Schengen visa for a family: one form per person, kids included
Your family is going to Europe, and every one of you needs a Schengen visa — the children too. This guide is for the parent filling the forms. At the end you will have one filled application per person and know where and when to file them.
Who needs what
- Everyone needs a passport of their own, a baby included. Book passport appointments only at passport.gov.ph; the DFA says appointments are free there. Minors seven years old and below need no appointment (DFA passport appointment system). - Everyone files their own visa application form — one form per traveller, not one per family (European Commission: applying for a Schengen visa). - A child travelling with you needs no DSWD travel clearance; a child travelling abroad without a parent does (DSWD citizen's charter). That case has its own pack: a child travelling without a parent.
When and where
- File at least 15 days before the trip and no earlier than 6 months before it (European Commission). - File at the consulate of the country where you will stay longest; if the stays are equal, the country you will enter first (European Commission). - The passport must stay valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area (European Commission). Check each child's passport — theirs often run out first. - The DFA advises not to buy tickets until the passports are in your hands (DFA).
What to bring, per person
From the European Commission's list:
Document · Note; Passport · Valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area; Visa application form · One per person — the Schengen visa application; Photo · ICAO standard; Travel medical insurance · Covers emergency care, hospitalisation and repatriation; Supporting documents · Purpose of the trip, money for the stay, where you will stay, proof you will come home
The consulate can ask for more. The fee is on the same page, with a lower fee for children aged 6 to 12.
Step by step
1. Passports. Check every passport's expiry date. Book the missing ones at passport.gov.ph. 2. Save each person once. In My household (under My forms), add each family member — reading their passport fills the name, birth date, nationality and passport number. 3. Fill the form for each person. Open the Schengen visa application and pick the person. Their passport details fill in; you answer the trip questions (purpose, dates, where you stay, who pays). 4. Sign. Each adult signs their own form. For a child, the parent or guardian signs — the form says so on the signature line. 5. File at the consulate or its visa centre with each person's documents.
Mistakes that send the form back
- One form for the whole family. Each traveller files their own. - A child's passport that expires too soon. It must run at least 3 months past the trip. - Applying at the wrong consulate. Main stay first; equal stays, first entry. - Different trip dates on each family member's form. Copy the same dates, destination and accommodation to every form.
Questions
Kailangan ba ng sariling visa form ang anak ko?
Yes. Every traveller, children included, files their own application form; a parent or guardian signs a child's form.
Gaano katagal bago ang alis dapat mag-apply?
At least 15 days before the trip and no earlier than 6 months before it, per the European Commission.
Kailangan pa ba ng DSWD travel clearance kung kasama namin ang bata?
No. DSWD's travel clearance is for a minor travelling abroad without a parent.
Pwede bang walk-in sa DFA para sa passport ng baby?
DFA's appointment site lists minors seven years old and below among those who need no appointment.
Last checked 2026-10-19. Not affiliated with BIR, SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG or any government agency.