Schengen visa guides, start to finish
Plain-English guides to each step of a Schengen visa application — what to prepare before you apply, what happens at your appointment, and what the rules are once you travel.
How to apply
The application step by step, from choosing where to apply to collecting your passport.
Document checklist
The documents every applicant has to provide, and what each one needs to show.
Visa types
Airport transit, short-stay, national and limited-territory visas, and which one fits your trip.
Visa fees
What the visa itself costs, who pays less or nothing, and the service charges on top.
Photo requirements
Size, background and expression rules for the photo, and the mistakes that get one rejected.
Who needs a visa
Check whether your nationality needs a Schengen visa or travels visa-free.
Apply from the UK
Applying as a UK resident: which country to apply to, where to go and what to bring.
Interview
The questions consulates ask at the appointment and how to answer them well.
Refusals & appeals
Why applications are refused, what each reason means, and how to appeal or reapply.
Schengen Area
Which countries are in the Schengen Area and how travel between them works.
EU vs Schengen explained
How the EU, the Schengen Area, the EEA and the Eurozone differ, and why it matters for your visa.
First entry rules
Which country you have to apply to and enter first when your trip covers several.
Validity vs duration of stay
The difference between how long your visa is valid and how many days you may stay.
Reading your visa sticker
How to read every field on the visa sticker in your passport.
Border entry
What border officers check on arrival and the documents to keep to hand.
Extension & overstay
When a stay can be extended, how to ask, and what overstaying costs you.
EES Entry/Exit System
How the EU Entry/Exit System registers travellers at the border and what changes for you.
ETIAS
The travel authorisation for visa-free visitors: who needs it and how it works.
Beyond Schengen
Countries outside the Schengen Area that admit travellers holding a valid Schengen visa.