Who Can Enter Schengen Without Visa?

who can enter schengen without visa

Who Can Enter Schengen Without Visa?

As soon as you present your passport at a border crossing, an immigration official will make the final determination whether or not you can enter Schengen without needing a visa. They will review its contents to see if you meet all eligibility criteria – this could take anywhere between 90 days to 180 days within any 180-day period – though an immigration official cannot issue single entry visas on-the-spot except under exceptional circumstances such as humanitarian considerations or international obligations (like bereavement of close relatives or sudden serious illness of close relatives).

There are 26 countries within the Schengen zone: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland. Four of these are European Union members – Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Ireland while 22 do not. If you hold residency permits from one of these states you can travel visa-free across them all and also all but Austria Belgium Denmark Germany France as long as their nationals do not require one for travel purposes.

Other exceptions apply if the visa or residence permit holder hails from Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino or the USA and has unconditional readmission into all Schengen states. Furthermore, other nations (such as Nauru) have their own independent visa policies which do not fall under the scope of the Schengen Agreement.