EU visa policy

Why EU common visa rules?

More than 400 million EU citizens enjoy freedom of movement in the Schengen area. They can travel, work and live anywhere in the EU. Non-EU nationals living in the EU or visiting the EU as tourists, exchange students or for business purposes can also move freely.

The Schengen provisions:

• abolish checks at the EU's internal borders, with some limited exceptions
• provide a single set of rules for controls at the EU's external borders

An EU common visa policy is necessary for the effective functioning of the border-free Schengen area, as it facilitates the entry of visitors into the EU, while strengthening internal security.

The EU has established a visa policy for:

• intended short stays in or transit through the territory of a Schengen state
• transit through the international transit areas of airports of the Schengen states

Short stays are stays of no more than 90 days within any 180-day period.

Today, 29 European countries issue Schengen visas (as members of the Schengen area): 25 of the 27 EU member states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Cyprus, where controls at the internal borders have not yet been lifted, and Ireland (not part of the Schengen area) do not issue Schengen visas, but only national visas.

• The Schengen area (European Commission)
• The Schengen area explained (background information)

Countries issuing Schengen visas

Visa-free regime with non-EU countries

The EU currently has a visa-free regime in place with 60 non-EU countries, two special administrative regions of China (Hong Kong and Macao) and two territorial authorities that are not recognised as states by at least one EU member state (Taiwan and Kosovo*).

Under this regime, non-EU citizens of those visa-exempt countries, regions and territorial authorities can enter the Schengen area for short stays without needing a visa, subject to any specific passport requirements applicable to their nationality.

The EU aims to achieve full visa reciprocity, which happens when citizens of Schengen area countries do not need a visa to visit countries whose citizens also do not need a visa to visit the Schengen area. Today, the EU has achieved visa reciprocity with all visa-exempt non-EU countries, except the United States. Citizens of Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania still need a visa to visit the United States.

• Third countries whose nationals are exempt from that requirement (EU official journal)
• Visa waiver agreements (EU official journal)

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

European travel information and authorisation system (ETIAS)

In 2018, the Council adopted a regulation establishing the European travel information and authorisation system (ETIAS). The system will be used to carry out advance checks on visa-exempt travellers and deny them travel authorisation if necessary.

It will be similar to existing systems in place in the US, Canada and Australia, among other countries.

ETIAS is being developed by eu-LISA. This is the EU agency that manages the large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice. The date for the start of ETIAS will be announced several months prior to its launch.

• IT systems to fight crime and secure EU borders (background information)
• EU-wide IT systems for security and migration (infographic)

Visa facilitation agreements with non-EU countries

The EU has visa facilitation agreements in place with some non-EU countries. Under this simplified visa regime, non-EU citizens enjoy facilitated procedures for entering the Schengen area for short stays.

Facilitated procedures for issuing visas include:

• a simplification of the supporting documents needed
• reduced or no fees for certain categories of applicants
• faster processing times for visa applications
• provisions on issuing multiple-entry visas with extended validity

• Visa facilitation agreements (European Commission)

Visa agreements with non-EU countries

Suspension of visa agreements

The EU can suspend visa waiver or visa facilitation agreements when a country no longer satisfies the conditions of the agreement. The general rules of the EU visa code then apply.

Suspensions can be triggered by an EU member state or by the European Commission.

Currently three agreements are suspended:

• Russia (full suspension of facilitation agreement)
• Belarus (partial suspension of facilitation agreement)
• Vanuatu (full suspension of waiver agreement)

• Vanuatu: Council fully suspends visa free travel agreement (press release, 8 November 2022)
• Council adopts full suspension of visa facilitation with Russia (press release, 9 September 2022)
• Belarus: Council suspends visa facilitation provisions for officials of the Belarus regime (press release, 9 November 2021)

New EU rules on suspending visa-free travel for third countries

On 17 November 2025, the Council updated the mechanism for suspending visa-free travel. Under the new mechanism, the EU is given the following new grounds to suspend the visa-free regime:

• lack of alignment of a visa-free third country with the EU's visa policy, in cases where this may lead to increased arrivals to the EU, e.g. because of that country's geographical proximity to the EU
• the operation of an investor citizenship scheme, whereby citizenship is granted without any genuine link to the third country concerned, in exchange for pre-determined payments or investments
• hybrid threats and shortcomings in document security legislation or procedures
• deterioration in the EU's external relations with a visa-free third country

• Council greenlights new EU rules for the suspension of visa-free travel for third countries (press release, 17 November 2025)

General EU visa rules

For travellers from non-EU countries with no waiver or facilitation agreement, the visa code applies. This code sets out the procedures and conditions for issuing visas for the purpose of short stays and airport transit through the Schengen area.

The visa code also lists the non-EU countries whose nationals are required to hold an airport transit visa when passing through the international transit areas of EU airports and establishes the procedures and conditions for issuing such visas.

Furthermore, the visa code helps improve cooperation with third countries on the readmission of irregular immigrants through the visa leverage mechanism.

Under this mechanism, when a third country does not cooperate on readmission, specific restrictive measures related to visa processing and the visa fee can be taken.

On the other hand, if a country is found to be cooperating on readmission, the EU may provide a reduction in the visa fee, a reduction in the time to decide on visa applications, or an increase in the period of validity of multiple entry visas.

• Visa code (EU official journal)
• Visa policy: EU updates rules to facilitate legitimate travel and fight illegal migration (press release, 6 June 2019)

Digitalisation of Schengen visa

Currently, applying for a Schengen visa is a lengthy and heavily paper-based process. Applicants have to travel to submit their application and collect their visa afterwards. This is burdensome for both travellers and consulates.

On 13 November 2023, the Council adopted new EU rules to digitalise the visa procedure. The new rules aim to:

• replace the visa sticker
• introduce the ability to submit visa applications online, through an online visa platform
• improve the visa application process
• reduce the costs and burden on EU countries and on applicants

• Council gives green light to the digitalisation of the visa procedure (press release, 13 November 2023)