Schengen visa requirements: the file, the clocks, the insurance

The Commission's guidance defines the Schengen visa as an entry permit for a short, temporary visit of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, coming in three forms — single-entry, multiple-entry, and the airport transit visa some nationalities need even to change planes. The routing rule: lodge the application at the consulate of the country you intend to visit; visiting several countries, apply where you will spend the longest time; for stays of equal length, the first country you enter decides.

Source: European Commission — Applying for a Schengen visa (Migration and Home Affairs), read 9 September 2026.

Per the same Commission page, applications go in no later than 15 days before your intended journey and no earlier than 6 months beforehand — with an appointment possibly required before lodging. The passport must be valid at least 3 months after the date of your departure from the Schengen area; for multiple-entry visas, 3 months after departure from the last country visited. Decisions follow the Visa Code's clock: within 15 calendar days of an admissible application, extendable to a maximum of 30 in individual cases needing further scrutiny.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (Visa Code) — EUR-Lex, read 9 September 2026.

The Visa Code's Article 15 is the requirement we work with daily: applicants for a uniform visa shall prove that they are in possession of adequate and valid travel medical insurance to cover any expenses which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and/or emergency hospital treatment — with minimum coverage of EUR 30,000, valid across the member states concerned. What consulates actually accept, and the certificate wording that passes, is its own subject — our €30,000-rule guide covers it, and the policies we arrange are built for exactly this checkpoint.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, Article 15 — EUR-Lex, read 9 September 2026.