Schengen Visa: the Complete Guide to Types, Requirements, Costs, Processing Time & Mandatory Insurance (2025)

If you want to travel across most of Europe with one visa, the Schengen visa is the key. But it’s also one of the most document-sensitive visas in the world: small inconsistencies (dates, funds, itinerary logic, insurance wording) can trigger refusal.

This guide gives you a clear, end-to-end roadmap—without fluff.

What is a Schengen Visa?

A Schengen visa is a short-stay authorisation that allows eligible travellers to enter and move within the Schengen Area for tourism, business, visiting family/friends, short training, or similar purposes.

The Schengen Area is a group of European countries that have removed regular internal border controls. In practice, once you enter the zone legally, you can usually travel between member countries without routine border checks (although ID checks can still happen).

The 90/180 rule (simple explanation): You can stay up to 90 days in the Schengen Area within any rolling 180-day period. It’s cumulative across all Schengen countries, not “90 days per country”.

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What are the different types of Schengen Visa?

Schengen visas are categorised by purpose and permitted movement:

Short-stay Schengen visa (Type C)

The Type C Short-stay Schengen visa is the standard short-stay visa for tourism, business trips, visiting family/friends, short training, or similar purposes. It lets you stay in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days within any rolling 180-day period (the “90/180 rule”), with either single, double, or multiple entries depending on what is granted.

When you should read the short-stay guideIf your trip is under 90 days and your purpose is temporary (tourism/business/visit), this is the guide that covers eligibility, the document checklist, timelines, fees, and the most common refusal triggers.

Multiple-entry Schengen visa 

A multiple-entry Schengen visa allows you to enter and exit the Schengen Area several times during the visa’s validity period, while still respecting the 90/180 stay limit. It’s designed for travellers with a consistent reason to return (business, family ties, frequent trips) and a reliable travel history.

What applicants often misunderstandMEVs are not “guaranteed on request”: consulates assess risk based on past compliance, financial stability, and the credibility of your travel pattern. A strong file looks consistent across dates, itinerary, and supporting documents.

Long-stay visa (Type D / National visa)

A Type D long-stay visa is a national long-stay visa issued by a single European country for stays typically over 90 days (work, study, family reunification, long-term residency routes). It’s not a Schengen short-stay visa, and the rules, documents, and processing timelines differ significantly.

Why it mattersMany applicants confuse Type D with Schengen Type C. If your plan is to stay beyond 90 days in one country, you’ll usually need a Type D visa (or a residence permit pathway), not a short-stay Schengen application.

Airport transit visa (Type A)

A Type A (airport transit) visa is required for some nationalities when you are transiting through the international zone of a Schengen airport on your way to a non-Schengen destination. It does not allow you to enter the Schengen Area.

Who typically needs itWhether you need a transit visa depends mainly on your nationality, your route, and sometimes your residence permit or travel document type. If you have a connection in a Schengen airport but never pass border control, this is the category that applies.

Who needs a Schengen Visa?

Whether you need a Schengen visa depends first and foremost on your nationality, not simply on the country where you live or apply. Some passport holders must apply for a Schengen short-stay visa before travelling, while others are visa-exempt for tourism or business trips of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.

This distinction often creates confusion in statistics. Countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States or the United Arab Emirates are generally visa-exempt by nationality, yet they still appear among the top Schengen visa application countries. The reason is simple: these countries host large populations of foreign residents (expats, students, workers) who hold visa-required passports and therefore apply for their Schengen visa from consulates or visa centres located there.

Visa-exempt nationalities for short stays (up to 90/180)

Where can you travel with a Schengen visa?

With a valid Schengen visa, you can generally travel freely across all Schengen Area countries, as long as your visa is valid and you respect your authorised length of stay (up to 90 days within any 180-day period for short stays).

In practice, this means one single visa allows you to move between multiple European countries without applying for separate national visas, provided your travel purpose remains consistent with your application.

Schengen countries (current list used for travel planning)

• 🇦🇹 Austria
• 🇧🇪 Belgium
• 🇧🇬 Bulgaria
• 🇭🇷 Croatia
• 🇨🇿 Czechia
• 🇩🇰 Denmark
• 🇪🇪 Estonia
• 🇫🇮 Finland
• 🇫🇷 France
• 🇩🇪 Germany
• 🇬🇷 Greece
• 🇭🇺 Hungary
• 🇮🇸 Iceland
• 🇮🇹 Italy
• 🇱🇻 Latvia
• 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein
• 🇱🇹 Lithuania
• 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
• 🇲🇹 Malta
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands
• 🇳🇴 Norway
• 🇵🇱 Poland
• 🇵🇹 Portugal
• 🇷🇴 Romania
• 🇸🇰 Slovakia
• 🇸🇮 Slovenia
• 🇪🇸 Spain
• 🇸🇪 Sweden
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland

How much does a Schengen visa cost?

The cost of a Schengen visa is more than the official fee. Most applicants also pay for visa centre service charges, photos/translations, and mandatory travel medical insurance.

Beyond the official visa fee: Schengen travel medical insurance is mandatory, and pricing depends on age and trip duration.
With HelloSafe, you can estimate your insurance cost in minutes while ensuring full compliance with Schengen rules.

How long does it take to get a Schengen visa?

Schengen visa processing time depends on your nationality, the consulate’s workload, and the season. While many applications are decided quickly, complex cases can take longer.

How do you apply for a Schengen visa step by step? 

Follow these steps to apply correctly and avoid preventable refusals:

1. Identify your main destination (where you spend the most time) or first entry if time is equal
2. Confirm you need a Type C short-stay visa for your purpose
3. Check the application channel (consulate or visa centre) for your destination
4. Complete the application form carefully (no contradictions)
5. Book your appointment early (slots can be the real bottleneck)
6. Prepare supporting documents (passport, finances, ties, itinerary, accommodation)
7. Arrange a compliant biometric photo (35×45mm in most cases)
8. Purchase Schengen-compliant medical insurance and print the certificate
9. Attend the appointment (submission + biometrics)
10. Pay the fees and keep receipts
11. Track your application if tracking is available
12. On return, check the visa sticker (name, dates, number of entries)

Read our Step-by-Step Guide for Visa Schengen Application.

Expert tip: travel insurance is one of the most technical documents in a Schengen file.
Using a clear, compliant certificate helps avoid refusals caused by unclear wording, missing repatriation clauses, or mismatched dates. HelloSafe provides certificates designed for consular review.

Which documents are required for a Schengen visa?

To apply for a Schengen short-stay visa, you must submit a complete and coherent set of documents. Requirements are harmonised at Schengen level, but assessment strictness varies by consulate and applicant profile.

How do you fill in the Schengen visa application form correctly?

The Schengen visa application form must be fully completed, accurate, and signed. It’s often the first document screened.

• Dates, destinations, and purpose aligned with your itinerary
• No contradictions with hotel bookings, flights, or insurance
• Correct visa category (usually short-stay / Type C)

What are the Schengen visa passport requirements?

• Issued within the last 10 years
• Valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure
• At least two blank visa pages
• No physical damage

What are the Schengen visa photo requirements?

Before applying, many travellers consult a Schengen visa photo size requirement guide—and for good reason. Photo non-compliance is a common technical issue at submission.

• Size: typically 35mm × 45mm
• Recency: taken within the last 6 months
• Background: plain, light-coloured
• Face: neutral expression, eyes visible
• Quality: sharp, well-lit, no heavy shadows
• Head positioning: face centred and correctly sized within the frame

Is travel insurance mandatory for a Schengen visa?

Yes. Official Schengen visa rules require travel medical insurance for short-stay applicants.

Minimum requirements (what your certificate must clearly show)

• ✅ At least €30,000 medical coverage
• ✅ Valid across the entire Schengen Area
• ✅ Covers emergency medical care and includes repatriation / medical evacuation
• ✅ Valid for the full duration of your intended stay (dates must match)

Common insurance mistakes that cause refusals

• ❌ Coverage below €30,000
• ❌ Policy valid in only one country
• ❌ Dates not covering the full trip
• ❌ Wording unclear (assistance vs real medical coverage)
• ❌ Repatriation/medical evacuation not clearly stated
• ❌ Exclusions too broad
• ❌ Certificate unclear for consular review (language/format expectations vary)

To avoid administrative issues, make sure your insurance certificate is unambiguously compliant before your appointment. HelloSafe offers Schengen-compliant travel insurance with:

• 100% Schengen-compliant cover structure (including the €30,000 minimum)
• An instant certificate issued immediately after subscription
• An option to be refunded if the visa is refused (conditions apply; based on the official refusal decision)

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Can you extend (renew) a Schengen visa?

“Schengen visa renewal” usually refers to a Schengen visa extension. For short stays (Type C), extensions are exceptional—not a normal way to prolong tourism travel.

• Possible mainly for force majeure, humanitarian reasons, or rare serious personal reasons
• Requested with local authorities inside the Schengen country (not a consulate)
• Approval is rare; overstays can harm future applications

Why are Schengen visas refused, and how can you avoid the most common mistakes?

Refusals are frustrating—but many can be prevented by improving file coherence and reducing perceived risk.

1. Unclear purpose of travel
2. Doubts you will leave before visa expiry
3. Insufficient proof of funds or unexplained bank activity
4. Weak evidence of employment/studies
5. Inconsistent accommodation/transport bookings
6. Missing or low-quality documents
7. Prior immigration issues (overstays/refusals without improvement)
8. Non-compliant travel insurance
9. Suspected false documents
10. Last-minute submission errors

One of the most frequent avoidable refusal reasons is non-compliant or unclear insurance documentation.
Choosing a Schengen-specific insurance policy with a clear certificate helps reduce administrative risk. HelloSafe specialises in Schengen-compliant travel insurance solutions.

What should you do after a Schengen visa refusal: appeal or reapply?

After refusal, you typically have two options: appeal or reapply. Appeals make the most sense when you can show a clear error or provide decisive new evidence. If the refusal is “risk assessment”, reapplying with a stronger file is often more effective.

FAQ