Will I Need A Visa To Travel To Europe?

Published On : 05 Sep 2024

Whether you require a visa for Europe depends on your nationality. People who are EU citizens and those from the Schengen area can freely move to other EU and Schengen member states without a visa. If you are a citizen of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or other countries not in the EU Schengen zone, you can visit the Schengen area for tourism or business for a period not exceeding 90 days without a visa. But in case you will be planning to study or work, or will be staying for more than 90 days, you will require a visa.

Schengen Area is a collection of 26 European countries that signed and implemented the Schengen Agreement.

Schengen Area is an area comprising 26 European Countries that have eliminated their border control system when people are traveling within the member countries. It works as a unified entity for international mobility with a unified visa regime. A total of 22 countries of the Schengen Area are members of the European Union as of the year 2017. The Schengen countries include: These countries include Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Is Schengen Visa Required for My Trip?

The citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and some other countries that are not members of the EU can freely visit the Schengen zone for up to 90 days within 180 days without a visa. Generally, the only document you may be asked to present is your valid passport at the entrance. This visa waiver is strictly for tourism, visiting friends or relatives, or for business purposes only. If you intend to stay more than 90 days and if your purpose is to study, work, or live for a longer period, then you will need to apply for the right visa category.

But for the sake of clarity, it should be noted that the visa waiver does not cover the whole of Europe. It applies only to the Schengen area which comprises 26 countries. In case you are planning to visit countries outside the Schengen area such as the UK, Ireland, Croatia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania among others, you may still require another specific country visa regardless of the Schengen Visa.

Is Travel Insurance Necessary for Travel to Europe?

In particular, medical and travel insurance are highly advisable but they are not mandatory for traveling to Europe. It will cover you for cases where you might fall ill, get an injury, lose your baggage, or your flight gets canceled among other mishaps. Ensure medical evacuation is covered – this is the cost incurred to fly you back home for treatment if you get severely ill because as a visitor, you do not have free emergency medical treatment in Europe if you are not from one of these countries:

What Do I Need for My Visa?

If you do need to apply for a Schengen Visa, you will have to fill in a visa application at the embassy or consulate of the country in Schengen where you plan to spend most of your time. The requirements can vary slightly between countries but generally, you need

Valid passport
Recent passport-size photos
Documentation of travel medical insurance
Airline and hotel reservations
Purpose of visit papers
Demonstration of funds for duration of stay: It is mandatory to demonstrate that you have enough money to support yourself during the period of your stay.
Extra documents may be required based on the type of visa

There is typically a visa charge that has to be paid when making the application as well. The time it takes to process Schengen visa applications vary depending on season and can take up to 60 days during busy seasons. Once issued, the visa enables one to move anywhere in the Schengen Area other than the country that granted the visa.

Ensure that you apply for the visa well ahead of the set flying dates to destinations within Europe. It is always advisable to ensure that the visa requirements have not changed as they can change often; therefore, always check on the official government site when planning for your Europe visit. Some countries may also have extra paperwork or specific requirements so it is wise to check whether you will need a visa rather than assuming that you will not. Papers should always be in order and visa should be obtained much earlier to make sure that all your time and efforts you devote to creating wonderful memories during Eurotrip.