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I have an Iranian citizenship and I am living in Turkey. I am a self-employed i.e. have had 45% share of an active company (the other shares are for other members of my family). As I decided to continue my studies in the UK, and recently I have got a student visa, I want to travel to the UK not directly by plane. I want to go there by a shared car to the nearest country to the UK then by boat to the UK. Well, there are some differences in the circumstances I have compared to a "normal" traveler:

1 - As this answer says "A steady, well-paid job at home is a big plus" but I am not sure having a share of an active company is same as having a well-paid job.

2 - My "reason to be a genuine tourist" is to travel by land to enjoy the vista of the roads and passing through some cities but not staying and traveling inside the cities.

3 - I don't have a return ticket because I will stay in the UK for a long time for studying.

4- I don't even have departure ticket as nobody 'buy' a ticket when using shared car (BlaBla).

Do I have a chance of getting Schengen visa based on my conditions?

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    Do you have income? Enough money to pay for your road trip? Do you have documents to prove it? This is what they will look for.
    – Michael Hampton
    Commented Apr 18, 2016 at 0:48
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    How did you demonstrate your income for your UK visa? It should be very similar.
    – Michael Hampton
    Commented Apr 18, 2016 at 0:55
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    Aren't you going to the UK to study? In that case, who cares about a steady job in your home country? They want to know you will leave the Schengen area, and you're going to the UK, not back to Turkey!
    – Michael Hampton
    Commented Apr 18, 2016 at 1:05
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    It might be cheap but I don't know for sure. I am sure that if you don't have it planned, then it doesn't look good on your visa application. Maybe you want to book a train ticket from Lyon to London instead? Anyway, you should also read Schengen Visa Application: tips for preparing to see what the visa officers will be looking for.
    – Michael Hampton
    Commented Apr 18, 2016 at 2:57
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    In any case, you'll need to have considerably more money than $80 to live as a student in the UK, so the actual amount isn't that important. The important part is showing you have sufficient funds to support yourself, and you'll need more than $80 for that, however much you actually spend. Personally, I'd question just how enjoyable the "vista of the roads" really is on a grand tour of Europe's motorways in which you never stop in any cities or see any of the sights for which people visit the continent, but that's up to you.
    – Zach Lipton
    Commented Apr 18, 2016 at 3:10

1 Answer 1

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Does having a UK visa, of any sort, help improve my chances of applying for a Schengen?

Yes, having a current, valid UK visa is an absolute plus and lends credibility to your application.

It is not a guarantee however, and you will still need a viable premise for visiting the Schengen zone; and you will need to submit a well-formed itinerary (along with evidence of your itinerary).

You wrote that your premise to drive through cities in a shared car without stopping. This is a bit unusual and you may want to explain why that kind of trip is interesting at this particular point in time. Based upon what you wrote its almost certain they will be looking for "Why now?". Also, include your budget for tolls and your bookings for the channel crossing.

As a general rule as your UK visa nears expiry its value for supporting a Schengen application rapidly diminishes. When its expiry is about three months or less, you will need a really strong premise and a solid itinerary. It's reasonable for them to curtail your Schengen so that its expiry coincides with the expiry of your UK visa.

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  • "Why now" because it's reasonably the best time because as I always were interested to see scenery of the Europe and I now that have to pay for a trip to the UK why not paying it to a driver and traveling through land? Two goals with one action!
    – user41592
    Commented Apr 18, 2016 at 2:13
  • You don't have to explain it to me. Save it for your application.
    – Gayot Fow
    Commented Apr 18, 2016 at 2:16
  • Writing them here because of discussing/evaluation of them so not to write unreasonable things in application form!
    – user41592
    Commented Apr 18, 2016 at 2:30
  • @Liebe it's not a discussion forum here. You asked a question and got your answer. If you want to ask a new question, that's fine. We cannot go on and on in comments because the moderators may delete them.
    – Gayot Fow
    Commented Apr 18, 2016 at 2:32
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    @Liebe The only way your genuine plans/desires would be the wrong thing to write, is if those things imply a desire to stay in Schengen beyond your visa/do things you are not alllowed on the visa (like work).
    – CMaster
    Commented Apr 18, 2016 at 9:18

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