Proof of funds for the Schengen area: how much money you need to show

Why this requirement exists, and why there’s no single Schengen-wide figure

Article 6(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (the Schengen Borders Code) requires every third-country national to demonstrate, in order to enter, that they have sufficient means of subsistence for the length of the intended stay and for the return journey. What the Code itself doesn’t do is set a common figure: each Schengen state publishes its own reference amount under Article 39 of the same regulation, and the European Commission collects and publishes those figures in the Official Journal of the European Union (C series), with periodic updates. In practice, this means the exact amount you can be asked for depends on the specific country you’re entering, not on a generic Schengen-wide rule.

Spain’s case, with a verified figure and formula

Spain’s formula is the one readers ask about most, so we explain it in detail. It’s set by Orden PRE/1282/2007, of 10 May, on the economic means foreign nationals must prove in order to enter Spain. The legal text, literally, sets two amounts:

• Daily amount: 10% of the current gross monthly minimum interprofessional wage (SMI), multiplied by the number of planned days of stay and by the number of dependants travelling with the applicant.
• Absolute minimum: 90% of the current gross monthly SMI per person, regardless of the number of days. Even on a very short trip, you can never need to prove less than that amount.

Important: the rule refers to the salario mínimo interprofesional (SMI), Spain’s minimum wage, not to IPREM, which is a different indicator. Mixing the two up is a common mistake online.

The gross monthly SMI set for 2026 by Royal Decree 126/2026, of 18 February, is €1,221/month. Applying Orden PRE/1282/2007’s formula:

• €122.10 per person per day (10% of €1,221).
• €1,098.90 minimum per person, regardless of the number of days (90% of €1,221).

These figures update automatically whenever the SMI changes, usually once a year, so if you’re reading this well after this guide’s verification date, check whether the SMI has gone up before taking this figure as current.

A worked example

Picture a 5-day trip to Spain for two people, the second travelling as a dependant of the first (a partner or a child, say). The daily calculation gives €122.10 × 5 days × 2 people = €1,221. But the absolute minimum is €1,098.90 per person, so for two people that floor is €2,197.80, and since that’s the higher of the two figures, it’s the one that actually applies here. The practical rule of thumb: on short trips (roughly under 9 days per person, at 2026’s figures), the absolute minimum almost always wins; on longer trips, the daily calculation eventually overtakes it. Always run both calculations and use whichever is higher, and don’t assume which one applies without checking.

How to prove it, and what isn’t accepted

Per publicly available guidance from Spanish consular offices, funds can be proven with: cash, traveller’s cheques, credit cards accompanied by a bank statement, or an up-to-date passbook. What’s explicitly not accepted is a letter from a bank or an online banking statement: it has to be physical documentation or something printed by the bank itself, not a screenshot of your online banking app.

Don’t confuse this with the non-lucrative visa’s financial requirement

This is a widespread mix-up: the figure above is for a short-stay entry (tourism, a visit), not for the non-lucrative residence visa, which uses a completely different indicator and percentage: 400% of the monthly IPREM for the main applicant, plus an additional 100% of IPREM for each dependant family member included in the application. These are two different procedures, two different indicators (SMI versus IPREM), and two different orders of magnitude; if you’re planning a long stay or residency, don’t use this guide’s figure as your reference, because you need advice specific to the non-lucrative visa.

How it’s checked in practice

In most cases, this requirement is reviewed as part of the paperwork when applying for a Schengen visa (if your passport needs one), rather than as a systematic question at the border for visa-exempt travellers. Even so, a border officer can ask for proof at any point during the check, so it’s worth carrying the documentation with you rather than just having it available at home. If you’re staying with a relative or acquaintance instead of a hotel, the letter of invitation may be part of what you’re asked for, alongside proof of funds rather than instead of it.

Not having this proof ready is one of the reasons that comes up most often in analyses of entry denial, which is why it’s worth checking in advance rather than assuming “some money in the account” is automatically enough without actually working out the exact figure.

Other Schengen destinations

Each of the other States sets its own figure, and they vary a lot. Latvia asks for €14 a day for stays of up to 30 days, and France for €120 a day if you have no hotel booking. Austria sets none, and Germany only gives a guide of €45 a day for travellers who cannot show the purpose of their trip or where they are staying. The table at the end lists the figure each country has notified to the European Commission and links to its page, which covers the exceptions and how to prove the money.

Guide verified 04/09/2026; the other countries’ figures on 01/11/2026. Sources: European Commission, Annex 25 to the Practical Handbook for Border Guards (version of 8 June 2026, each State’s figures); Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code), Arts. 6(1)(c) and 39; BOE, Orden PRE/1282/2007, of 10 May (Spain’s formula, quoted directly from the operative article); BOE, Royal Decree 126/2026, of 18 February (2026 gross SMI: €1,221/month); Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consular page on entry conditions for Spain (accepted forms of proof).