What a Schengen tourist visa (type C) is
A Schengen short-stay visa, or type C, lets you enter the Schengen area for tourism, family visits, or business for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. It is not a residence permit and does not cover long-term work or study: those need a national type D visa, which each country sets its own rules for. Before you start, be clear on how that stay limit is counted, because a visa can never give you more days than the general rule allows. We break it down in the guide to the Schengen 90/180-day rule, and you can run the numbers with our Schengen calculator.
Everything below is governed by Regulation (EC) 810/2009, the EU Visa Code, which harmonises the procedure across the 29 Schengen states. Step zero is checking whether your passport actually needs a visa for your specific destination: your passport-and-destination page shows whether you need a visa, an exemption, an e-Visa, or an electronic authorization.
Where to apply
You lodge the application at the consulate of the country where you will spend the most days. If nights are split evenly between several countries, you apply at the consulate of the country you will enter first. You cannot pick the most convenient consulate: applying to the wrong country makes the application inadmissible.
Many consulates have outsourced the intake of applications to an external service provider (BLS International, VFS Global, TLScontact) or require you to fill in a national portal before booking an appointment. That provider charges a separate service fee and decides nothing about your visa: we cover this in the guide to the BLS/VFS appointment.
When to apply
The Visa Code sets a specific window: you may apply no earlier than 6 months before the intended trip (9 months for seafarers) and no later than 15 days before it. In practice, book the appointment as soon as the 6-month window opens, because in high season the first available slot can be weeks or months away, and that wait does not count as your own lead time.
The form and the appointment
There is a single harmonised application form for the whole Schengen area (Annex I of the Visa Code). Some countries let you complete it online and others only on paper, but the content is identical. It must be signed; for minors, it is signed by whoever holds parental authority or guardianship.
At the appointment your biometric data is collected: a photograph taken on the spot and all ten fingerprints. If you already gave fingerprints for a previous Schengen visa within the last 59 months, they are normally reused, though the consulate can ask for them again if in doubt.
What documents you need
Each consulate publishes its own exact list, but the Visa Code sets a common core:
- A passport issued within the last 10 years, valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned departure from the Schengen area, with at least two blank pages. This is one of the easiest refusal grounds to avoid: see the passport validity guide.
- A recent photograph in ICAO format.
- Travel medical insurance with minimum cover of €30,000, valid across the whole Schengen area and for the entire stay. It has specific conditions worth checking before you buy anything: see the guide to insurance for a Schengen visa.
- Proof of the purpose of travel: a return flight reservation, an itinerary, and for private visits the letter of invitation where the country provides for one.
- Proof of accommodation for the whole stay (a hotel booking or a justified private stay).
- Proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the stay and the return journey. In Spain the figure comes from a specific legal formula tied to the minimum wage: see the proof of funds guide.
- Proof of ties to your home country (employment, family, or financial situation) that supports your intention to leave before the visa expires.
Submitting incomplete documentation lets the consulate reject the application without assessing the rest of the file, so it is worth working through the consulate’s checklist point by point.
The fee
Since 11 June 2024 the Schengen visa fee is €90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6 to 11; children under 6 are exempt. Reduced fees apply to nationals of certain countries under visa facilitation agreements: for example €67.50 for nationals of Cabo Verde and €35 for nationals of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The fee is paid when you lodge the application and is not refunded if the visa is refused. Where an external provider is used, its service fee is charged on top and has its own legal cap.
How long a decision takes
The decision must be taken within 15 calendar days of a valid application being lodged. That period can be extended to a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases needing a more detailed examination or extra documents (for instance, when another Schengen state’s authorities must be consulted). This is why you should not apply with less than several weeks’ margin before the trip. The guide to Schengen visa processing time breaks down the window to apply, the decision period, and the wait to get an appointment.
Multiple-entry visas: the “cascade” system
If you meet all the conditions, the number of entries and the validity of the visa are not discretionary: Article 24 of the Visa Code sets a mandatory ladder. With a history of visas used correctly over the previous two years, the consulate must grant a multiple-entry visa valid for 1 year; then 2 years; then up to 5 years. A visa of up to 5 years can also be granted directly to applicants who can demonstrate an established need to travel frequently.
What the consulate decides and what it does not
The application is examined, interviewed (if there is an interview), and decided by the consulate alone. The external provider only collects and forwards the file and takes payment. And being granted a visa does not guarantee entry: at the border, the border guard rechecks the conditions (purpose of travel, accommodation, funds, insurance) and has the final say: see the guide to being denied entry.
If your visa is refused
A refusal is notified in writing on a standard form stating the specific ground, and it always carries a right of appeal. The common grounds, the deadlines, and the appeal route, which differs by country, are covered in the guide to a refused Schengen visa.
Guide verified 09/09/2026. Sources: Regulation (EC) 810/2009 (EU Visa Code), Articles 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 23 and 24, and Annex I; European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, official page “Applying for a Schengen visa” (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) and press release “Schengen visa fee increased as of 11 June 2024” (13/06/2024); Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation, consular information on Schengen visas. Fee figures and time limits can be revised: confirm them on the consulate’s website when you apply.