Who needs a Schengen Visa?
Broadly there are two categories of citizens for the Schengen Short-Stay Visa.
1. Those who are exempt
Citizens who are exempt from obtaining the visa in advance, as their country of citizenship has a visa agreement with the Schengen Zone. It’s important to note that these citizens are still bound by the rolling 90-day stay in any 180-day rule.
2. Those who need to apply
Citizens who must apply in advance and possess their visa when crossing into the Schengen Area.
It's important to note that even if your country has a visa-free agreement, for example, the UK, USA, Australia and many others - those citizens are still bound by the 90/180 rule. They are only exempt from applying for a physical visa before their travels.
Visa required
These citizens must apply in advance and possess their visa when crossing into the Schengen Area. The length and provisions of these visas may vary. For more detailed information, see our section on Schengen Visas.
Citizens of:
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Angola
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burma/Myanmar
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Comoros
- Congo
- Cote D’ivoire
- Cuba
- Dem. Rep. Of Congo
- Djibouti
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Maldives
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mongolia
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Korea
- Northern Mariana’s
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palestinian Authority
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome And Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Swaziland
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tonga
- Tunisia
- Türkiye
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu*
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
(Vanuatuan nationals holding ordinary passports issued after May 25, 2015, must apply for a Schengen Visa)
Visa-exempt
These citizens are exempt from obtaining the Schengen Short-Stay Visa in advance of their travels.
They are still bound by the 90-day stay in any 180-day period rule. This exemption does not apply if you plan to work or study, in which case you will need to apply for a Long-Stay category D Visa. See Types of Schengen Visas
- Albania*
- Andorra
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Australia
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Bosnia and Herzegovina*
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Dominica
- El Salvador
- Georgia
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Holy See (Vatican City State)
- Honduras
- Hong Kong S.A.R***
- Israel
- Japan
- Kiribati
- Macao S.A.R***
- Malaysia
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova*
- Monaco
- Montenegro*
- Nauru
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- North Macedonia*
- Palau
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent
- Samoa
- Serbia*
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- South Korea
- Taiwan**
- Timor Leste
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tuvalu
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Uruguay
- Vanuatu****
- Venezuela
* Visa-free regime applies to citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, and Serbia only if they are holders of biometric passports.
** Visa-free regime applies to holders of passports issued by Taiwan only if their passport contains an identity card number.
*** Special administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China: Hong Kong: visa-free regime applies only to holders of a “Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” passport. Macao: visa-free regime applies only to holders of a “Região Administrativa Especial de Macau” passport.
British national (overseas)
British citizens who are not nationals of the United Kingdom, known as British National (overseas), i.e. those who meet one of the following criteria, are not required to apply for a visa in advance of their travels:
- British Nationals (Overseas)
- British Overseas Territories Citizens
- British Overseas Citizens
- British Protected Persons
- British Subjects
They are, however, still bound by the 90-day stay in any 180-day period rule. This exemption does not apply if they plan to work or study, in which case they will need to apply for a Long-Stay category D Visa. See Types of Schengen Visas.
This exemption is applicable to BritishTerritories and Crown Dependencies:
- Akrotiri and Dhekelia
- Anguilla
- Ascension Island
- Bermuda
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Falkland Islands
- Gibraltar
- Guernsey
- Isle of Man
- Jersey
- Montserrat
- Pitcairn Islands
- Saint Helena
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- Tristan da Cunha
- Turks and Caicos
Airport Transit Schengen Visa
For the following citizens to transit through an airport in the Schengen Area they must obtain an Airport Transit Visa in advance of their travels.
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Congo (DRC)
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Ghana
- Iran
- Iraq
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Somalia
- Sri Lanka
However, there are some exceptions to the Airport Transit Visa. Citizens of the above countries are exempt from applying for the Airport Transit Visa if they meet any of the following conditions:
- Hold a residency permit from a Schengen member country.
- Possess a valid Schengen Visa.
- Residency permit holders from Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino, or the USA.
- Schengen Visa holders or holders of a valid visa for entering one of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries or Canada, Japan, or the United States. This still applies if they are returning from one of these countries after the visa has been used.
- Family members of an EU citizen (first-degree family member: husband/wife or a child under 21)
- If the person holds a diplomatic passport.
Family members of an EU citizen
If you are a close family member of an EU citizen, you may apply to join your family member in the Schengen Area.
The process differs slightly if you are joining your family member in the country of their citizenship or another Schengen country where they have exercised their right to freedom of movement.
Consult the consulate of your intended host country for specific details on your application.
A close family member of an EU citizen is defined as
- A registered partner or spouse of an EU citizen.
- A dependent child (under the age of 21 and unmarried) of an EU citizen.
- A parent of a dependent EU citizen who is under the age of 21.
- A child, grandchild, or another descendant of an EU citizen who is dependent on the EU citizen because they cannot meet their basic needs.
- A parent or grandparent or another ancestor of an EU citizen who is dependent on the EU citizen to meet their basic needs.
