed, and accessorized.  As we were walking to find the Aquarium, we came across the dinosaur skeleton. It’s been a while since we visited the mall so this big display was a nice addition to what we normally see. Caila said it was a brachiosaurus (I thought she was making it up but apparently there really was a dinosaur with that name), but a quick check in the leaflet said the fossil belonged to a sauropod.  There, we spent a few minutes staring up at the skeleton and watching the clips about the dinosaur.  Finally we left and, walking around some more, located the Aquarium where our girls stared in amazement at the thousands of sea creatures. Our malling ended with a walk around the big Candylicious store before we headed home.

The sudden change in our plans brought by the rain didn’t dampen our spirits. In fact, it was nice to see that a quick stop at the mall was enough to make our girls excited at all the things they saw…without making a dent in our pockets.

Day 12: 3 April - Health Card Renewal, Vaccination, and Dinner

Sophie had a vaccination appointment at the health centre in the evening, and it was a good thing I checked her health card the night before otherwise I wouldn’t have known it had already expired last January! Yikes! Fortunately, one of our company drivers was available on Thursday morning, so with my manager’s permission, he took me to Dubai Hospital. As Caila was also due for vaccination this year, I thought to renew her card as well. However, I couldn’t find her card anywhere so I just hoped her records were in their system and the renewal could easily be done. I forgot to bring their original passports with me, but I did bring the copies, a photograph of each, and their Emirates IDs.

Sophie’s card renewal took less than a minute. However, Caila’s took some time. In the beginning, the lady tried entering Hubby’s and my mobile numbers. No record. Using the passport and visa copy, she tried Caila’s visa number; but since it was new (it was cancelled, then I sponsored her, then we cancelled it again, then Hubby sponsored her again), her record didn’t show. Then she entered her first name. Still nothing. Finally, she tried her middle name (my maiden name) and surname…and, success! Turns out one of the digits on the mobile number was wrong, and Caila’s first names were spelled incorrectly. It was a good thing the staff was in a good mood, otherwise I might have been told that I needed to look for the old card or return with her old passport with her old visa. After paying the charges for the renewals (Dhs110 each), I showed the receipts to the lady and she gave me the cards with a smile. Hurray!

Sophie was ready and waiting for Hubby and me when we arrived home that night. Traffic was a bit heavy so we were a few minutes late for our appointment, and we had to wait a while because there were other patients as well. But because the health centre had a toy, rocker, Little Tikes playhouse and little see-saw, these helped keep our little girl preoccupied. Soon we were called in to the room for the assessment, and then it was time for her to take the oral drops and shots on both thighs. From being all bubbly and smiling, Sophie immediately let out cries when she was given the vaccinations. But to our amazement, unlike the babies before her, she didn’t cry that long at all…less than a minute, I think. She even waved goodbye to the nurse as we left, and by the time we were out the door of the health centre, there were no more tears and she was pointing to her thighs and looking at me and saying “Ow?!” Whew!

After Hubby and I had a quick dinner at home, we headed to Deira with Caila for the KFC practice. As soon as Caila saw the rest of the kids, she left our side and ran to them excitedly. It’s really nice to see how much she’s changed from being a really shy girl who would hardly let go of my leg or hand during gatherings to a more confident one who has several friends. Our practice ended at 10pm, and just as soon as we had got into our cars, the rain poured down. Thank goodness we were able to practice and finished just in the nick of time. As most of our friends hadn’t had dinner yet, we all agreed to meet up at Chowking, Al Ghurair where we occupied 2 long tables (one for the adults and another for the kids). The night ended on a happy note because we had finalized the steps, finished practicing, our tummies were filled, and as usual, the meal was accompanied with jokes and laughter from everyone.

Day 11: 2 April

After a disappointing meeting in the morning, I was busy preparing a report when the person at our Reception called my extension telling me that I had several couriered packages to receive…and they turned out to be my and my family’s passports with the Schegen visas issued! This was such a nice surprise because we had just submitted our applications last week and were told that it would take 2 weeks.

After work, Hubby and I met with someone to discuss our plans. Fortunately, the result was positive, affirming what we wanted for our family.

During that meeting, Hubby found out what happened to his former colleague. It was sad news, but at least it gave us a chance to see him…and I’m sure our unexpected visit uplifted his spirits somehow.

Day 10:1 April - Centralized Prayer

It was April Fools Day, but the joke was on me when, upon arriving at the office, I discovered that I had left the keys to my drawer at home in my other bag. Fortunately, one of the drivers was available to drive me all the way home and back to the office. Much better than having to commute!

That night was our Chapter Household at the Hinolan residence. As always, we had a sumptuous and scrumptious meal filled with jokes and laughter. This was followed by a “centralized” prayer (our private household joke) and sharings. In the middle of my sharing, I received a compliment from Tita Pinky. It was really nice, flattering…and totally unexpected. Truly, friends that pray together have many happy moments together.

Day 9: 31 March - Hubby's Talk and Caila's Amazement

Hubby gave a talk about Brotherly Love to a room full of Household Leaders.

On the ride back home, I was able to make Caila amazed and amused at how I “magically” made my shawl appear and turned it into a blanket for her.