Visa

List of nationalities exempt from holding a visa

List of nationalities who must be in possession of a visa

Exemptions from the visa requirement

• Holders of diplomatic, service/official or special passports;
• Visa obligation to holders of diplomatic, service/official or special passport whose nationality is visa exempted; 

• Civilian air and sea crew members; Crew and members of emergency or rescue missions in the event of disaster or accident; Civilian crew members on international inland waterways; 

• Holders of travel documents issued by intergovernmental organisations;

• Visa exemption granted to school pupils who are nationals of a third country listed in Annex I to the Regulation, reside in a third country listed in Annex II to the Regulation and are travelling in the context of a school excursion as members of a group of the school; 

• Visa exemption for refugees and stateless persons who are legally resident in a third country/entity listed in Annex II to the Regulation and are in possession of a travel document issued by the competent authorities of that country/entity; 

• Visa exemption granted by the Member States to members of the armed forces travelling on NATO or Partnership for Peace business and holders of identification and movement orders provided for by the Agreement of 19 June 1951 between the Parties to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation regarding the status of their forces; 

• Persons carrying out a paid activity during their stay. 

Airport transit visa requirements

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka.

The present information does not invalidate requesting additional information at the consular post as well as the list of airport transit visa requirements for certain nationalities.

Exemptions for airport transit visa:

• Holders of uniform visas, long-stay national visas, or residency permits, valid, issued by a Member State;

• Third-country nationals holding a valid residence permit issued by a Member State which does not take part in the adoption of this Regulation or by a Member State which does not yet apply the provisions of the Schengen acquis in full, or third-country nationals holding one of the valid residence permits listed in Annex V issued by Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino or the United States of America guaranteeing the holder's unconditional readmission, or holding a valid residence permit for one or more of the overseas countries and territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba);

• Third-country nationals holding a valid visa for a Member State which does not take part in the adoption of this Regulation, or for a Member State which does not yet apply the provisions of the Schengen acquis in full, or for a country which is a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, or for Canada, Japan or the United States of America, or holders of a valid visa for one or more of the overseas countries and territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba), when travelling to the issuing country or to any other third country, or when, having used the visa, returning from the issuing country;

• Family members of EU citizens benefiting from the freedom of movement rights;

• Holders of diplomatic passports;

• Flight crew members nationals of a contracting party to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.

Information on nationalities subject to prior consultation

Countries who signed Visa Facilitation Agreements with the EU

The European Union has concluded visa facilitation agreements to establish simplified visa issuing procedures with the following countries:

• Albania

• Armenia

• Azerbaijan 

• Bosnia and Herzegovina 

• Cape Verde

• FYR of Macedonia 

• Georgia

• Moldova 

• Montenegro 

• Russia (suspended - decision)

• Serbia