Schengen Visa: Requirements, Fees and How to Apply

• EU, EEA, Swiss: no visa
• Visa-free list: 90 days in 180
• Others: Schengen visa (type C)

Whether you need a Schengen visa depends on the passport you travel on. The EU keeps one list of nationalities that need a visa for the whole Schengen area, so the answer is the same for France, Italy, Germany or any other member.

Do US citizens need a Schengen visa? No, an American passport is on the visa-free list, and so are British, Canadian, Australian and Singaporean passports. A residence permit does not change this rule: a US green card, a UK residence permit or a UAE residence visa does not make a visa-required passport visa-free.

Only a residence permit or long-stay visa from a Schengen country lets you move around the area without a Schengen visa.

• 25 EU members + 4 non-EU
• Latest: Bulgaria and Romania, 1 January 2025
• Ireland and Cyprus are not in

Which countries does a Schengen visa cover? According to the European Commission, the Schengen area has 29 countries: 25 EU members and 4 countries outside the EU. A visa issued by one of them is valid in all of them unless the sticker says otherwise.

Not covered: Ireland runs its own visa policy, and Cyprus is not yet a full member with open borders. Non-EU neighbours such as the United Kingdom, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia are outside the Schengen area and have their own entry rules. Switzerland is covered: you can visit it with a Schengen visa.

• Type C: short stays
• Single or multiple entry
• Over 90 days: national (D) visa

The Schengen visa is a short-stay visa for visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. It comes in three forms:

Schengen visa validity is printed on the sticker: the first and last dates you may use it, the number of entries and the number of days allowed. Nationals of some countries also need an airport transit visa for certain Schengen airports.

• Longest stay decides
• Equal stays: first entry
• Apply where you legally live

You do not choose the easiest consulate. The European Commission sets two rules for where to apply:

As a general rule you apply at that country's consulate (or its visa application centre) responsible for the country where you legally live, not the country of your passport. An Indian citizen living in Dubai applies in the UAE; an Indian citizen with a UK residence permit applies in the UK.

• Earliest: 6 months before
• Latest: 15 days before
• In person, with fingerprints

How do I apply for a Schengen visa, step by step? The steps are the same everywhere; only the country, the centre and the extra documents change.

You must submit the application at least 15 days before your trip and no earlier than 6 months before, and you may have to book an appointment first. Many consulates collect applications through a Schengen visa application centre run by a provider such as VFS Global; the centre only collects the file and the consulate decides.

There is no fully online Schengen visa: even where the form is filled in online, you still apply in person so that your fingerprints can be taken.

• Citizens of UK, US, CA, AU, SG, UAE: no visa
• Residents on other passports: apply there
• 2025 refusal rates by country of application

Citizens of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates do not need a Schengen visa for short trips. Residents of these countries who hold a passport that needs one, for example an Indian citizen with a UK residence permit or a US green card, apply in the country where they live, to the consulate of their main destination.

Schengen visa for green card holders: a green card does not replace the visa, so you get a Schengen visa in the USA from your main destination's consulate there. For a Schengen visa in Dubai, UAE residents apply to the main destination's consulate or its visa centre in the UAE.

The European Commission publishes how many applications were lodged in each country and how many were refused. In 2025:

These are applications lodged in that country by its residents of every nationality, not only its citizens.

• Passport valid 3 months after leaving
• Medical insurance
• Proof of purpose, money and return

The European Commission's list of Schengen visa requirements is the same for every country. Consulates can ask for more, so also read your consulate's checklist.

• Valid passportExpiring at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area; for a multiple-entry visa, 3 months after your last departure
• Visa application form
• PhotoICAO standard
• Travel medical insuranceEmergency care, hospital and repatriation, including in case of death
• Supporting documentsPurpose of the trip, money for the stay, accommodation and proof you will return home
• FingerprintsTaken when you apply; some groups are exempt

Schengen visa documents in practice: bank statements, an employer letter or proof of studies, flight and hotel bookings, and a cover letter explaining the trip. Insurance must cover at least €30,000, as Greek and Austrian missions state on their pages. We do not recommend or link insurers.

• Form: free from the consulate or centre
• Photo: ICAO standard
• Size set by each consulate

The Schengen visa application form is the same harmonised form in every country; you get it free from the consulate or its visa centre, and some centres let you fill it in online before printing and signing it. Any site charging for the form is not the official one.

Schengen visa photo size: the EU photo requirement is an ICAO-standard photo, and each consulate sets the exact size. Austria asks for a colour photo of 35 x 45 mm; Greece's application centres in the UK ask for two photos of 3.5 x 4 cm on a light background. Use the size on your consulate's page.

• Adults: €90
• Children 6 to 12: €45
• Centre service fee extra

The Schengen visa price and cost are the same at every consulate, charged in local currency at the day's rate. If you apply through a visa service centre, its service fee comes on top and differs by country and provider. Some countries go further: Greece, for example, charges nothing for children under 12.

• Normally 15 days
• Up to 45 days
• Apply at least 15 days ahead

The normal Schengen visa processing time is 15 days. It can be extended to 45 days when the consulate needs a closer look or more documents. Waiting for an appointment is not included, so start early in peak season. Family members of EU or EEA citizens covered by the free-movement rules can get a free and faster procedure.

• All Schengen states: 14.65%
• Lowest: Slovakia 9.63%
• Highest: Malta 38.37%

Which country gives the easiest Schengen visa? The European Commission's 2025 figures show the Schengen visa rejection rate, the share of applications each Schengen state refused worldwide:

Liechtenstein has no figures of its own. The rate is visas not issued divided by all decisions, as the Commission calculates it.

• Reasons given in writing
• Appeal under that country's law
• Fee not refunded

If your application is refused, the consulate tells you why and how to appeal. The appeal is made against the country that refused you, under its own law and deadlines, which are printed on the refusal form. You can also reapply with a stronger file and a new fee; the visa fee is not refunded after a refusal.

• 90 days in any 180
• EES since 10 April 2026
• ETIAS: not yet in operation

Visa holders and visa-free visitors can stay at most 90 days in any 180-day period across all Schengen countries together. On any day, count back 180 days: the days spent in the area must not exceed 90. The Commission's short-stay calculator does the counting.

The Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully running at the external borders of 29 European countries since 10 April 2026; passports are no longer stamped. Visa holders give a facial image, visa-free travellers four fingerprints and a facial image; children under 12 give no fingerprints.

ETIAS, once it starts, will cover visa-free visitors to 30 European countries. On 16 October 2026 the official site says it is not in operation and collects no applications, and that it will cost €20. Schengen visa holders will not need it.

This Schengen guide is information, not legal advice; we are not a visa service. The consulate of your destination decides every application.

The facts come from the European Commission, the European Union's EES and ETIAS sites, and the Greek and Austrian missions, checked on 17 October 2026; rules and fees change, so check your consulate's page before your appointment.

Visa agencies and insurers are never linked from our Schengen pages.