Article 32(1)(b), the box about the reliability of the information submitted. It sits one step away from the forgery ground and it is serious, but it is not the same thing: it usually means two documents disagreed or one could not be verified.
Box 8, Article 32(1)(b)
the information submitted regarding the justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not reliable
Whether the consulate believes the documents and the statements. Reasonable doubts as to the authenticity of supporting documents or the veracity of their contents sit here.
the information submitted regarding the justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not reliable;
Handbook for the processing of visa applications and the modification of issued visas, Point 11.1, refusal ground 10
there are reasonable doubts as to the reliability or as to the authenticity of the supporting documents submitted or as to the veracity of their contents;
Handbook for the processing of visa applications and the modification of issued visas, Point 11.1, refusal ground 12
An employer letter with a telephone number nobody answers. A host who could not be reached. A hotel booking cancelled after it was printed. An itinerary that does not match the flights actually booked. An interview answer that differed from the form.
Consulates telephone. A letter on beautiful paper from a company with a free email address and no switchboard is weaker than a plain letter from a company whose website, domain and number all agree. Ask whoever signs a letter to put a direct number and a company email address on it.
Work out which document caused it, and replace it with one that can be checked. Where a booking was provisional, either book it or say plainly in the cover letter that it is a reservation. Where an answer changed, explain why in one sentence rather than leaving the consulate to decide what happened.
If box 1 was ticked as well, the ground is a false or forged travel document and this is not a self-help case. That carries an entry ban and needs a regulated adviser, and we will tell you so rather than sell you a letter.
You may apply again at any time. A new application is decided on its own evidence, so it only helps if the ticked boxes are answered.
A remonstration asks the same consulate to look again, with the evidence that was missing. Some member states offer it, some do not, and the deadline differs by state. The deadline on your refusal form governs.
Every member state must offer an appeal against a Schengen visa refusal. The body and the deadline are named on the refusal form. Appeals are formal and most are decided on the papers.
This route needs a regulated adviser.
The refusal is given on the standard form in Annex VI of the Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009. The ticked boxes are the grounds. The appeal route, its authority and its deadline are printed on that form and the printed version governs.
Our software reads the refusal, names the grounds and the route, checks every ground against your documents with the refused ones held open, and writes the reapplication letter that answers each one by its reference. Re-runs and second-refusal handling included for 30 days.