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Japa: 7 Mistakes To Avoid When Applying For A Schengen Visa In 2024

Applying for a Schengen Visa in 2024 remains a challenging endeavor, as it has always been. The process involves meticulous documentation, an interview, and a fee.
As of June 11, 2024, the Schengen visa fee increased from €80 to €90. However, applicants can improve their chances of success by avoiding common mistakes that often lead to rejection.
Common Mistakes in Schengen Visa Applications
Here are seven mistakes, Besart Bajrami, founder of SchengenVisaInfo, advise applicants to avoid when applying for a Schengen visa:
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Relying on Inaccurate Document Lists
Many first-time applicants follow advice from friends or family who previously obtained visas. Visa requirements, however, vary by country and are regularly updated. Bajrami advises using the official list from the relevant embassy or consulting SchengenVisaInfo for up-to-date requirements.
Passport Issues
A valid passport must meet specific criteria:
Valid for six months beyond the trip date. Issued within the last ten years. Contain at least two blank pages.
Failure to meet these standards can result in rejection.
Inconsistent Application Form Information
Ensure all information on the application form matches other documents. Discrepancies, intentional or not, can lead to denial.
READ ALSO: Japa: Top 10 Easiest Countries To Get A Schengen Visa In 2024
Inadequate Travel Insurance
Travel insurance with a minimum coverage of €30,000, including repatriation in case of death, is mandatory. Applicants should ensure their policy covers the entire trip duration and meets all requirements.
Incorrect Application Timing
Applications must be filed no earlier than six months and no later than 15 working days before the trip. Filing outside this window can result in delays or rejection.
Submitting to the Wrong Embassy
If visiting multiple Schengen countries, submit your application to the country where you will spend the most time or the first country you will visit if staying equal days in each.
Failure to Bring Cash for Fees
Visa fees must be paid in cash. Applicants should bring the exact amount to avoid complications.
By addressing these common pitfalls, applicants can enhance their chances of obtaining a Schengen Visa.
Headline
Welcome Home, Israel Confirms Return Of 20 Hostages From Gaza

Israel said that the last 20 living hostages released by Hamas on Monday had arrived in the country.
“Welcome home,” the foreign ministry wrote in a series of posts on X, hailing the return of Matan Angrest, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Elkana Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa Dalal, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Segev Kalfon, Bar Kuperstein, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, Yosef Haim Ohana, Alon Ohel, Avinatan Or and Matan Zangauker.
READ ALSO:Trump Gives Update On Israel, Hamas Peace Deal
AFP
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20 Members Of Gang Blacklisted By US Escape Guatemala Prison

Twenty members of a gang designated a “foreign terrorist organisation” by the United States have escaped from detention in Guatemala, a prison chief said Sunday.
The members of the Barrio 18 gang “evaded security controls” at the Fraijanes II facility, prison director Ludin Godinez said at a news conference.
He received “an intelligence report” on Friday warning about the “possible escape” from the prison, which is southeast of the capital, Guatemala City.
Godinez said they were investigating possible acts of corruption.
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Washington last month blacklisted Barrio 18, an El Salvador-based gang which has a reputation for violence and extortion, as part of its crackdown on drug trafficking.
The US embassy in Guatemala condemned the prison escape as “utterly unacceptable.”
“The United States designated members of this heinous group as the terrorists they are and will hold accountable anyone who has provided, provides, or decides to provide material support to these fugitives or other gang members,” the embassy said on X.
It called on the Guatemalan government to “act immediately and vigorously to recapture these terrorists.”
READ ALSO:US Threatens To Sanction Countries That Vote For Shipping Carbon Tax
According to Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez, there are about 12,000 gang members and collaborators in Guatemala, while another 3,000 are in prison.
The country’s homicide rate has increased from 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024 to 17.65 this year, more than double the world average, according to the Centre for National Economic Research.
According to the Salvadoran government, the gangs Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, are responsible for the deaths of about 200,000 people over three decades.
The two gangs once controlled an estimated 80 percent of El Salvador, which had one of the highest homicide rates in the world.
Headline
South Africa Bus Crash Kills 40 Including Malawi, Zimbabwe Nationals

At least 40 people, including nationals of Malawi and Zimbabwe, were killed when a passenger bus rolled down an embankment in South Africa, a provincial transport minister said Monday.
The bus travelling to Zimbabwe crashed around 90 kilometres (55 miles) from the border on Sunday after the driver apparently lost control, Limpopo province transport minister Violet Mathye said.
“They are still working on the scene, but 40 bodies have already been confirmed to date,” Mathye told the Newzroom Afrika channel. The dead included a 10-month-old girl, she said.
READ ALSO:South African Court Finds Radical Politician Malema Guilty On Gun Charges
Thirty-eight people were in hospital and rescuers were searching for other victims, she told eNCA media.
The bus was travelling from the southern city of Gqeberha, around 1,500 kilometres away, and its passengers included Malawians and Zimbabweans who were working in South Africa. The crash may have been caused by driver fatigue or a mechanical fault, the minister said.
South Africa has a sophisticated and busy road network with a high rate of road deaths, blamed mostly on speeding, reckless driving and unroadworthy vehicles.
AFP
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