Appeal Letter
The appeal letter for a Schengen Visa refusal is an official demonstration letter written by a Visa applicant to dispute a Schengen Visa rejection.
The letter must be well-structured and highlight clear thinking and solid justification as to the reason(s) why the decision of the Embassy was incorrect.
The appeal letter must be written with solid grounds on why the decision should be overturned, bearing in mind that if your Schengen Visa application was rejected, you have two options:
- Appeal the decision
Only appeal if you have strong reasons to believe the decision was incorrect, and you can prove it.
For example, if your Visa was rejected because the Visa officers were not sure about your intentions to return to your country of residence, it is not enough to believe that the decision was incorrect because you know that you intend to return to your country of residence.
You must prove your rootedness by attaching supporting documents to your Schengen Visa appeal.
- Submit a new application
There is no specific moment that determines when new applications can be submitted.
You can do it whenever you want as long as you submit new (and up-to-date) documents and not the documents you have offered for the rejected application (e.g., new application form, employment documents, bank statements, etc.).
When a Schengen Visa is refused, the applicant receives an official letter from the Embassy/Consulate, typically stating that they were rejected for a specific reason (sometimes the reasons are not included).
At the bottom of the rejection letter (in the “comments” or “remarks” section), each Schengen Embassy/Consulate points out that the applicant may appeal against the decision to refuse/annul/revoke the Visa within a specific period (each Embassy/Consulate has a particular period within which the rejected candidate can appeal) as provided by their national law.
Also, the refusal letter must indicate in the “comments” or “remarks” section the references to the national law of the Schengen State who refused the Visa and the procedure related to the right of appeal, including the competent authority with which an appeal may be lodged, as well as the time limit for lodging it.
Therefore, if your Schengen Visa was rejected, the law of each Schengen country allows you to appeal the decision as long as you follow the steps indicated at the bottom of your refusal letter (which vary according to the Schengen country that refused your Visa).