The Schengen Visa has made traveling between its 26 member countries much easier and less bureaucratic. Traveling on a Schengen Visa means that the visa holder can travel to any (or all) member countries using one single visa, thus avoiding the hassle and expense of obtaining individual visas for each country. This is particularly beneficial for persons who wish to visit several European countries on the same trip. The Schengen visa is a “visitor visa”. It is issued to citizens of countries who are required to obtain a visa before entering Europe. The purpose of the visit must be leisure, tourism, or business.
Upon the issuance of the visa, the visa holder is allowed to enter all member countries and travel freely throughout the Schengen area. It is strongly recommended to plan your journey within the time frame of the Schengen Visa as extensions can be very difficult to obtain, thus forcing you to leave to stay in compliance with the Schengen rules and regulations. A Schengen visa allows the holder to travel freely within the Schengen countries for a maximum stay of up to 90 days in a 6 month period.
An airport transit visa (A) allows you to transit through the international zone of a Schengen airport without entering the Schengen territory.
A transit visa (B) allows you to transit no more than 5 days through Schengen countries by car, coach or traveling through different airports on your way to another non-Schengen country.
A short stay visa (C) allows you to visit the Schengen countries for tourism, family or business visits, up to a maximum of 90 days in a given 180 days period.
A circulation visa (C) is a short stay visa valid at least a year: It is mainly issued for business visits that have an invitation letter from a Schengen country, to aircrew members, to people having a special interest in the Schengen territory.
A long stay visa (D) allows you to stay for more than 3 months, e.g., study, work, retire etc.
Nationals of the following countries do not require a visa for visits up to a maximum of 90 days, for tourism, on missions, business, invitations, ought to take part in sports events, study:
Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Macao, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Northern Marianas, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Take our free online assessment to see if you are eligible for a Schengen Visa.
