EU countries Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania also largely follow Schengen visa policy, even though they have not yet been formally admitted to the Schengen Area. Ireland and the UK are the only EU countries with significantly different visa policies.
Schengen visa policy, like the policies of Ireland and the UK, typically requires applications to be supported by extensive documentation.
- A short-stay visa issued by any Schengen country permits travel throughout all the Schengen countries, for up to 90 days in any 180 day period, unless marked with specific restrictions.
- Applicants must normally attend the embassy/visa centre in person to give biometric information (ie fingerprints), although if a Schengen visa has previously been issued this may not be required.
- A flat consular fee is charged for all short-stay visas, irrespective of the length of stay or number of entries granted. This is reduced for nationals of certain countries, and may be waived altogether* for family members of an EEA/EU/Swiss national.
- Applications are required to be supported by considerable documentation, and can be complicated.
Roshan