Although certain citizens of various countries have the benefit of entering Schengen areas without a visa, most other nationalities and residents must go through the experience and entire procedure of securing visa in order to enter Schengen area.

Who Needs a Schengen Visa to go to Europe?

A-C D-F G-I J-L M-O P-R S-U V-Z Afghanistan Algeria Angola Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Belarus Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Botswana Burkina Faso Burma/Myanmar Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad China Comoros Congo Cote D’iviore Cuba Dem. Rep. Of Congo Djibouti Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Fiji Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti India Indonesia Iran Iraq Jamaica Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kosova Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Maldives Mali Mauritania Mongolia Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nepal Niger Nigeria North Korea Northern Mariana’s Oman Pakistan Papua New Guinea Philippines Qatar Russia Rwanda Sao Tome And Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Syria Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe

Citizens that Need an Airport Transit Schengen Visa

Citizens of the following countries also need an airport transit visa in order to change the airplane at an airport in a Schengen Area country.

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Congo (DRC)

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Ghana

Iran

Iraq

Nigeria

Pakistan

Somalia

Sri Lanka

There are some exceptions for the above countries that permits you not to be obliged to obtain an airport transit visa:

If an individual holds a residency grant from a Schengen part country, a legitimate Schengen Visa for short stays or long remains.

If an individual holds a residency permit from countries such as Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino or the USA.

If you hold a valid Schengen visa or a valid visa for entering one of the EFTA nations just as Canada, Japan or the United States, regardless of whether you are coming back from those specific nations in the wake of utilising that visa.

If you are a family member of an EU citizen (for close family only)

If you hold a diplomatic passport.

Citizens that don’t need a Schengen visa to enter Europe

A-C D-F G-I J-L M-O P-R S-U V-Z Albania1 Andorra Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Australia Bahamas Barbados Bosnia and Herzegovina1 Barbados Brazil Brunei Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Dominica El Salvador Georgia Grenada Guatemala Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong S.A.R3 Israel Japan Kiribati Macao S.A.R3 Malaysia Marshall Islands Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova1 Monaco Montenegro1 Nauru New Zealand Nicaragua North Macedonia1 Palau Panama Paraguay Peru Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent Samoa Serbia1 Seychelles Singapore Solomon Islands South Korea Taiwan2 Timor Leste Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tuvalu Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay Vanuatu Venezuela

1Visa-free regime applies to citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro and Serbia only if they are holders of biometric passports. 2Visa-free regime applies to holders of passports issued by Taiwan only if their passport contains an identity card number.

Special administrative regions of the Peolple’s Republic of China:

Hong Kong 3

Macao3

3Visa-free regime applies only to holders of a “Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” passport.

3Visa-free regime applies only to holders of a “Região Administrativa Especial de Macau” passport.

British citizens who are not nationals of the United Kingdom (British Nationals (Overseas)

British Nationals (Overseas)

British Overseas Territories Citizens

British Overseas Citizens

British Protected Persons

British Subjects

If you are a citizen of the countries that don’t need visa to enter the Schengen zone, you are still not permitted to live in the travelling destination for your desired duration without legal consent.

Regardless of the reason, you are only allowed for a maximum of 90 days or three months semi-annually to stay in any of the Schengen zone countries. On top of that, keep in mind that applying for a Schengen visa to enter and stay for a specific period of time does not apply if you plan to work or study in that country.

If you are a family member of an EU/EEA national it doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t need a visa in order to enter the Schengen zone. It only means that the procedures for obtaining a visa will be alleviated and faster. Still, in order for this to apply, you have to meet certain standards such as:

You have to be a first degree family member of the EU/EEA citizen (husband or a child under 21years old).

You have to join the EU/EEA citizen in the travel destination or the residing country within the Schengen Area and have proof of that.

For residents with more than one nationality, the visa requirements rely upon the passport he/she goes to travel with. If you chose to travel with a passport of a nationality that requires a compulsory visa, you should get one regardless if you have a passport of one of the Schengen part countries.

If you are holding a D Visa that allows you to enter and live in a Schengen area for a certain period of time, holding a residency permit of that specific country you are also entitled to visit any Schengen country within the 90 days period every 6 months. Bear in mind, however, that getting a D visa requires a valid reason.