Schengen Visa Interview Questions & Answers (Easy Guide, Our experience With Malta in 2025)

I was in Malta for Christmas with family and all of us needed to get a Schengen visa before the trip. I applied for my Schengen tourist visa from France since I was staying the longest in France post the trip to Malta.

So imagine our surprise when some of us were called for a Schengen visa interview. In this post, I write about what are some of the Schengen visa interview questions and answers, what was our experience like and what you can expect if you are called for a Schengen interview.

Schengen Visa Interview Details

Before I go into the details, I wanted to give a small introduction and our backgrounds.

Like I mentioned before, I applied via France and did not have to attend a Schengen visa interview. My 2 year Schengen tourist visa was approved in a day and I got my passport in less than 3 days.

Frequent readers of this site will know that I travel a lot and hence haven’t faced a visa rejection before.

But to add, both my sisters and my parents are extremely well travelled, have been to the Schengen zone multiple times in the past and one of my sisters have even worked in the Schengen zone for around 8 months.

It was both my nephew’s (aged 10 and 2) first time to the Schengen area though. My 2 brother in laws and my husband did not join us for this trip.

My sister and one nephew who lived in Dubai had to only go to the VFS to submit their documents and take biometrics. Even though they were told that Malta embassy in Dubai might call them for an interview, they were not called for an interview.

My sister and my parents in Bangalore were called for a Schengen visa interview appointment.

What is a Schengen Visa Interview?

A visa interview is usually done by a member of the embassy to assess if you, a Schengen visa applicant are capable of visiting their country.

This interview could be face to face, over a phone call or over a video call depending on the country requesting it.

Do all countries conduct Schengen tourist visa interviews?

Not all countries conduct these interviews. But a large number of applicants to Iceland, Malta and Hungary are usually called for these interviews.

Malta used to not be on the list before. But in recent years, many applicants who are tourists have misused the Malta visa system to gain access to the country and Europe as a resident. Hence, they are stricter these days.

Are they the same as a Schengen visa appointment?

No, they are not the same.

All visitors to the Schengen zone need a Schengen visa appointment to submit their documents and biometrics.

However, a very tiny percentage of these are called for a Schengen tourist visa interview.

What do they check during a tourist visa interview?

These interviews are to check the following things:

• That you are a law abiding citizen.
• All the documents that you submitted are genuine.
• You have the necessary funds for your trip.
• You won’t overstay the duration of your visa.
• You are going to the country for reasons that you have submitted in your application.
• You have an intention to come back to your resident country once your trip is over.
• You won’t try to change your visa to a resident status once you are in the said country.

How do I schedule an interview with the embassy? Schengen visa interview location

As mentioned before, you do not have an option to schedule an interview. This needs to be decided by the embassy.

In our case, the Malta embassy got back to us around 15 days after they submitted their documents. It was the festival season then and that could be the reason it took so much time to review their application.

We received a mail asking my parents and my sister to come to VFS Bangalore for an interview. The interview was scheduled for 7 days from the date of the mail. This was also informed to the primary applicant (my dad) by phone.

P.s My 2 year old nephew was not asked to attend the interview for obvious reasons but they still took him.

What documents need to be carried for Schengen interviews?

Please note that this is in addition to all the documents that you submitted during your Schengen visa appointment.

This is clearly mentioned in the visa interview mail and please carry all of the below:

• Printout of the mail.
• Valid copy of your Schengen visa application.
• Your visa fees receipt
• Government Id (This could be your Aadhar or DL since your passport is already with the embassy).
• Since my sister was taking my nephew out of the country without my brother in law, they needed a notarised letter with his approval. Even though this was submitted with the other documents, they asked for this document again.

What is the mode of the interview?

In the case of Malta, they do a video call and this is usually conducted at the VFS center since we do not have a Malta embassy in Bangalore. In case you are in a city with an embassy, you may be called for a face to face interview.

All VFS centers in India are equipped with a dedicated video conferencing room which has a connect to most Schengen embassies. This is particularly useful for students who may need to clear an interview before getting a Schengen study visa.

Iceland and Hungary usually conduct telephonic interviews.

Dress Code for Schengen visa interview

Truthfully, please wear what is convenient for you and it is best that you go in clothes that you wear on a day to day basis.

Remember that it is not a job interview. But as long as you look presentable and decent for your interview, it should be fine.

Is there a fee for the interview?

No, there is no additional fees other than what you have paid during your Schengen visa appointment.

Schengen visa interview questions and answers / What to expect in Schengen visa interview?

Since I am the default travel planner in the family, it was my duty to prepare them for all the Schengen visa interview questions. After doing my research from around the internet, these are the ones I prepared.

Please find the answers too and this was very specific to our trip and for my parents. Please modify them accordingly if you are applying for a study or business visa.

• What is the purpose of your visit? – We are going to Malta for Tourism purpose.
• Is this your first time visiting Malta? – Yes, this will be our first time visiting Malta.
• Have you been to the Schengen zone? – Yes, we have been to the Schengen zone many times in the 90’s and early 2000’s.
• Will you be visiting any other countries in the Schengen zone? – No, we will be visiting only Malta during this trip.
• Will you be visiting any other countries other than your home country? – Yes, we will be in UAE for a week (before and after our trip to Malta)
• What is the purpose of your visit to the UAE? – Our daughter and her family lives in Dubai and has lived there for more than 16 years.
• Why did you choose Malta? – Our elder grandson wanted to spend Christmas in Europe this time for his 10th birthday trip. Since we wanted a place in Europe with mild winters, we chose Malta.
• How long do you intend to stay in Malta? – We will be there for 6 days from the 19th of December to 25th of December.
• Where will you be staying in Malta? – We will be staying at the Malta Marriott Spa and Resort in St Julian’s Bay.
• How have you arranged for your accommodation? – Our daughter has done the accommodation through the online Booking.com portal
• Can you provide details about your travel itinerary, including your planned dates of entry and exit from Malta? – Our elder daughter is planning a detailed travel itinerary during our stay in Malta. During our stay in Malta, we are planning day tours to places like Valletta for the Christmas markets, Silema, Gozo and Comino islands if the weather is right and Mdina and Rabat for culture.
• How will you be paying for your accommodation? – The accommodation is prebooked and will be paid by credit card automatically.
• Do you have any friends or family in Malta? – No, we don’t know anyone in Malta.
• How will you be travelling inside Malta? – We will be using Ubers and Taxis during our stay in Malta. We are planning to use Viator/Getyourguide to book activities/day trips within Malta.
• What is your profession? And how much do you earn? – Please state your profession and your income. Both my parents do earn a decent income.
• How long have you been working?
• How many years of experience do you have with this company?
• Do you have a leave letter and NOC from your company?
• What is your educational qualification?
• How much is your travel budget for travelling in Malta? – We usually spend around 3-4L per person in every place we travel to. We will be using a combination of cash and credit cards during our stay in Malta.
• Can you show proof of sufficient travel funds during your stay? – Bank statements and income tax returns have already been attached for your reference. 
• Do you have health insurance coverage to safeguard your trip?– Yes, we have taken insurance for the entire trip and is above the required limit of 30,000 euros. Details have been attached in the application.
• Are you aware of Malta’s visa regulations and regulations? – Yes, we are aware of the same and we will make sure that we adhere to the same. We have been to around 30+ countries in the past and have never overstayed a single visa.
• Do you travel regularly? Where all have you been in the past?– Yes, we make 1-2 international trips every year. In the past year, we have been to Maldives (family vacation), Bahrain (to meet friends) and UAE (My daughter and family lives in Dubai). In the past 5-6 years, we have been to Australia, UK, Maldives, UAE, Bahrain, Malaysia, Singapore etc.
• Are you familiar with Maltese culture and customs? – We love exploring new cultures and we are very keen on exploring the various historical places, Unesco world heritage sites like the Megalithic temples of Malta and churches during our stay there. We also trying out local foods and would love to try Ftira, Pastizzi and mqaret when we are there
• Will you be travelling alone or with others? If with others, what is your relationship with them? – I will be travelling with my wife, my 3 daughters and my 2 grandsons. Our 3 son in laws will not be joining us for this trip because they have personal commitments back in India and Dubai.
• Have you already purchased your tickets?
• Do you have a return ticket to your home country? – Yes, we will be flying back to Dubai on 25th December and on 28th / 29th December, we will be flying back to Bangalore. Tickets are attached for your reference.

Random Miscellaneous questions:

• For how long have you been married?
• How old are your kids and grandkids? What do your kids do?
• How many siblings do you have?
• Are your children married and do they have kids?
• How can we be sure that you will not migrate to Malta?
• Please mention your name and surname
• Your Nationality
• Your age
• Where do you live? – Bangalore, India
• Background and security questions
• Are you married? Why is your husband not accompanying you and your kid?

Schengen visa interview India (Our experience)

My parents and sister were asked to be at the VFS center at 10:30 AM for the interview and were asked to be at the center at least 30 mins prior.

This is to make sure that you have enough time for security and check in at the VFS center. This is similar to Schengen visa appointments.

All 3 of them were called separately for the interview. This was to ensure that the answers they gave as well as what was submitted in the Malta visa application was consistent.

These were the questions that were asked. They had two interviewers on video call from the embassy.

Common Questions to all 3 of them:

• Why are you going to Malta?
• Who all are going to Malta?
• Are you going to any other Schengen country?

My Mom:

• Where are you staying in Malta?

My Dad:

My sister:

• Why is you husband not travelling with you? We had asked for the consent letter for your son. – So my sister explained the reason and told them that she had submitted the letter over email the day before the visa interview.

How long does Schengen visa interview take?

That is it. They didn’t ask too many questions and all of them hardly took 5 mins each.

How long did they take after the interview to make a decision?

My dad’s first comment after he finished his interview was that it just seemed like a formality and the decision was already made before the interview.

He was right.

They dispatched the passport the next day and we received it in Bangalore the subsequent day. That is two days after the interview.

Outcome of the Schengen tourist visa interview

Obviously, we had a positive outcome and all 4 of them received a visa for 10 days from the Embassy of Malta.

My sister and nephew who applied from Dubai also got it for a duration of 7 days but they did not have to attend the interview in Dubai.

Some things to keep in mind for your Schengen interview

These are some of the things to keep in mind to make your visa interview more easier to manage and a higher success rate:

• Be honest. Don’t sway from your initial tourist application form and try to keep all your answers short and consistent.
• Be presentable and neat
• Be on time.
• If you need a translator if you don’t know English, please inform them before hand so that they/VFS can arrange one for you.
• Carry all the documentation as requested
• Also, have access to other documentation if asked. Like bank statements or financial statements
• Be polite
• Do enough research and be prepared for your interview.
• Try to explain about your intent to return to your home country.