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What is a Schengen visa?

Posted on by admin
23
Jul

On Sunday, June 13, 2025, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that Indonesian citizens that have visited European Union countries for the second time or more can apply for a multi-entry Schengen visa. It is to be implemented by the end of July 2025. This policy to ease entry is a part of the European Union’s visa cascade regime, a perk given to nations in good standing with the European Union. However, the Schengen visa itself is a unique product of European visa policy. In this article, we will discuss the Schengen visa in greater detail.

The implementation of the Schengen visa originates from the Schengen Agreement that was signed in Schengen, Luxembourg, on June 14, 1985. Said agreement was signed by countries which would then form the Schengen Area, a commitment to slowly decrease border control between the parties and enforcing a consistent entry policy. The Schengen Agreement was adopted into European Union policy with the possibility for countries to opt-out. Since the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union in 2020, the only European Union countries that are not included in the Schengen Area are Ireland and Cyprus. However, the President of Cyprus has announced that Cyprus intended to integrate into the Schengen Area in 2025.

Schengen visa can be used in the 29 countries that make up the Schengen Area. At this time, European Union countries that are included in the Schengen Area are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. Meanwhile non-European Union countries that are also included in the Schengen Area are: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

Schengen visa holders can enter all countries included in the Schengen Area with certain limitations of their visa type. Single-entry or double-entry Schengen visa allowed the travel into countries within the Schengen Area for one or two times. Multiple-entry Schengen visa allow entry into all countries included in the Schengen Area for as long as the visa is valid. Type A Schengen visa or the airport-transit visa is required to conduct transit in airports within the Schengen Area countries, however it does not allow a person to exit airports. And type D Schengen visa or the Limited Territorial Validity visa (LTV) granted permission to stay within a specified time period and only within one or multiple specified countries within the Schengen Area, which can act as a temporary long-term stay permit.

The validity period of the multiple-entry Schengen visa consists of a few types:

  • Type C1 up to 30 days;
  • Type C2 up to 90 days;
  • Type C3 up to 1 year;
  • Type C4 up to 5 years;
  • Type D up to 1 year and can be extended.

The duration of stay with a Schengen visa is limited by the 90/180 days rule, which regulates that within 180 consecutive days, the Schengen visa holder is only allowed to stay for 90 days within the Schengen Area. This rule applies to the single-entry, double-entry, and multiple-entry Schengen visa. Meanwhile type A Schengen visa is only valid for 2 days and type D Schengen visa can be used for up to 1 year without the requirement to adhere to the 90/180 days rule.

References:

  1. Crossman, K. (20 May 2025) Schengen area: A list of membership countries, Schengen Visa and entry rules, My Schengen. Available at: https://myschengen.com/blog/list-schengen-countries/ (Accessed: 15 July 2025).
  2. European Comission (2025) Applying for a Schengen visa, Migration and Home Affairs. Available at: https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/visa-policy/applying-schengen-visa_en#how-long-can-you-stay (Accessed: 15 July 2025).
  3. Gregoriades, R. (10 January 2025) Cyprus to join Schengen Area by 2025, says Christodoulides, Cyprus Mail. Available at: https://cyprus-mail.com/2025/01/10/cyprus-to-join-schengen-area-by-2025-says-christodoulides (Accessed: 15 July 2025).
  4. Johnson, P. (28 January 2025) Types of Schengen visas and their validity periods, My Schengen. Available at: https://myschengen.com/blog/schengen-visa-types/ (Accessed: 15 July 2025).
  5. Safitri, E. (14 July 2025) Kabar Terbaru, WNI Pernah Ke Eropa Berhak Dapat Visa Schengen Multi-Entry, detiknews. Available at: https://news.detik.com/berita/d-8010361/kabar-terbaru-wni-pernah-ke-eropa-berhak-dapat-visa-schengen-multi-entry (Accessed: 15 July 2025).

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