I received my second Schengen visa from the UK today, so I thought I’d share my experience, timeline, documents I submitted, and the itinerary template I used. Hopefully this helps someone who’s applying soon.

**Background:**  
· Indian citizen  
· Living and working in the UK for the past 3 years

**My second Schengen visa application:**  
I applied through Belgium for a 5-day trip in the end of July (Belgium: 3 days and Netherlands: 2 days)

**Timeline:**  
· 22 June 2026: Completed and submitted the VisaOnWeb application.  
· 24 June 2026: Booked a TLScontact appointment for 1 July.  
· 1 July 2026: Submitted documents and biometrics.  
· 7 July 2026: Received an email that my passport was ready for collection (4th working day).  
· 8 July 2026: Collected my passport and received my visa.

**Visa granted**:   
30-day multiple-entry visa with 3 months validity.

**My previous Schengen visa:**  
My first Schengen visa was issued by France for a 6-day trip in April. I was granted a 30-day multiple-entry visa with around 45 days validity. I used it exactly as planned. My first trip was to France (as per my submitted itinerary) and second trip was to Switzerland for 3 days during the visa validity. The visa expired in June, and since I had another trip planned for the end of July, I applied again immediately after it expired.

**What I mentioned in my cover letter:**  
This time, I briefly explained who I am, what I do, what my plan is, how I had used my previous visa, the exact dates of both trips and that I fully complied with the visa conditions and tourism remained the main purpose of my travel. I also added that I intended to visit more Schengen countries during the summer and would return to the UK after my trip to resume my job and continue my life here.  
I personally feel that keeping everything honest, clear, and straightforward makes the application much stronger.

**Documents I submitted:**  
· Completed VisaOnWeb application form  
· Original passport + copies of all pages containing visas and immigration stamps  
· Copy of my valid UK immigration status  
· Schengen travel insurance (I used Coverwise Annual Silver Plus)  
· Confirmed Eurostar/train reservations  
· Hotel bookings covering the entire trip  
· Bank statements (last 3 months)  
· Credit card statements (last 3 months)  
· Employer reference letter  
· Last 3 months’ payslips  
· Detailed travel itinerary (template attached below)  
· Cover letter

For finances, I showed roughly 3× my estimated trip budget. A rough rule that many people mention is around £100 per day, although this isn’t an official requirement. I feel even a lesser balance shouldn’t be a problem if your intent and documentation are clear and consistent but that’s just my opinion. 

**Travel itinerary:**  
I’ve attached the itinerary format I created in Microsoft Word. It’s nothing fancy, but it clearly includes what’s required. I think the format matters less than making sure your itinerary is logical, organised, and consistent with the rest of your application.

**One small surprise:**  
The passport photos I had used for my France visa application (around 2 months earlier) were not accepted for my Belgium application. The staff told me I needed new photos and couldn’t reuse the previous ones. It wasn’t a big issue since there was a photo booth at the TLScontact centre, but it was something I wasn’t expecting.  
   
Hopefully this helps someone applying through Belgium from the UK.

I’m not a visa agent or an expert—just sharing my personal experience in case it’s useful. Happy to answer questions if I can!

My 2nd Schengen Visa (Belgium) from the UK – Timeline, Documents Submitted & Itinerary Template