What is a Schengen visa?

The Schengen visa is a residence permit for short stays in Europe. Tourists and business travelers apply for it to stay up to 90 days in any member state of the Schengen area. Currently, the Schengen states include 26 countries. Within them there is freedom of travel.

The Schengen visa is a residence permit for the member states of the Schengen Agreement. In simple terms, it is the visa that people from non-European countries need to enter Europe. With the Schengen visa, people from these third countries can stay in Europe for up to 90 days.

The Schengen states currently include (as of 2026):

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

The Luxembourg municipality of Schengen is located close to the border with France and Germany. The Schengen Agreement was signed in Schengen in 1985. This is an agreement between the European states not to carry out checks at their borders. All these states together are also known as the "Schengen Area" or the "Schengen States".

A Schengen visa is only required for persons who wish to stay within the Schengen states for up to 90 days. No visa is required for persons who are citizens of one of the Schengen states or who come from one of the following non-Schengen states. Here are the most important visa-free non-Schengen states (as of 2026):

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, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Macao, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, 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, Vatican City, Venezuela

A Schengen visa is only the right choice if you want to stay in the Schengen area for less than three months. For example, if you want to study or work in Germany, you need a national visa. It is therefore not suitable for you if you come to the Federal Republic for study or research. You can find more detailed information about the different types of visas here.

You want to go on vacation in Europe or are traveling on business within the EU (both no longer than 3 months)? Then the Schengen visa is ideal. It allows you to cross the common borders of the Schengen countries without identity checks.

The Schengen visa is intended for business travelers and tourists with a limited duration of stay. An extension is only possible in exceptional cases. An example of this would be an urgent hospital stay. The visa cannot be changed into another residence title. When the validity of the Schengen visa expires, you must leave the Schengen area.

The processing fee is 80 euros. The diplomatic missions abroad need up to 14 working days for processing. If it is peak travel season, the waiting time can be longer.

You must prove that you have enough money to support yourself for the duration of your stay. In addition, the following documents are necessary:

• completed application form
• gültiges Reisedokument
• Photo
• Receipts and proof of cost absorption and/or accommodation
• often: proof of possession of health insurance abroad

Usually you need a good health insurance to get the Schengen visa. If you do not have it, you will be denied a Schengen visa. The health insurance must have a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros.