How to Fill In the Schengen Visa Application Form, Field by Field (2026)

Every short-stay applicant fills in the same harmonised application form, set out in Annex I of the EU Visa Code. Most countries now let you complete it online (France-Visas, VIDEX for Germany, the Visa Application Centre's portal), but the questions and their numbers are the same. This guide follows the current form, in use since February 2020. If you have an older guide or form, the numbers are different: the old form put main destination at 22, first entry at 23, and the inviting person, company and cost fields at 31–33.

Always check your consulate's own instructions as well. Some add national questions or ask for a printed and signed copy at the appointment.

01Fields 1–11: About you

• 1–3 Surname, surname at birth, first names. Copy them exactly as printed in your passport's machine-readable zone. Do not add names that aren't in the passport.
• 4–6 Date, place and country of birth. As in the passport.
• 7 Current nationality (and nationality at birth, and any other nationalities). Declare every nationality you hold.
• 8–9 Sex and civil status. Your status on the date you apply.
• 10 Parental authority / legal guardian. Only for applicants under 18.
• 11 National identity number. Fill it in if your country issues one; otherwise leave it blank.

02Fields 12–16: Your travel document

Type, number, date of issue, expiry date and issuing country. Your passport must be valid for at least three months after you plan to leave the Schengen area, have two blank pages, and have been issued in the last ten years.

03Fields 17–18: EU family members

Fill these in only if you are the family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen. If they apply to you, you skip fields 21, 22, 30, 31 and 32, which are marked on the form.

04Fields 19–22: Address and work

• 19 Home address, email and phone. Use an email you check. Consulates send requests for extra documents there.
• 20 Residence in a country other than your nationality. Give your residence permit number and expiry date. This is how US Green Card holders, UK residents and Singapore pass holders show they live where they apply.
• 21 Current occupation and 22 Employer and address (or school for students). Use the same job title as in your employer letter.

05Fields 23–24: Purpose of the journey

Tick one main purpose (tourism, business, visiting family or friends, and so on). Use field 24 for a short line of context, such as "attending my sister's wedding in Lyon on 14 June". Your cover letter and itinerary must tell the same story.

06Field 25 vs field 26: main destination vs first entry

This is where most people get stuck.

• Field 25: Member State of main destination. The country where you spend the most nights. If you also visit other Schengen countries, list them here after the main one.
• Field 26: Member State of first entry. The first Schengen country whose border you cross.

Example: you fly from New York to Frankfurt, change planes, and spend 8 nights in Italy. Field 25 is Italy and field 26 is Germany, because passport control happens in Frankfurt. You apply to the Italian consulate, not the German one.

If you spend the same number of nights in two countries, the country of first entry decides where you apply (Visa Code, Article 5). Field 25 must match the consulate you apply to.

07Field 27: Entries and dates

Choose single, two or multiple entries, and enter the arrival and departure dates of your first trip. Use the dates on your flight reservation, itinerary and insurance. A request for multiple entries is decided by the consulate. Asking for one won't hurt your application, but explain why you need it in your cover letter.

08Fields 28–29: Fingerprints and final destination

• 28 Fingerprints collected previously. If you gave fingerprints for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months, give the date and the visa sticker number if you know it.
• 29 Entry permit for the final country. Only for airport transit or onward travel outside Schengen.

09Field 30: Inviting person or hotel

• Staying in hotels or rentals: give the name and address of your accommodation. Visiting several cities? List the place where you start (or stay longest) and attach every booking. The rest of the route goes in your itinerary.
• Staying with someone: give your host's full name, address, phone and email. Some countries also need an official invitation form (see our invitation letter guide).

10Field 31: Inviting company or organisation

Only for business, conference or other organised trips. Give the company name, address and a contact person. Tourists leave this blank.

11Field 32: Who pays for the trip

• "By the applicant himself/herself": tick this if you are paying, then tick the means you will use (cash, traveller's cheques, credit card, prepaid accommodation, prepaid transport).
• "By a sponsor": tick this if someone else pays. Name them (your host, the company from field 31, or someone else) and tick what they cover (for example accommodation, all costs during the stay, or prepaid transport).
• Both can apply. If a friend hosts you and you pay for everything else, tick both and attach proof for each (see our sponsorship letter guide).

12Fields 33–37: Declarations and signature

Give the details of whoever filled in the form if it wasn't you, then add the place and date and sign. A minor's form is signed by a parent or guardian. An unsigned form is one of the most common reasons an application is returned at the counter.

13Make the form match the rest of the file

The officer checks the form against your cover letter, itinerary, bookings and bank statements. Dates, the main destination and who pays must be the same everywhere. SchengenDoc uses one set of answers to write your cover letter, itinerary and checklist, so they match what you put on the form. Build your complete visa file, or start with the free document checklist.

This form covers stays up to 90 days. For study, work or retirement stays over 90 days you file a national form instead — start at the long-stay (Type D) visa hub or the Germany residence permit page.