At a glance
What you are applying for
This guide covers the Schengen short-stay visa: one visa for tourism, family visits and short business trips to 29 European countries, for up to 90 days in any 180. Studying or working in Europe needs a national visa from the country concerned instead — those are in the Europe student and work visa guides.
Where you apply matters as much as what you send: the application goes to the consulate of your main destination, and another consulate will not take it. After that, the decision turns on whether your money, your bookings and your reasons to come home tell the same story. An itinerary that does not match the bookings, or a balance that appeared last month, is a common and avoidable refusal.
Most refusals come down to one of four
- 01The right consulate
- 02Documents that agree
- 03A steady balance
- 04Insurance that meets the rules
EUEurope · Visit visaFACT SHEET
- Visa
- Schengen short-stay (type C) visa — tourism, family visits and short business trips
- Covers
- 29 countries, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period
- Where you apply
- The consulate of your main destination — where you will spend the most nights
- When to apply
- No earlier than six months and, as a rule, at least 15 days before you travel
- Decision
- 15 calendar days as standard, extendable to 45
- At the border
- Fingerprints and a photo recorded in the Entry/Exit System
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