Do British citizens need a Schengen visa from the UK?

No. GOV.UK says British citizens can travel to the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180 day period, and earlier Schengen visits in the previous 180 days count towards the 90 days. Holders of other passports should check with the relevant embassy in the UK.

How do I book a Schengen visa appointment in London?

Book through the visa application centre that runs appointments for your country. Germany and France use TLScontact in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, Italy uses VFS Global in London, Manchester and Edinburgh (Leith), Spain uses BLS International in London, Manchester (Salford) and Edinburgh, and the Netherlands uses VFS Global in Birmingham, Edinburgh, London or Manchester.

Can Schengen visa UK residents apply if they are not British?

Yes, if you live legally in the UK. The European Commission says you apply at the consulate with territorial responsibility for the country where you are legally resident. Germany accepts applications from UK residents including foreign residents holding a UK residence permit, Portugal requires a valid UK residence permit, and Italy says holders of a UK visit visa are not eligible.

How does the Schengen calculator work for the 90/180 rule?

On each day of a stay, count back 180 days. The days spent in the Schengen area in that window must not exceed 90, and the day of entry and the day of exit both count. All Schengen countries share one allowance, while days in the UK do not count.

Do I need ETIAS if I have a Schengen visa?

No. ETIAS is a travel authorisation for visa-free visitors only, so people who need a Schengen visa do not apply for it. ETIAS is not yet operating and is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026, with a fee of EUR 20.

Schengen Visa from the UK 2026: Centres, Fees, Documents

Q: What are the Schengen visa documents required?

A passport valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area, a completed application form, an ICAO standard photo, travel medical insurance, and supporting documents on the purpose of the trip, your money, your accommodation and your plan to return home. Fingerprints are taken when you apply, and a consulate may ask for more documents.

Q: What does Schengen visa insurance need to cover?

Travel medical insurance must cover emergency medical care, hospital treatment and repatriation, including in case of death, be valid in all Schengen countries for the whole stay, and have minimum cover of EUR 30,000.

Q: How long does a Schengen visa take to process?

A decision is normally made within 15 days. This can be extended to up to 45 days when the application needs a closer look or more documents. Submit no earlier than 6 months before the trip and at least 15 days before it.

Q: What is the Entry/Exit System and does it replace passport stamps?

The EU Entry/Exit System records non-EU nationals on a short stay at the external Schengen border: passport details, fingerprints, a facial image and the date and place of each entry and exit. It started on 12 October 2025, has been fully operational since 10 April 2026, and replaces passport stamping. Registration is free.

If you are a UK resident without a British citizen passport, you apply for a Schengen visa at the consulate of your main destination country, usually through a visa application centre in London, Manchester, Edinburgh or Birmingham. British citizens do not need a visa for visits of up to 90 days in any 180 day period. Applications open 6 months before travel and a decision normally takes 15 days.

Who needs a Schengen visa in the UK

British citizens do not need a Schengen visa: GOV.UK says a full British citizen passport allows up to 90 days in any 180 day period in the Schengen area, and earlier visits in the previous 180 days count towards that. Everyone else checks the rules for their own nationality with the relevant embassy in the UK.

The GOV.UK entry requirement pages only cover people travelling on a full British citizen passport. If you hold another passport, GOV.UK points you to the embassy of the country you plan to visit, and that embassy decides whether you need a visa and what you must submit.

The Schengen area has 29 member countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Bulgaria and Romania became full members on 1 January 2025. Cyprus and Ireland are EU countries but are not in the Schengen area, so a Schengen visa does not cover them.

A short stay visa allows up to 90 days in any 180 day period. A single entry visa allows one entry, a multiple entry visa allows several visits while it is valid, and an airport transit visa only covers the international transit area of an airport.

UK residence rules for applying in the UK

You apply at the consulate with territorial responsibility for the country where you legally live, so non-British nationals living legally in the UK apply in the UK. Several consulates go further and refuse applicants who are only visiting the UK.

The European Commission rule is residence based: apply where you are legally resident. In practice the UK consulates apply it strictly.

Germany: the German Embassy only accepts visa applications from UK residents, including foreign residents holding a UK residence permit. Applicants who are not UK residents must apply in their own country of residence.
Italy: the Consulate General in London says holders of a UK visit visa are not eligible to apply.
Portugal: applicants must hold a valid UK residence permit.
Netherlands: you can only apply at the VFS Global centre if you live in the United Kingdom.

Italy also sets a document validity rule: passports and residence cards or share codes must be valid for at least three months beyond the last day of the trip in the Schengen area. Check that before booking anything.

If you visit more than one Schengen country, apply to the country where you will spend the longest time, the main destination. If the stays are equal, apply to the country you enter first.

Which visa centre handles each country in the UK

Most consulates use an outsourced visa application centre, and the company and locations differ by country. Germany and France use TLScontact, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal use VFS Global, Spain uses BLS International, and France lets you choose any of its three centres.

Germany: TLScontact runs three visa application centres in the UK, in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. All short stay Schengen applications go through TLScontact.
France: TLScontact receives applications in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. UK residents can apply at any of them because there is no consular area.
Italy: appointments are handled by VFS Global, with centres in London, Manchester and Edinburgh (Leith).
Netherlands: applications go to the VFS Global centre in Birmingham, Edinburgh, London or Manchester.
Portugal: VFS Global runs a London centre for the London consular area, plus Manchester and Edinburgh centres for the Manchester area.
Spain: BLS International handles applications at centres in London, Manchester (Salford) and Edinburgh, for the Spanish consulates general in London, Manchester and Edinburgh.

Book the appointment with the centre that serves your country and your consular area, then check the appointment page for what to bring on the day. Our guides to the Spain visa, France visa, Italy visa and Germany visa from the UK walk through these routes in detail.

Fees and service charges

The Schengen visa fee is EUR 90 for adults and EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 12, and it can be waived for some categories of applicant. Visa application centres may add their own service fee, for example GBP 32.85 per application at Portugal's VFS Global centres.

Budget for two separate payments:

The visa fee, set at EU level: EUR 90 for an adult, EUR 45 for a child aged 6 to 12.
The centre's service fee, set by the company running the centre. Portugal's VFS Global service fee is GBP 32.85 per application on top of the visa fee.

Some categories of applicant have the visa fee waived. Ask the centre or consulate whether your category qualifies before you pay, because the waiver applies to the visa fee, not automatically to the service fee.

Keep the receipts. They are useful if you need to follow up on a pending application.

Documents required

You need a passport valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area, a completed application form, an ICAO standard photo, travel medical insurance, and supporting documents on the purpose of the trip, your money, your accommodation and your plan to return home. Fingerprints are taken when you apply.

Build the file in this order:

Passport, valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area.
Completed application form.
One photo that meets the ICAO standard.
Travel medical insurance meeting the Schengen minimum.
Documents on the purpose of the trip.
Documents showing you have money for the stay.
Proof of accommodation.
Evidence of your plan to return home.

Fingerprints are taken when you apply, with some exemptions. A consulate may ask for more documents, so check the list published by the centre handling your country rather than relying on a generic checklist. For the wider picture on the visa itself, see the Schengen visa guide.

Appointments and processing time

Submit no earlier than 6 months before the trip and at least 15 days before it, and expect to need an appointment first. A decision is normally made within 15 days, extended to up to 45 days when the application needs a closer look or more documents.

The sequence is: book an appointment at the visa application centre run for the consulate, attend in person so fingerprints can be taken, and lodge the application with the documents. The 15 day minimum before travel is a floor, not a target, because appointment slots and the 45 day extension can both push past it.

Work backwards from your travel date:

Confirm which centre serves your country and consular area.
Book the appointment as soon as your dates are fixed, within the 6 month window.
Gather the documents and insurance before the appointment.
Lodge at least 15 days before travel, and earlier if your dates are fixed.

If your plans are tight, apply as early as the 6 month window allows.

Travel medical insurance

Schengen travel medical insurance must cover emergency medical care, hospital treatment and repatriation, including in case of death, be valid in all Schengen countries for the whole stay, and have minimum cover of EUR 30,000.

All three conditions matter, and a policy that fails any one of them can hold up the application:

Cover: emergency medical care, hospital treatment and repatriation, including in case of death.
Territory: valid in all Schengen countries, not just the main destination.
Period: valid for the whole stay.
Amount: minimum cover of EUR 30,000.

If you are visiting several countries, a policy limited to one country does not meet the territorial condition. Check the certificate shows the Schengen wording and the EUR 30,000 minimum before you print it for the file.

The 90/180 rule and the Entry/Exit System

The 90/180 rule is a moving window: on each day of a stay, count back 180 days, and the days spent in the Schengen area in that window must not exceed 90. Entry and exit days both count, and all Schengen countries share one allowance.

Days spent in the UK do not count towards the 90 days, and time under a residence permit or long stay visa from a Schengen country is not counted either. After 90 days in a row outside the Schengen area, a new stay of up to 90 days is possible. Run your dates through the Schengen calculator before booking, especially on a multiple entry visa.

The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU nationals on a short stay at the external Schengen border: passport details, fingerprints, a facial image and the date and place of each entry and exit. It started on 12 October 2025, has been fully operational since 10 April 2026, and replaces passport stamping. It detects people who stay longer than allowed. Registration is free and there is nothing to apply for in advance. Children under 12 do not give fingerprints, and holders of a long stay visa or residence permit from an EES country are not registered. Read more on the EES page.

ETIAS is separate and applies to visa-free visitors only. People who need a Schengen visa do not apply for ETIAS. It is not yet operating and is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026, with a fee of EUR 20.

Data in Europe and topping up home

A Schengen visa solves the paperwork, not the data: a Slashtel eSIM keeps you online across borders, and a top-up keeps your home prepaid line alive for bank codes and calls. The eSIM is data only, so calls and SMS run over the home SIM or over internet calling.

The Europe+ eSIM works in all 29 Schengen countries, plus the UK and Turkey, so data keeps working when you cross a border. Practical points:

Data only: no local phone number and no calls or SMS. WhatsApp and other internet calls work over the data.
Keep the home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes, and turn off data roaming on it to avoid roaming charges.
Buy online with an email address and a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Someone else can buy it and enter the traveller's email, so the QR code goes straight to the person who will use it.
Validity starts when the eSIM first connects at the destination, so it can be bought and installed at home before the flight.
The network is chosen automatically and cannot be picked by hand. The phone must be unlocked and eSIM compatible.
More data can be added to the same eSIM later, with no new QR code.

Estimate your trip with the data calculator, and see how calls, texts and one time codes work alongside an eSIM in the calls, texts and OTPs guide. Slashtel also sells mobile top-ups from the UK to more than 100 countries, delivered in minutes, which keep a prepaid home line active. Support is on WhatsApp and email, 7 days a week.

See Europe eSIM plans.

Sources

Checked 25 October 2026. Rules and dates can change, so check the official pages before you rely on them.

Schengen Visa from the UK: Complete 2026 Guide