u/brb_googling_that_rn

Background

• Indonesian biometric passport
• Full time employee
• Brand new passport, little to no travel history
• Applied independently (no agent)
• Sponsored by my Romanian SO (financial support + accommodation; we disclosed our relationship in our letters)

Trip details

• Dates: 30 April - 31 May
• Purpose: Visit
• Destinations: Romania (main, entry + exit), Italy (short trip)

Documents I prepared

Mine (Applicant)

• Copy of ID*
• Copy of passport*
• Signed cover letter (1 page)*
• Copy of Indonesian family card*
• Fully paid return flights*
• Zurich travel insurance*
• Travel itinerary
• Personal savings bank statements (6 months, stamped & signed)*
• Payroll bank statements (6 months, stamped & signed)
• Certificate of employment (recent, signed + company seal + letterhead)*
• Latest 3 years ITR slips
• Employment agreement
• Hotel bookings (Romania & Italy)
• Photos of me and my SO throughout our relationship

SO (Sponsor)

• Original IGI invitation letter*
• Personal sponsorship letter (1 page)
• Bank statements (3 months)*
• Copy of ID*

*Physical documents marked with [*] were kept by the embassy.

After my appointment, I actually had quite a few documents returned. For example, they only kept the most recent bank statement and didn’t take the older ones. They also told me to keep the original IGI invitation letter and bring it when I travel, the embassy only keeps a copy.

Timeline

• Jan 14: SO applied for IGI invitation letter
• Feb 24: Invitation letter issued
• Mar 10: Submitted application online (to Romanian Embassy, Jakarta)
• Mar 23: Application forwarded to Romanian Embassy in Bangkok
• Mar 24: Status updated to “validated” → appointment booking opened (earliest: Apr 15) → emailed for an earlier slot
• Mar 26: Embassy confirmed earlier appointment (Apr 2)
• Apr 2: Submitted documents + brief interview + biometrics + payment
• Apr 20: Visa issued - staff placed the sticker with a smile and said “have a nice holiday”...I blushed

Note: As an Indonesian applicant, the embassy in Bangkok did not keep my passport, so I returned to Indonesia after each visit.

I got a single entry Schengen visa, valid from 30 April 2026 to 15 June 2026.