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HOME > ALL ABOUT VISAS > Short term > Schengen Visa
Schengen Visa

Do I Need a Visa?

Holders of an EEA (EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Swiss passport do not require a visa. Nationals from EU-countries as well as Switzerland and Liechtenstein may stay for an unlimited time.

Holders of British Passports (European Union) do not need a visa for Austria. There are no restrictions on the remaining validity of your passport, providing you leave Austria before its expiry date.

SPOUSE/DEPENDANT /CIVIL PARTNER of EU/EEA NATIONALS exercising their right of free movement:

You will NOT need a visa to visit Austria for a maximum of 90 days, if all of the following three criteria apply:

A family member of an EU/EEA national
AND if you hold a British “Residence Card of a Family Member of an EEA National” according to EU Directive 2004/38/EC with a validity of 5 years (download example of “Residence Documentation” here)
AND if you are travelling together with or to the EU/EEA national.

If you do NOT fulfill these three criteria you HAVE to obtain a visa in order to travel to Austria.

Citizens of countries listed below do NOT need a visa for Austria (if your stay does not exceed 90 days and is for tourist purposes only)

Albania (biometric passports only), Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia,

Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia-Herzegovina (biometric passports only), Brazil, Brunei,

Chile, Costa Rica, Canada, Croatia,

El Salvador,

Guatemala,

Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR only)

Israel,

Japan,

Macao (RAE only), Malaysia, Mauritius, Macedonia[1] (biometric passports only), Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro[2] (biometric passports only),

New Zealand, Nicaragua,

Panama, Paraguay,

Serbia[3] (biometric passports only and NOT issued by Koordinacija Uprava), Seychelles, Singapore, St. Christophe and Nevis,

Taiwan (all passports if they contain the holders identity number

Uruguay, United States of America,

Venezuela, Vatican

Nationals of countries NOT listed above will need to obtain a visa to travel to Austria.

All holders of Travel Documents and Certificates of Identity (CID) as well as the holders of the following British Passports do require a visa:

British Subject (without the right of abode in the UK)
British Dependent Territories
British Overseas Citizens
British Protected Persons

Please note general processing time is a minimum of 2 weeks except for applicants of the following countries, which have a minimum processing time of 3 weeks

Afghanistan,

Egypt,

Bangladesh,

Democratic Republic of Congo, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,

Ghana,

Indonesia, Iraq, Iran,

Jordan,

Kazakhstan,

Lebanon, Libya, Liberia,

Mali, Mauritanian,

Niger, Nigeria,

Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines,

Ruanda

Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria,

Togo,

United Arab Emirates,

Uzbekistan,

Vietnam,

Yemen

and holders of British Travel Documents

[1] In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1244/2009 amending Regulation (EC) No 539/2001, nationals of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia holding biometric passports are exempt from the visa obligation (OJ L 336, 18.12.2009, p. 1); the VFA continues to apply to holders of non-biometric passports.
[2] In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1244/2009 amending Regulation (EC) No 539/2001, nationals of Montenegro holding biometric passports are exempt from the visa obligation (OJ L 336, 18.12.2009, p. 1); as non-biometric Montenegrin passports are no longer valid, the VFA is no longer applied in practice.
[3] In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1244/2009 amending Regulation (EC) No 539/2001, nationals of Serbia holding biometric passports (excluding holders of passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate [in Serbian: Koordinaciona uprava]) are exempt from the visa obligation (OJ L 336, 18.12.2009, p. 1); the VFA continues to apply to holders of non-biometric passport holders and holders of passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate.
Visa Application
Process

Step 1
Only Tourists, Business, Family/ Friend visits and Dependents/ Spouses of EEA Nationals applications are accepted at the VFS application centre

Step 2
All applicants traveling aged 12 and over must apply in person - On arriving the visa application centre, you will require to take a token at the entrance and be seated in the waiting area – you will next be called to our submission counter where your application and supporting documents will be scrutinized – your photograph and passport will be checked for validity – Finally, you will be issued a receipt for the fees and service charge paid as an acknowledgement. Please carry the originals and copies of all documents.

Step 3
Please go to the link “All about your Visas” to choose the right visa category for you and the requirements to make the visa application.

Step 4
Please Schedule an appointment at the visa application centers to submit your Short Stay Tourists, Business, Family/ Friend visit and Dependents/ Spouses of EEA Nationals application. click on the link ‘contact us’ for details. All applicants traveling aged 12 and over must apply in person - On arriving the visa application centre, you will require to take a token at the entrance and be seated in the waiting area – you will next be called to our submission counter where your application and supporting documents will be scrutinized – your photograph and passport will be checked for validity – Finally, you will be issued a receipt for the fees and service charge paid as an acknowledgement. Please carry the originals and copies of all documents.