Who Needs a Schengen Visa?

If you are from one of the countries below, you must apply for a visa before you travel to one of the Schengen States:

AfghanistanGabonNorth Korea
AlgeriaGambiaNorthern Mariana’s
AngolaGhanaOman
ArmeniaGuineaPakistan
AzerbaijanGuinea-BissauPapua New Guinea
BahrainGuyanaPhilippines
BangladeshHaitiQatar
BelarusIndiaRussia
BelizeIndonesiaRwanda
BeninIranSao Tome And Principe
BhutanIraqSaudi Arabia
BoliviaJamaicaSenegal
BotswanaJordanSierra Leone
Burkina FasoKazakhstanSomalia
Burma/MyanmarKenyaSouth Africa
BurundiKosovaSri Lanka
CambodiaKuwaitSudan
CameroonKyrgyzstanSuriname
Cape VerdeLaosSwaziland
Central African RepublicLebanonSyria
ChadLesothoTajikistan
ChinaLiberiaTanzania
ComorosLibyaThailand
CongoMadagascarTimor-Leste
Cote D’ivoireMalawiTogo
CubaMaldivesTonga
Dem. Rep. Of CongoMaliTunisia
DjiboutiMauritaniaTurkey
Dominican RepublicMongoliaTurkmenistan
EcuadorMoroccoUganda
EgyptMozambiqueUzbekistan
Equatorial GuineaNamibiaVietnam
EritreaNepalYemen
EthiopiaNigerZambia
FijiNigeriaZimbabwe
Vanuatu*

*Since the EU has partially abolished the visa-free travel agreement with Vanuatu, only Vanuatuan nationals holding ordinary passports issued before May 25, 2015, can enter the Schengen Area visa-free.

Who Can Travel to Schengen Without a Visa?

If you are from one of the following countries/territories, you can travel through Europe for up to 90 days without applying for a Schengen Visa:

AlbaniaAndorra
Antigua And BarbudaArgentina
AustraliaBahamas
BarbadosBosnia And Herzegovina
BrazilBrunei Darussalam
CanadaChile
ColombiaCosta Rica
DominicaEl Salvador
North MacedoniaGeorgia
GrenadaGuatemala
Vatican City StateHonduras
IsraelJapan
KiribatiMalaysia
Marshall IslandsMauritius
MexicoMicronesia
MoldovaMonaco
MontenegroNew Zealand
NicaraguaPalau
PanamaParaguay
PeruSamoa
San MarinoSeychelles
SerbiaSingapore
Solomon IslandsSouth Korea
St Kitts And NevisSt Lucia
St Vincent And The GrenadinesTrinidad And Tobago
TuvaluUkraine*
United Arab EmiratesUnited States Of America
UruguayVanuatu
VenezuelaUnited Kingdom

Who Needs a Visa to Transit in Schengen?

If you are from one of the countries listed below, you must have a visa when passing through the international transit area of an airport in any of the Schengen States:

  • Afghanistan

  • Bangladesh

  • Democratic Republic Of The Congo

  • Eritrea

  • Ethiopia

  • Ghana

  • Iran

  • Iraq

  • Nigeria

  • Pakistan

  • Somalia

  • Sri Lanka

Citizens from the following countries need a visa only when transiting in specific Schengen States, as listed:

  • Algeria – Czech Republic

  • Angola – France

  • Armenia – Czech Republic

  • Bolivia – France

  • Cameroon – Greece, Spain, France

  • Central African Republic – France

  • Chad – Czech Republic, France

  • Congo – Greece, Spain, France

  • Côte d’Ivoire – Spain, France

  • Cuba – Czech Republic, Spain, France, Netherlands, Poland

  • Djibouti – Spain

  • Dominican Republic – Belgium, France

  • Egypt – Czech Republic

  • Gambia – Spain

  • Guinea – Belgium, Spain, France, Netherlands, Portugal

  • Guinea Bissau – Belgium, Spain, Netherlands

  • Haiti – France, Spain

  • India – Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France

  • Jordan – Germany

  • Lebanon – Czech Republic, Germany

  • Liberia – Spain

  • Libya – Czech Republic

  • Mali – Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France

  • Mauritania – Czech Republic, France

  • Nepal – Belgium, Netherlands

  • Niger – Czech Republic

  • Philippines – France

  • Palestinians – Belgium, Czechia, France, Spain

  • Sierra Leone – France, the Netherlands, Spain

  • Syria – Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland

  • Togo – France, Spain

  • Yemen – Belgium, Czechia, France, Spain

Exemptions from Schengen Airport Transit Visa

You may be exempt from holding an Airport Transit Visa when travelling through Schengen if:

  • You already have a valid Schengen visa.

  • You have a valid residence permit issued by an EU or EEA Member State.

  • You have a valid visa issued by an EU or EEA Member State, Canada, Japan or the United States.

  • You have a valid residence permit issued by the Principality of Andorra, Canada, Japan, Republic of San Marino, or the United States.

  • You are a family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.

  • You have a diplomatic passport.

  • You are a flight crew member national of a contracting party to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.

Also read: Schengen 90/180 rule calculator

Do UK Citizens Need a Schengen Visa?

No, they do not. UK citizens can travel to any of the Schengen Area countries for up to 90 days in a 180-day period for tourism, business, and other short-term purposes.

Do Americans Need Visas for Europe?

American citizens do not need a visa to travel to Europe for up to 90 days within a 180-day period for tourism or business purposes. However, for long-term study or work, Americans do have to apply for the corresponding visa and/or residence permit.

Do Green Card Holders Travelling to Europe Need a Visa?

A Green Card does not give you visa-free access to Europe. If you are from a country who ordinarily needs a Schengen Visa, then you must apply for one before travelling, even if you have a US Green Card.

Even though Schengen States are not included, with your Green Card you can travel to Canada, Mexico, and certain other European countries.

Do I Need a Schengen Visa if I Already Have a Residence Permit from a Schengen Country?

No, you do not. If you already have a residence permit issued by a Schengen State, then you are free to move to all other Member States without a visa for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.

Are Family Members of EU/EEA Citizens Exempt From the Schengen Visa Regime?

No they are not. Non-EU family members (spouse, kids) of EU/EEA citizens must have a valid Schengen Visa to travel along with their EU/EEA national family member – unless they are from a country with a visa exemption.

Marriage or family relationship to an EU/EEA national does not grant you visa-free status to the EU.