Foreign consulate offices in the USA.

visa requirements for US citizens

What's the European Union (EU)?

The European Union, formerly known as the European Common Market or the European Economic Community (EEC), started as a "free trade" or "common market" agreement. Although trade and economic policy are still its major focus, it now also deals with social policy, external affairs, and other matters.

The countries in the European Union are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

For travellers, the main effect of the EU is that border controls at
airports and elsewhere often have two queues, one for citizens of EU countries and one for citizens of other countries. Choose the queue that's appropriate for you.

For more information on the EU, see http://europa.eu.int/.


What's a "Schengen visa"?

Some countries in the EU have agreed to unify their entry and visa
requirements. In general, this means that once you're admitted to one of these countries, you can go to any other, and a visa granted by one of these countries (known as a "Schengen visa") allows you to enter any other country.

The countries participating in this agreement are: Austria, Belgium,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden; Iceland and Norway also participate even though they're not in the EU. The following EU countries do not participate: Ireland and the United Kingdom.

There are no border controls between the Schengen countries, so you won't have to show your passport or visa when going from one country to another. However, some countries require that you carry your passport or identity card with you at all times and show it to a police officer on request; these requirements remain in force.

A consequence of this is that if you're allowed to remain in a Schengen country as a tourist for 90 days (for example), you can go to any other Schengen country during that period, but you can't be in *any* Schengen country once the period expires. You may be allowed to leave the "Schengen area" and reenter immediately; Switzerland and the United Kingdom are popular "non-Schengen" countries for this purpose. However, you may also be required to wait for a certain period of time before re-entering the Schengen area. Please consult the consulate of the countries you're planning to visit to know the requirements that apply to you.

If you're planning to visit more than one Schengen country and require a visa, you should apply to the first country you're planning to visit, i.e. the country where you'll enter the "Schengen area".