Schengen Visas - General Information

Schengen Visas - General Information

Origins of the Schengen Visa
List of Schengen Countries
List of countries whose nationals who do NOT need a schengen visa
What is a Schengen Visa?
Where do you apply?
Application Form

Origins of the Schengen Visa

The name "Schengen" originates from a small town in Luxembourg. In June 1985, seven European Union countries signed a treaty to end internal border checkpoints and controls. More countries have joined the treaty over the past years. At present, there are 15 Schengen countries, all in Europe.

List of Schengen Countries

The 15 Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. All these countries except Norway and Iceland are European Union members.

Nationals of the following countries do not require a visa to enter the Schengen area:

EU Countries; Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (Blue Passports Only), Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Korea (Rep Of), Latvia, Liechenstein, Lithuania, Macau, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland, Uruguay, USA, Vatican City and Venezuela. If you are not on the list of countries above, you will need a schengen visa.

What is a Schengen Visa?

Travelling in Europe has been simplified with the introduction of the Schengen visa. As a visitor to the Schengen area, you will enjoy the many advantages of this unified visa system. With a Schengen visa, you may enter one country and travel freely throughout the Schengen zone. Internal border controls have disappeared; there are no or few stops and checks. This means that internal air, road and train travel are handled as domestic trips, similar to travel from one US state to another. Those who travelled in Europe before Schengen know the difference.

Where do you apply?

All depends on the place(s) you want to visit. If you intend to visit only one Schengen country, you must apply at the Embassy or Consulate of that particular country. You apply at the Embassy or Consulate responsible for the state where you live. If you intend to visit several Schengen countries, you must apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country which is your main destination. If you intend to visit several Schengen countries but do not have a main destination, you should apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country which is your first point of entry.

Application Form

A uniform visa application form is used by all members of the Schengen countries. The application form is available in five languages. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to be able to view and print this form.

To download a free Adobe Acrobat Reader, click here

To download the form, click on your language of choice,

- English
- French
- Spanish
- German
- Dutch

For more information on Schengen, click here