Preparation of documents for a visa includes a fairly extensive package, including a certificate from your place of employment. A certificate of employment for a visa is issued according to the requirements of employees and contains information about accrued wages for the required period. Naturally, the likelihood of obtaining a visa in many cases depends on the amount of salary: the higher it is, the better. In the following material you can find a sample salary certificate to submit to the embassy, and also find out how long it is valid.
Why do you need a certificate?
Some countries require citizens of other countries who wish to visit them to provide a certificate of employment. Such documents guarantee that a person is simply a tourist or a business traveler, that is, if he has a permanent job with a good salary, he most likely will not dare to violate the rules of visiting another country, much less stay in it as an illegal migrant.
Also, such documents certify the fact of a person’s solvency and, by and large, his reliability.
Information at the place of request
This is the most numerous category of documents. Depending on the location of the request, the content of the certificate may vary. Therefore, when ordering a certificate, it is imperative to clarify where you are going to provide it. Documents of this type are mostly filled out in free form.
Please note that a document without the seal of the organization and the signature of management has no legal force. Also, a note about the issued certificate must be contained in a special registration journal of the enterprise.
The certificate must contain only relevant and objective information, and if it contains links, they must lead to valid and relevant documents.
Are the certificates always the same?
Requirements for certificates from different states may differ slightly from each other, but they must always indicate the person’s place of work and his salary.
In some cases, a minimum salary may be set, but even if there is none, it is better if it is not less than 25-30 thousand rubles (otherwise a refusal may follow).
To prevent the negative consequences of too little wages, a citizen can also provide the embassy with an extract from his bank account (with a tidy sum in it) or a certificate from the place of work of the travel sponsor (which could be, for example, a close relative).
Certificate from the bank for a Schengen visa
Most Schengen countries require a bank certificate confirming the existence of an account to confirm the client’s solvency. As a rule, it is valid for one month (however, when applying for a visa to Lithuania, for example, the certificate must be received no earlier than 1 week before the date of submission of documents). It is mandatory when applying for semi-annual and annual visas. This document from the bank must indicate: the name of the bank, the name of the client, the amount of funds in the account. It is allowed to indicate not the entire amount of funds in the account in the form of the phrase: “The balance is not less than XXXX.” The certificate must be signed by a bank employee and have the bank's seal. To obtain Schengen visas to some countries, it is not necessary to provide a certificate from the bank, but rather to provide a document confirming currency exchange (with mandatory indication of the applicant’s passport details) - for example, when applying for a visa to Spain - or a copy of a credit card and a receipt from an ATM indicating the balance of funds ( when applying for a visa to Italy). Also, for some consulates, it is enough to provide travel checks issued to the applicant. The amount required for a stay in the Schengen countries is usually 60 euros per day of stay (the equivalent in any currency), in some countries it is 70 euros (Switzerland, Luxembourg, etc.). Italy has established special rules for financial guarantees for visas to Italy. The specifics of providing documents on financial solvency for each country can be found in the “Schengen visas” section.
Who usually writes the document?
At enterprises and organizations, the preparation of such certificates can be carried out by any employee whose job functions include this responsibility: an employee of the accounting department, a personnel specialist, a secretary. In any case, this must be a person who has complete information about the employee who needs the certificate or is able to quickly collect it.
After generation, the certificate must be signed by the director of the company and the chief accountant - without their autographs it will not be considered valid.
Only relevant and truthful information is required to be included in the certificate, since embassy staff carefully check such documents. If inaccuracies, errors, and even more so unreliable or deliberately false information is discovered, entry will most likely be denied.
Who should apply for a certificate at work?
In order to obtain a visa successfully, you need to prepare a certificate at the place of your main official work. Please contact:
- accounting employee;
- secretary (if his duties include working with financial documents);
- HR specialist.
You may be interested in: Documents for a visa to France: how to collect and where to submit?
A sample certificate of employment for a visa is available for employees who are involved in finance. After receiving the paper, you need to submit it for signature:
- senior accountant;
- to the immediate supervisor;
- director of the company.
Feature: the certificate must contain reliable and relevant information at the time of registration. Inadequacies, discrepancies or errors may result in visa refusal.
Receiving process
A work certificate for a Schengen visa is valid for 30 days from the date of issue. The registration procedure should begin by submitting a written application addressed to the immediate supervisor.
Review takes place within 3 working days. The maximum period is 7 days. Urgent production of a certificate is possible. For this purpose, this fact must be indicated in a written application (it is best to indicate the desired date).
Drawing up a certificate
Today, a certificate of employment to the embassy does not have a unified standard form that is mandatory for use, so it can be written in any form or, if the company has a template developed and approved for use, based on its sample. The only condition that must be met in any case: the certificate must, in terms of structure, meet certain requirements for office work, and in terms of content, include a number of certain data (including those required by the receiving country).
Filling out the help title
The “header”> of the certificate should indicate:
- name of company;
- its details: TIN, checkpoint, address, telephone;
- date of issue of the certificate;
- indicate which country it is required for submission to the embassy of (if there is no exact name of the organization, then you can simply write “at the place of requirement” - this is quite acceptable).
Filling out the body of the certificate
The main part of the document should indicate:
- to whom exactly the certificate is issued: position, last name, first name and patronymic of the employee;
- the date from which he is registered at the enterprise;
- the amount of his salary (for several previous months or for the year);
- the fact that while the employee is leaving for another country, he is provided with legal leave (i.e., no dismissal is expected);
- It is advisable to indicate the scope of activity of the organization.
If the employer considers it necessary to provide some additional information or it is required by the embassy of the country to which the citizen is traveling, then it can be included in the document as a separate paragraph (sometimes it is necessary to provide the telephone number of a specific employee of the enterprise who can confirm all the information contained in the certificate).
Requirements and sample certificate of employment for a visa
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How to get a certificate from your place of work? A company letterhead with organization details and contact information (legal address, phone numbers in the header) would be helpful.
A certificate from work for a Schengen visa in 2020 can be in free form, but the mandatory items include:
- name of firm/company/enterprise
- address of the company/company/enterprise
- your position and time of work in the company
- the period for which leave is granted and the note “with pay”
- income per month (preferably from 25 thousand rubles) or average salary per year
The visa certificate must be certified by the seal of the organization and the signature of the director/accountant.
By the way, the consulate doesn’t call you at work. We and our friends were not disturbed; we also did not see such reviews on the forums. But if a consulate employee called for your soul, please let me know in the comments.
Are you an individual entrepreneur? The individual entrepreneur's employment certificate for a visa includes a copy of the registration certificate and a copy of the TIN.
Certificates from your place of work for a visa can be found below.
sample certificate of employment for a visa
List of documents for a Schengen visa
Received a Schengen visa to Spain for 2 years
Schengen is a visa that will allow you to fly to any country in the Schengen zone: Italy, the Czech Republic, and almost all of Europe. Next, we will describe an approximate package of documents required to obtain it in 2020 (if the purpose of the trip is tourism / recreation).
The list depends on the country, but usually the list - for an applicant over 18 years of age - includes:
- questionnaire - specific for each country
- photo (2 pieces)
- International passport – original and copies
- copies of completed pages of the Russian passport
- insurance for the duration of the trip (where to get inexpensive - read below)
- booking accommodation (hotels and hostels on Booking, apartments and houses on Airbnb - both are 100% visa suitable)
- flight booking (the best search engines are here)
- certificate from work at the place of request
- bank account statement or sponsorship letter
To the above, you can add documents for movable and real estate that you own. As additional proof that you will not abandon your apartment/car and will return home.
For a child, the following are added to the list above:
- instead of a certificate from work - a certificate from school
- as financial security - a sponsorship letter
- up to 14 years old - copy of birth certificate
- consent to travel from parents (each country has its own requirements)
Visa insurance - where to look for the cheapest?
The Schengen zone also includes medical insurance as a mandatory document for entry. Without it, it is unlikely that a visa will be granted. And that's not even the point. In the event of an unexpectedly manifested disease or even injury, “European treatment” will be expensive.
General requirements for issuing a policy:
✓ amount of insurance coverage from 30,000 euros or more (we usually take from 50,000)
✓ coverage area – ALL Schengen countries
✓ validity period of the policy – the total time of stay in the territory of the Schengen country
The most time- and cost-effective option for obtaining insurance for a Schengen visa is online. The most famous services:
- Cherehapa
- Compare.ru
- Strahovkaru
You can contact a travel agency or visa center. However, in our experience, you will have to pay twice as much there.
How to register correctly
There are no strictly defined requirements for the design of the certificate, as well as for its content. You can write it on an ordinary sheet of A4 paper or on the organization’s letterhead, by hand or in printed form.
The main condition that must be met: the form must be certified by the “living” signatures of two employees of the company - the director (or a person authorized to act on his behalf) and the chief accountant. In this case, it is precisely authentic signatures that are needed - facsimile autographs (i.e., printed using various types of cliches) are unacceptable.
If the company's regulations stipulate the rule of using stamped products to endorse the company's internal and external documentation, then the certificate must be stamped.
The certificate is made in one copy , but if necessary, you can make the required number of certified copies. Information about the certificate should be entered in the journal of outgoing documentation.
How to confirm income of an individual entrepreneur
If the visa applicant is an individual entrepreneur, he must present:
- Certificate of registration of individual entrepreneur (copy). The earlier an individual entrepreneur was opened, the more trust the applicant will have;
- Certificate of tax registration (copy);
- Certificate 3-NDFL (only for some countries). It must be ordered in advance from the tax office.
Certificate 3-NDFL
All copies must be certified by the organization’s stamp and the inscription “Copy is correct.”
There are alternative ways to confirm financial independence by affixing a visa to your passport. This:
- Bank account statement. Issued by an unemployed person or a pensioner. If a person is not officially employed, there should be an impressive amount in the account;
- Sponsorship letter. Suitable if the visa applicant cannot support 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 and must be supplemented with an extract from the account of the providing person;
- Help 2-NDFL. It must contain information about the manager, the name and position of the applicant, the amount of monthly income, as well as the total amount of income, without deductions and withholding taxes.
Help 2-NDFL
Only a pensioner or an unemployed person can apply for a visa without submitting a work certificate. If a citizen is employed, he will in any case have to take proof of profit at work. If your salary is small, you can supplement the document with a bank receipt or a sponsorship letter to guarantee a visa.
Alternative ways to prove financial independence
A certificate from work does not always provide an opportunity to obtain a visa. If the salary is below the level required by the country, permission to travel will be denied. Owning bank funds is a universal way to confirm your financial solvency. Department employees will favorably accept statements from a deposit, current account, or bank card. The loan certificate is not considered, considering that the money does not belong to the visa applicant.
The documents of the financial and credit organization indicate the amount of money in the account or card. You will also need a statement of cash flows for the last 3 or 6 months, depending on country conditions.
Citizens who have difficulty proving their financial well-being can, if necessary, travel abroad with the help of sponsors. This is the name given to persons who undertake to provide financial support for a tourist during a trip. They write a letter confirming such intentions.
Sample sponsorship letter.
The person providing financial support may be a relative living both abroad and in Russia. If a citizen is invited to another country for work or an event, he is paid for the trip. The obligation to prove his income now lies with the sponsor, he prepares documents.
How long is the certificate valid?
Each state has its own conditions regarding the duration of the certificate. In most cases, the period is 30 days, sometimes it can vary from 2 weeks to 3 months. When applying for an urgent visa, the processing time is reduced to 2-3 days.
The validity period of a business document can be found by contacting the visa center by phone or visiting the website. However, it often happens that the information provided does not coincide with what is provided upon arrival. To avoid getting into such a situation, you need to make a request to the embassy. Attach the letter with the response to the documents to avoid further disagreements.
It is best to order the certificate immediately before submitting the package of papers, then there will be no problems with its validity period.
Additional information on obtaining a certificate
In addition to the information that was discussed in the article above, the applicant must take into account that when issuing a certificate, he must keep in mind the following data :
- The document can only be drawn up on standard size A4 sheet. Other formats, such as A3, are not allowed.
- Some Schengen countries may require you to provide additional information. As a rule, this depends on the legal norms enshrined in the relevant laws of the Schengen states.
- Sometimes embassy employees require that the document be prepared strictly in English. So that you do not have to redo the certificate, read in advance the information about the procedure for issuing visas to Russian citizens on the websites of the embassy or consulate of the country you plan to visit, or call the embassy or consulate for advice.
Do they check the data from employment certificates?
Consular officers conduct random checks. Interested in the following information:
- whether there is an organization that issued the document;
- whether the visa applicant works there;
- what is his position and salary?
A common method of verification is to call the specified phone number. A company employee should warn the person who will be calling. It is imperative to respond, because there may not be a second attempt to contact. Often consular employees do not introduce themselves and may not engage in conversation. They are interested in the reality of the numbers indicated. Phone numbers in the document should be business, not private. If calls are not answered, your visa will most likely not be approved.
Sample 2-NDFL certificate confirming the amount of salary.
Another way to check is to request a 2-NDFL certificate, which confirms the amount of wages. They may require a copy of your work record. Such methods are resorted to if doubts arise about the reliability of the information provided.
Responsibility for false data
Falsification primarily concerns the level of material support. Because Schengen countries require that the income of a person wishing to visit the state be 25,000 rubles. per month, applicants inflate their salaries. Sometimes applicants provide incorrect information about their place of work and position.
Consulate staff have the opportunity to check all information. If it turns out that she is not truthful, the visa will not be issued. Trying to get permission again after some time may not be successful. Embassies often ban people who provide false information from entering the country for life.
