In June 1985, seven EU countries signed the Schengen Agreement. This enabled the removal of internal border controls between the Schengen member states, therefore allowing easy movement within the European Schengen area. It also harmonized the visa obligations between all Schengen member states, thus making it so much easier for tourists, students or travelers on business to visit multiple European countries for a period of less than three months.
As of date, there are 26 member countries including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, ETIAS France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, ETIAS Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Traveling in Europe has definitely become easier,
thanks to the introduction of the Schengen Visa
About The Schengen Visa
The Schengen Visa is issued to any foreign citizen whose nationality requires a Schengen Visa. This enables the passport holder to enter freely into any of the 25 member countries without obtaining a separate visa for each country.
This only applies to individuals who are looking to visit one or more Schengen countries either as a tourist, a student or a traveler on business, for a period of no longer than three months. If you intend to stay in any of the Schengen countries for a period of longer than three months, the Schengen visa no longer applies.What is ETIAS?
Europe will launch a
new Visa Waiver System in 2023. ETIAS will permit visitors to travel
within the Schengen Zone for a period of 90 days.
Citizens of the
eligible countries can travel for business, transit,
tourism, health, or commerce will have to apply for
a visa ETIAS waiver beginning in 2023. This program
will increase security within the Schengen region's
26 members. The
European Travel Information and Authorization System
(also known as ETIAS)
will be used for pre-screening individuals who wish
to travel to Europe. If
you plan to study or work in Europe,
however, you will need a student or work visa.
To determine if you
are ready to travel to Europe, whether for business
or leisure, the traveler must first check the ETIAS
requirements. ETIAS
is available to citizens of all eligible countries.
You must have a valid passport. It is important to
plan for this change as soon as possible.
Schengen Visa Application Steps
Identify the country or countries you
will be travelling to. It is particularly important to
know which countries you are travelling to because it
determines where and how you are going to send your
application.
- If you are intending to visit just one Schengen country, you will need to apply for the Schengen visa directly with the embassy or consulate of that particular country.
- If you are intending to visit two or more Schengen countries, your application must be sent to the embassy or consulate of the country that shall be your main destination.
- If you are intending to visit several Schengen countries, but do not have a main destination, you should apply for the visa at the embassy or consulate of the first Schengen country on your travel itinerary.
Fill out an application form beforehand
to obtain a Schengen visa. You can download and print
off the form online.
Prepare all the requirements for your
Schengen visa application. Depending on the consulate or
embassy, you required to show the following documents:
- A valid national passport
- Evidence showing the purpose of your trip (e.g. hotel reservations)
- Proof of medical insurance
- A round-trip travel ticket
- Proof of funds
When applying for a Schengen Visa, the embassy or consulate requires you to provide current bank statements amongst other documents. They need to assess whether you have sufficient financial means of support during the duration of your stay.
Check the processing time to ensure you
get your Schengen visa on time. The processing time
varies per embassy, so it is important to take the
processing time into account when planning your trip.