The Schengen Visa entitles the owner for a short-term stay in the Schengen Area. Besides Germany, the other Schengen-States are Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Citizens of countries of the European Union do not need a visa to travel to Germany. Also, there are some states for which Germany suspended the visa requirement. Citizens from those states are not required to have a visa when entering Germany.

A list of those states can be found here.

There is no title claim for Schengen Visa. The visa can be declined even if the applicant meets all the visa requirements. The approval of the visa depends on the immigration officer’s decision.

The Schengen-State is responsible for granting the required visa. If the main destination of the applicant is not specified, the State of which the applicant is entering first is responsible for issuing the visa.

 

Three Types of Schengen Visa

  1. The Uniform Schengen Visa (USV)
    The USV permits its holder to transit or reside in the Schengen territory for a certain period of time up to a maximum of 90 days every 6-month period starting from the date of entry to the Schengen Area.

    The USV itself is available in three categories:

    • Category A: the airport transit visa. This visa allows its holder to travel through the international zone of the Schengen country airport. This visa is mandatory for citizens from a non-Schengen State that has connecting flights within the Schengen country airports. The fee for the airport transit visa is 60 Euro.
    • Category B: the Transit Visa. This Visa allows its holder to transit through more than one Schengen country on the way to a non-Schengen country. The holder of the Transit Visa is allowed to enter in the Schengen Area for a maximum of 5 days.
    • Category C: This is a short-term visa that allows its holder to enter the Schengen country for a certain period of time, depending on the visa validity. Visa of category C can be obtained in form of a single-entry visa, a double-entry visa, or a multiple-entry visa. The single-entry visa allows its holder to enter the Schengen state only once for a certain period of time. Once its holder leaves the Schengen country, the visa validity expires even if the period allowed to stay is not over. Double-entry visa, as its name suggest, allows its holder to enter and leave the Schengen country twice. Once its holder leaves the country for a second time, the visa expires. The multiple-entry visa allows its holder to go in and out of the Schengen country as many times as he pleases until the date of visa validity. The fee for the category C visa is 60 Euro. For citizens from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine the fee is reduced to 35 Euro. For applicants between 6 and 12 years, the fee is reduced to 35 Euro. Applicants from the above-mentioned states in this age don’t need to pay a fee. Visas are issued free of charge for children under 6 years.

  2. The limited territorial validity visa (LTV)
    The LTV allows its holder to travel in the issuing Schengen state or in certain Schengen states specified on the visa application. The visa is not valid for Schengen states not specified in the application.

  3. The national visa (also: visa category D)
    The national visa is granted to citizens of non-Schengen countries who want to study, work or reside permanently in one of the Schengen countries. This visa category allows its holder to stay more than 90 days in the issuing state. The visa only gives access to the issuing state or country. The national visas are not issued for the purpose of tourism. The category D visa can be of a single entry granted to applicants who want to reside in the Schengen country for certain period of time.