Do citizens of China need a Schengen visa?
Schengen area
Yes
Citizens of China must hold a short-stay Schengen visa before travelling, whatever the purpose of the trip. Applications are made to the consulate of your main destination.
This requirement has been in place since 2001.
How long you may stay
A short-stay Schengen visa allows up to 90 days in any 180 days, unless your visa states a shorter period. The day you enter and the day you leave both count, and the days are shared across the whole area.
Count your days
The 90/180 rule is a rolling window rather than a yearly allowance, so the answer changes every day. The calculator works it out from your dates, and keeps them on your device.
Which countries this covers
The determination applies to the Schengen area as a whole. A visa, or an exemption from one, is not per country, and days spent in any member state come out of the same allowance.
What this page does not tell you
A visa exemption is permission to travel without a visa. It is not a right of entry: border officers still check your purpose, your funds, your accommodation and your passport validity, and may refuse entry. It also does not cover long stays, work or study, which need a national visa or permit whatever your nationality.
This list changes
The annexes to the regulation are amended from time to time, and a nationality can move between them. If your trip is some way off, check the instrument itself before you book.
Source
Instrument: Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 November 2018 listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement
Source: EUR-Lex — Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annexes I and II(opens in a new tab)
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