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There is simply no way to visit Europe without being amazed by its natural beauty, glorious history, and dazzling artistic and culinary diversity! You can find newly built or refurbished museums from centuries ago. Besides, architectural marvels, impressive infrastructure, and a series of famous tangible and intangible heritages of the world... will be the motivation for you to explore Europe. Whether it's food or folklore, saunas or modern science and technology, active sports or wellness, Europe has something for everyone.
However, before each trip to Europe, the issue that worries the most is the Schengen visa procedure. So what is a Schengen visa? Is it hard to get or not? Please refer to the guidance and experience of applying for a Schengen visa so that you have the highest success rate possible!
What is the Schengen Area?
The Schengen area denotes a zone where 27 European countries abolish their internal borders, let their citizens travel freely and without restrictions, harmonize with common rules for controlling external borders and fighting crime by strengthening common justice systems and police cooperation.
The Schengen Area includes most European Union (EU) countries, with the exception of Ireland and countries that are about to become part of the Schengen Area such as Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus. Although not members of the EU, countries such as Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein are also part of the Schengen Area. Accordingly, Uniform Schengen visa holders can travel to all 27 member states of the Schengen Area.
Which countries does the Schengen area consist of?
Currently, the Schengen Area consists of 27 member states, including: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
All of these countries are located in Europe, with some characteristics as follows:
23 members fully implement the Schengen Agreement.
4 of them are members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which implements the Schengen Agreement through specific agreements.
Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Lichtenstein are associate members of the Schengen Area but not members of the EU. These countries also join EFTA and implement the Schengen Agreement through specific agreements.
Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City have opened their borders but are not members of the visa-free zone.
The Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands are special members of the EU and are part of the Schengen Area, even though they are located outside continental Europe.
There are 4 more EU members yet to join the Schengen area: Ireland – which retains its opt-out option, and Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus – are looking to join soon.
What is a Schengen visa?
A Schengen visa is a short-term stay visa that allows a person to travel to any member of the Schengen Area, each staying up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes. The Schengen visa is the most popular visa for Europe, allowing holders to enter, freely travel in and out of the Schengen area from any Schengen member state. There will be no border controls in the Schengen Area.
However, if you plan to study, work or live in one of the Schengen countries for more than 90 days, you need to apply for that European country's national visa and not a Schengen visa.
Who needs a Schengen visa to enter Europe?
Although there are citizens of countries who have the privilege of entering the Schengen visa-free area, there are also other citizens, who must go through all the processes that meet the requirements and attend the necessary interviews, in order to obtain a visa that gives them the right to enter the Schengen Area.
All citizens of third countries who have not reached visa liberalization agreements with Schengen member states – including Vietnam – need to apply for a visa before arriving in Europe.
Entry requirements for non-EU citizens
You will have to present some documents at the Schengen port of entry to be allowed entry if you are a non-EU/Schengen citizen, regardless of whether you are visa-free or not. The documents you need to provide when entering the Schengen Area are as follows:
Valid passport. Issued within the previous 10 years and valid for at least 3 months after the date you intend to leave the EU.
Schengen visa. If you are a citizen of one of the third countries that need a visa.
EU/Schengen border officials may also ask for other information and documents proving you have sufficient living expenses, proof of accommodation, how long you plan to stay, return airfare, purpose of entry, travel insurance, invitation letter, etc. The border officer will provide you with an entry stamp in your passport when you enter the Schengen area. Without this seal, you can be fined or detained.
Which European countries issue Schengen visas?
Each member state of the Schengen area can issue a Schengen visa. There are 18 other countries that are not part of the Schengen Area, but they allow citizens from non-Schengen countries to enter and stay in their territory simply by presenting a valid multiple-entry Schengen visa. You do not need a national visa issued from these countries to temporarily enter, transit or stay in their territory.
These 18 countries include: Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Colombia, Northern Cyprus, Georgia, Kosovo, Mexico, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, and Turkey.
Types of short-term Schengen visas in Europe
You need to apply for a Schengen visa if you intend to visit one or more European countries in this region for the following reasons:
- Business.
- Visit friends and family.
- Travel and holidays.
- Participation in cultural and sports events.
- Airport transit and transit for seafarers.
- Official visit.
- Medical reasons.
- Short-term study, research.
Depending on the reason for your visit to the Schengen countries and the frequency of your visits, the Schengen consulate may issue you a single-entry visa, a double-entry visa or a multiple-entry visa. The validity of your single entry visa depends on the number of days you have stated that you will be in the Schengen area on your visa application form and the actual decision of the consulate issuing you a Schengen visa.
The most common type of short-term Schengen visa, also known as the Uniform Schengen visa, consists of types: A, B and C, which give you an airport transit visa and allow you to stay in any country in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in a 6-month period. This will be the type of visa you need if traveling to Europe on a short vacation.
- Schengen visa type A or airport transit visa
The A-type visa allows citizens of non-Schengen countries to transit or wait for their connecting flight within the international area of an airport located in a Schengen Area country. This visa is mandatory for those travelling from a non-Schengen country to another non-Schengen country and those who must make connections at an airport of a Schengen country. A visa holders are not allowed to enter the aforementioned Schengen country.
- Schengen Visa Type B
The Schengen B visa related to trips lasting less than 5 days has been replaced by a C visa with a condition of "transit".
- Schengen Visa Type C
The short-term stay Schengen visa is the most common type. This type of visa is issued by visa service agencies (embassies, consulates, designated external suppliers) of a Schengen Area country. The Schengen visa type C allows the holder to stay or travel freely within the Schengen Area for less than 90 days within a period of 180 days.
A C-type Schengen visa is compulsory for citizens of some countries, including Vietnam.
- Single entry visa (print the number "1" on the visa sticker)
Allow its owner to enter the Schengen Area once. If you leave the area, your visa validity will expire even if the validity period has not yet ended. In short: every departure from the Schengen Area is final!
- Two-time entry visa (print the number "2" on the visa sticker)
Allows visa holders to enter the Schengen Area twice during the validity of their visa. Therefore, you can leave the Schengen Area and re-enter the country during that period. The second time you leave the area, is when your visa expires.
- Multiple entry visa (printed with the word "MULT" on the visa sticker)
Allow visa holders to enter and exit as many times as they want. This visa is valid for a maximum of 90 days in a 180-day period.
Multiple entry visas are divided into the following categories:
- Multiple entry Schengen visa a year: You can apply for this type of visa provided that you have used 3 visas within the previous 2 years. In the application, you will need to show proof of your previous visas and trips you have made to the Schengen Area. A multiple-entry Schengen visa a year allows you to stay for less than 90 days in each 180-day period.
- Three-year multiple entry Schengen visa: This type of visa will be issued to applicants who have applied for and legally used a multiple entry visa valid for 1 year within the previous 2 years. At this point, the 90/180 rule applies.
- Five-year multiple-entry Schengen visa: You can apply for a 5-year multiple entry visa if you have applied for and legally used a previous multiple entry visa valid for at least 2 years within the last 3 years.
How long does a Schengen visa allow to stay in Europe?
Depending on the type of visa issued by the embassy/consulate of a Schengen country, there are different rules that apply to each specific type of visa, depending on the nature of the trip and other relevant circumstances. However, the most common type of visa issued to tourists can reach a maximum of 90 days in each 6-month period from the date of entry.
If you are a frequent European traveller, you can apply for a Schengen visa valid for up to 5 years, but it should be remembered that you cannot stay in the Schengen Area for more than 90 days in a 180-day period even if you have a multiple entry visa to Europe valid for up to 5 years.
Schengen Area 90/180 Rule
There are two main components of this rule: 90 days and a 180-day period. Both exhibit different calculations as follows:
- Schengen Area 90-Day Rule Section
The rule is quite simple: you are only allowed to stay in the Schengen Area for 90 days from the date of entry.
So, let's say you set foot in the Schengen Area on January 1, 2022; You are only allowed to stay 90 days from that date until March 31, 2022.
The same rule applies to any calendar year, as long as you count your 90 days correctly.
- Part of the 180-day rule of the Schengen Area
This is the most confusing part for most travelers and many get it wrong, resulting in them being overstayed. 180 days is a rolling period of time during which you can count down from your date of entry or exit within the Schengen Area. Basically, count down 180 days and see how many days you've spent in the Schengen area; If you stay more than 90 days, you have violated the 90/180 rule of 180 days.
Example: You get a multiple-entry Schengen visa valid for one year (from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022). You travel to the Schengen Area on the following dates:
10 January 2022 to 20 January 2022 – 10 days in the Schengen Area
1 March 2022 to 30 March 2022 – another 30 days in the Schengen Area (40 days total in the last 180 days).
1 May 2022 to 9 June 2022 – another 40 days in the Schengen Area (80 days total in the last 180 days).
By June 10, you only have 10 days left to stay in the Schengen Area because if you count back 180 days, you have already stayed in Schengen for 80 days.
However, on June 30, 2022, you will have 20 days to stay in Schengen. This is because your 180-day period has already been forwarded, so the days you were in Schengen from January 10 to January 20 are no longer counted.
What does a Schengen visa application include?
A complete short-term stay Schengen visa application package includes the following documents:
- The Schengen visa application form is completed and signed.
- Two 35x45mm photos taken within the last 3 months.
- The passport is valid for more than three months until it expires and the old passport has a previous visa on it, if any. Please ensure that the passport has 2 blank pages left to paste the visa.
- Trip schedule. You will need to present your return flight booking code, or with the date and flight number, along with your dates of entry and exit from Schengen.
- Accommodation: You need to provide information about your accommodation during your stay in Schengen. It may refer to:
- Hotel/hostel booking code.
- Tenancy agreement.
- Invitation letter from the host you will be staying with.
- Proof you have paid a visa application fee of €80 or €40 for children aged 6 to 12.
- Proof that you have travel insurance and health insurance that covers your medical expenses up to €30,000.
- Proof of financial means such as:
- A bank statement no older than 3 months proving your ability to pay while in Europe.
- A letter of sponsorship from another person confirming that they will financially support your trip to Schengen. In order for this letter to be valid, it must be accompanied by a bank statement not older than 3 months of the guarantor.
Proof of employment is provided as follows:
- For employees of a company or agency:
- Employment contract.
- Bank account statement for the last 6 months.
- Leave from the employer.
- Income tax return or Income Tax Certificate is deducted at salary source.
- For the self-employed:
- A copy of your business license.
- Company bank account statement for the last 6 months.
- Income tax return.
- For students:
- Certificate of student of the school.
- Letter of approval from the school.
- For retirees:
- Pension statement for the last 6 months.
If unemployed and married to an EU citizen:
- Employment confirmation letter not older than 3 months from their spouse's employer stating the position held in the company as well as the start date.
- Valid passport of spouse.
- Official marriage certificate.
- In addition to the above, a personal interview with the applicant may be required at any time.
What documents do minors need when applying for a Schengen visa?
- Parents/legal guardians of minors applying for a Schengen visa must submit some additional documents for underage applicants:
- Birth certificate of minor.
- The form is signed by both parents.
- Order from the family court – in cases where only one parent has full custody of the child.
- Notarized copies of citizenship identity cards or passports of both parents.
- Notarized parental power of attorney signed by both parents/guardians if minors are traveling alone.
Is an interview required when applying for a Schengen visa?
The answer is yes or no. Most of the time, you will not have to answer an interview when applying for a Schengen visa. However, in case your application has unclear details, or needs additional information, you need to attend the interview with the Embassy/Consulate staff by appointment.
During the interview process, always be confident, answer questions honestly and don't worry too much because the interview questions will focus on your personal information as well as the purpose of your trip.
Schengen Visa Processing Time
You should apply for a Schengen visa at least 2 weeks before your planned trip. After that, the Embassy/Consulate will respond in 10 working days (or less as usual) – this is the time required to process all travelers' documents and requests.
Depending on the situation, it may take up to 2 months if something goes wrong with each case, or there is an unusual political situation going on.
In addition, the earliest time you can apply for a tourist visa to the Schengen Area is 3 months before your trip.
Where to apply for a Schengen visa?
You will have to apply for a Schengen visa at the Embassy/Consulate/Visa Center of your main destination in the Schengen Area. "Main destination" shall be construed as follows:
When visiting only one Schengen country, apply at the country's Embassy/Consulate/Visa Center.
When visiting more than two Schengen countries, apply at the Embassy/Consulate/Visa Center of the country which:
You'll spend more days
You will enter first if you plan to spend an equal number of days per country.
In Vietnam, you can contact VFS Global or TLS for specific advice and guidance. These are 2 Schengen visa application centers in Vietnam, with addresses in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
TLS address:
L08 – 12A Floor, Vincom Dong Khoi Building, 72 Le Thanh Ton Street and 45A Ly Tu Trong Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Address VFS Global:
2nd Floor, Ocean Park Building, 1 Dao Duy Anh, Phuong Mai Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi City
3rd Floor, Resco Building, 94-96 Nguyen Du Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
