Original passport. This must:

• be valid for at least 90 days beyond the return date of the trip to the Schengen Area and has to be issued within the last 10 years on the day of leaving the Schengen Area
• have at least two blank visa pages

Two original recent 45mm x 35mm colour photographs. These must:

• be taken within the last month
• be taken against a plain light background and printed on photographic paper
• show full frontal face, have a neutral expression and your mouth closed
• have eyes open and free from reflection or glare from glasses
• not have hair in front of face or have a head covering (unless it’s for religious or medical reasons)

DO NOT ATTACH THE PHOTOGRAPHS TO THE APPLICATION FORM

Signed and completed original letter of support from your home employer. This must be signed by a member of your HR, or a member of your management team. If the latter, this person must be at least a manager grade and/or at least the same grade as yourself, and must be aware of your trip.

Please see template attached: Austria – Business support letter. Alternatively, the letter must include the following information:

• MUST BE ISSUED WITHIN THE LAST 10 DAYS OF THE DATE OF SUBMISSION / APPOINTMENT DATE
• Addressed to the ”The Embassy of Austria, London”.
• Letter needs to be on home employer headed paper
• Letter need to be signed by authorised signatory of the home employer
• Purpose of visit
• People / places and organisation to be visited, with contact numbers
• Applicant’s name and nationality
• Start date of employment, job title and annual salary 
• Passport number and DOB
• Start & Expiry date of the passport
• Dates of travel to Afghanistan
• Validity of visa applied for
• A guarantee to meet maintenance expenses 
• Medical insurance undertaking (if applicable) 

Clear colour copy of signed and completed invite letter from your inviting company. 

Please see template attached: Austria – Invite letter. Alternatively, the letter must include the following information:

• Addressed to the ”The Embassy of Austria, London”.
• Letter needs to be on inviting company headed paper
• Letter need to be signed by authorised signatory of the inviting company
• Purpose of visit
• People / places and organisation to be visited, with contact numbers
• Applicant’s name and nationality
• Passport number and DOB
• Start & Expiry date of the passport
• Dates of travel to Afghanistan
• Validity of visa applied for
• A guarantee to meet maintenance expenses 
• Medical insurance undertaking (if applicable) 

Proof of valid travel insurance. It must:

• clearly show the applicant’s name
• be valid throughout the complete territory of the Schengen Area and must cover the entire period of the applicant’s intended stay in the Schengen Area
• have a minimum coverage for medical emergency and repatriation of at least EUR 30,000.

A clear colour copy is acceptable.

Clear colour copy of confirmed return travel tickets: mentioning applicant’s name and travel dates.

When travel tickets have been paid through travel agency, then a receipt, an invoice or a payment confirmation is also required.

Clear colour copy of confirmed accommodation (hotel, hostel, camping, etc) booking mentioning applicant’s name, travel dates and accommodation address details.

Clear colour copies of your last 3 months bank statements as a proof of sufficient funds. These must:

• show a positive balance / sufficient amount to cover the expenses during the intended stay in the Schengen Area and for the return to the UK
• clearly state your name, address 
• the latest bank statement must be issued within the last 1 week of the date of submission / appointment date

Valid proof of UK residence. This must be presented as your valid UK residency visa in your passport / in the form of a valid UK Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card. A clear colour copy is acceptable.

 This must be valid for at least 90 days beyond the return date of the trip to the Schengen Area.