Traveling to Europe? Find Out Who Needs a Schengen Visa to Travel to EU
Who Needs a Schengen Visa to Travel to Europe?
If you are planning on traveling to any of the countries in the Schengen Area, you may be a citizen of a country who does not need a visa. There are currently 63 countries whose citizens fall into this category.
Despite not needing a Schengen visa, citizens from these countries still have to meet certain requirements. These are:
- Passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the departure date from the Schengen Area. The passport must also have been issued within the last 10 years
- Citizens must have sufficient funds for their stay and their return journey
- State the reason for travel and provide documents to prove this
- Not been refused entry or considered a threat to any Schengen country
- Maximum stay in the Schengen Area of 90 days in any 180-day period
Countries Who Need a Visa
If you are not a citizen of any of the above countries, then you will have to apply for a Schengen visa by submitting an application with required documents and attending an interview at your local application center.
Citizens of the following countries need a visa to be able to travel to the Schengen Area.
| Afghanistan | Algeria | Angola | Armenia | Azerbaijan |
| Bahrain | Bangladesh | Belarus | Belize | Benin |
| Bhutan | Bolivia | Botswana | Burkina Faso | Burma/Myamar |
| Burundi | Cambodia | Cameroon | Cape Verde | Central African Republic |
| Chad | China | Comoros | Congo | Cote D’Ivoire |
| Cuba | Democratic Republic of Congo | Djibouti | Dominican Republic | Ecuador |
| Egypt | Equatorial Guinea | Eritrea | Eswatini | Ethiopia |
| Fiji | Gabon | Gambia | Ghana | Guinea |
| Guinea-Bissau | Guyana | Haiti | India | Indonesia |
| Iran | Iraq | Jamaica | Jordan | Kazakhstan |
| Kenya | Kuwait | Kyrgyzstan | Laos | Lebanon |
| Lesotho | Liberia | Libya | Madagascar | Malawi |
| Maldives | Mali | Mauritania | Mongolia | Morocco |
| Mozambique | Namibia | Nauru | Nepal | Niger |
| Nigeria | North Korea | Oman | Pakistan | Papua New Guinea |
| Philippines | Qatar | Russia | Rwanda | Sao Tome and Principe |
| Saudi Arabia | Senegal | Sierra Leone | Somalia | South Africa |
| South Sudan | Sri Lanka | Sudan | Suriname | Syria |
| Tajikistan | Tanzania | Thailand | Togo | Tunisia |
| Turkey | Turkmenistan | Uganda | Uzbekistan | Vanuatu |
| Vietnam | Yemen | Zambia | Zimbabwe |
Source: Who must apply for a Schengen visa (europa.eu)
Citizens Who Need an Airport Transit Visa
Usually, if you are traveling to a country, but need to catch a connecting flight in any Schengen country airport AND remaining in the international zone, you will not need a visa. However, there are certain nationalities that will need an Airport Transit Visa even if they remain airside. This applies to citizens of the following countries:
- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka
In addition, the following countries need an Airport Transit Visa in some, but not all of the Schengen countries. (Source: Wikipedia)
- Austria: Syria
- Belgium: Dominican Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Nepal, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Yemen
- Cyprus: Turkey
- Czech Republic: Algeria, Armenia, Chad, Cuba, Egypt, India, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Palestine, Russia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Yemen
- Denmark: Syria
- France: Angola, Bolivia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guinea, Haiti, India, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Nepal, Philippines, Russia (only if arriving from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Moldova, Turkey or Ukraine), Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey
- Germany: Cuba, India, Jordan (except if travelling to or from Australia, Israel or New Zealand, with a valid visa for that country), Lebanon, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey
- Greece: Cameroon, Congo, Sudan, Syria
- Italy: Senegal, Syria
- Netherlands: Cuba, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Nepal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Yemen
- Norway: Syria, Turkey
- Poland: Armenia, Cuba, Egypt
- Portugal: Guinea, Senegal
- Romania: Syria
- Spain: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Cuba, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti (only with passports issued from 1 September 2021), India, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Palestine, Sierra Leone, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Yemen
- Switzerland: Cuba, Syria, Turkey
- Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden: no additional nationalities beyond common ATV list
- Liechtenstein: no airports
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