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Schengen short-stay visa · European Union rules
Do Bangladeshi citizens need a Schengen visa?
Yes — an ordinary Bangladeshi passport holder needs a Schengen visa for any short visit, even a single day. Bangladesh is named in Annex I of the EU regulation that lists the countries whose nationals must hold a visa to cross the Schengen area's external borders.
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Ordinary Bangladeshi passport holders
29 Schengen countries, one visa
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period
€90 adults · €45 children aged 6-12
At least 15 days ahead, no earlier than 6 months
15 days, up to 45 if further checks are needed
Why Bangladesh is on the visa list
Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 sorts non-EU countries into two lists. Annex I names the countries whose nationals must hold a visa when crossing the external borders of the member states. Annex II names those whose nationals do not need one.
Bangladesh is in Annex I, under “States”. That listing is what creates the visa requirement for a Bangladeshi passport. It is not a decision taken by an individual embassy, and a consulate cannot waive it.
Individual Schengen countries may grant visa-free access to certain categories of traveller — diplomatic staff, armed forces, refugees, and school pupils on an excursion. Those are narrow exceptions, not a general exemption.
What a Schengen visa lets you do
Under EU visa policy, a short-stay visa covers a visit of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The 180-day period starts when you enter the Schengen area. You can enter as many times as you want inside that window, but the total stay may not exceed 90 days.
A Schengen visa is generally valid for every country in the Schengen area. One visa therefore covers all 29 participating countries.
Stays longer than 90 days sit outside this system. They are handled under each country's own national procedures, not by a Schengen short-stay visa.
Which consulate you have to apply to
You lodge the application at the consulate of the country you intend to visit.
Visiting one Schengen country
Apply at that country's consulate.
Visiting more than one
Apply at the consulate of the country where you will spend the longest time.
Visiting several for equal lengths
Apply at the consulate of the first country you will visit.
As a general rule, you apply at the consulate with territorial responsibility for the country where you are legally resident. You may have to book an appointment before lodging the application.
What it costs
Adult
€90
Child aged 6-12
€45
The reduced rate does not apply to Bangladesh. The EU has visa facilitation agreements with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus (€35) and Cabo Verde (€67.50); Bangladesh is not among them, so the standard fee applies.
An additional fee may apply if you apply through a visa service centre, which collects applications on behalf of consulates in some cases. The visa fee can be waived for specific categories of applicants.
This page does not state a taka figure. The EU sets the fee in euro, and we could not verify an official Bangladeshi-taka equivalent, so we have not printed one.
What documents the EU requires
1. A valid passport, expiring at least 3 months after your departure from the Schengen area. For a multiple-entry visa, at least 3 months after departure from the last country visited.
2. A completed visa application form.
3. A photograph meeting ICAO standards.
4. Medical insurance covering emergency medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation, including in the event of death.
5. Supporting documents on the purpose of your stay, evidence of financial means, evidence of accommodation during your stay, and evidence of your intention to return home.
6. Your fingerprints, collected when you submit the application. Exemptions exist for specific categories of applicant.
Consulates may also request additional documents. The form and the photograph guidance are published by the European Commission.
How long it takes
Standard processing is 15 days. That period can be extended to up to 45 days where a more detailed examination of the application or additional documents are required.
You must submit the application at least 15 days before your intended journey, and no earlier than 6 months beforehand.
Family members of EU or EEA citizens covered by the Free Movement Directive are eligible for a free and accelerated procedure under certain conditions. That route does not apply to most applicants.
Transit through a Schengen airport
This is the requirement most applicants do not know about.
Bangladesh also appears on a second EU list: the common list of countries whose nationals must hold an airport transit visa when passing through the international transit area of airports in the Schengen states.
That applies when your route changes planes inside the Schengen area. The airport transit visa does not allow you to leave the international transit area — it permits the connection only.
Because it is a common list, it applies across the Schengen states rather than to one of them. Separately, some Schengen countries impose their own additional airport transit requirements on other nationalities; those are distinct from the common list.
If your application is refused
If a Schengen country rejects the application, it must tell you why it was rejected and how to submit an appeal. Both are set out in the refusal notice, so read it rather than relying on what you are told verbally.
What is changing
Two changes are worth knowing about, because both are frequently confused with the visa itself.
Digitalisation
Regulation (EU) 2023/2685 and Regulation (EU) 2023/2667 provide for an EU online visa platform. Applicants would carry out all steps on the platform except providing biometrics where required, and a digital visa would replace the visa sticker. After a transition period of seven years, Schengen countries must all use the platform.
ETIAS is not for you
ETIAS is an online authorisation for travellers who do not need a visa to enter the Schengen area. Because Bangladeshi passport holders do need a visa, ETIAS is not the relevant system for a Bangladeshi applicant.
Questions people ask
Do I need a visa just to change planes in a Schengen airport?
Yes. Bangladesh is on the EU's common list of nationalities required to hold an airport transit visa, so a connection through the international transit area of a Schengen airport requires one. It does not let you leave the transit area.
Does one Schengen visa cover every country in the Schengen area?
Yes. A Schengen visa is generally valid for every country in the Schengen area, so a single visa covers all 29 participating countries.
Is ETIAS something I need?
No. ETIAS applies to travellers who do not need a visa for the Schengen area. As a Bangladeshi passport holder you need a visa, so ETIAS is not the relevant system.
How early can I apply, and how late is too late?
No earlier than 6 months before you travel, and no later than 15 days before. Standard processing is 15 days, extendable to 45.
Which country do I apply to if I am visiting several?
The country where you will spend the longest time. If the stays are the same length, the first country you will visit.
Can I stay longer than 90 days on this visa?
No. A short-stay visa covers up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Longer stays are handled under national procedures by the country concerned.
Where these figures come from
We have left out four things rather than estimate them:
• The additional documents each consulate asks for, and current appointment waiting times. These vary by consulate and change, so check the consulate or its visa service centre.
• A taka figure for the fee. The EU sets it in euro and we could not verify an official taka equivalent.
• Which Schengen states grant visa exemptions to holders of Bangladeshi diplomatic, service, official or special passports. The European Commission publishes a derogations file recording those notifications, but the exemptions are recorded per state and per passport type, and we could not establish the full picture from official sources.
• The service charge levied by visa application centres. That is set by the centre, not by EU rules.
European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs — “Visa policy” and “Applying for a Schengen visa” (retrieved 10 October 2026). Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex I, Official Journal 28 November 2018, L 303/51 (retrieved 10 October 2026). European Commission, Annex 7A, common list for airport transit visas (retrieved 10 October 2026).
Method: every figure on this page is quoted from the sources listed and read on the date shown. Where a figure could not be confirmed against an official source it has been left out and said so, rather than estimated. Consular practice varies and changes; confirm anything you intend to act on at the consulate before you pay or travel. Reviewed by the AGB editorial desk.
Prefer to ask first? Open the visa-filing service or message us on WhatsApp. Related reading: the Germany country guide · the Italy country guide · visa types by purpose