As a US citizen you don’t need to apply for a visa you get it stamped in your passport on entry in the first country in the schengen country you visit.

Just to add on to rob’s good reply…

You won’t need to arrange a separate visa if the purpose of your visit is to be a tourist. You have 90 days in the combined Schengen Border Agreement zone, the collection of countries acting with one border. (Anticipating possible questions…) one can not leave for a day and return with a fresh 90 day tourist allowance—it’s 90 in/ 90 out, or another way to say it is not to exceed 90 in a consecutive 180 day block starting from first entry.

Switzerland, Ireland, and the UK are not part of Schengen. US passport holders generally get 90 days to play tourist in each of those places (up to 180 UK). Some new EU countries are not yet participating in Schengen border, either.

So, like Rob says, you might not even need to get a visa ahead of time. However, if you plan to work, study, reside, or stay longer than 90 days, then legally you will need to have a visa for that purpose pre-arranged before getting your boarding card.

More info here: www.eurotrip.com/for…

Two questions:

1. Do you (US citizens) really get a visa stamped into your passport when you enter Schengen area, or is that just the usual Border Patrol entry stamp?

2. Why do you (Rob and Don) assume that OP is a US citizen?

I’m guessing their assumption was based on the fact that he is looking for the sonculate in the Seattle area, but a very good point.  So what is you citizenzip travel_e?  And you’re not looking to work are you?  Because that can be tricky.

I guess i have an additional question to build on top of this one. Do you actually get a schengen visa or do you just get a visa to a certain country within that shared border? Because i personally want to spend more than 90 days in that border, but not necessarily in one country… 

Any update on this topic? I am from Seattle and trying to get a schengen visa. I don’t want to fly down to SF or LA. Please help, Thanks.

How? Search Google on your behalf? Petition to French/German/Italian/… foreign ministries to open up a consulate for you?

OMG, OMG.

Dear American citizens. You DO NOT need any visas to visit the Schengen area. There is no need to apply for a visa wherever. Actually, you do not need visas to any European country except Russia and Belarus. Just take a passport valid at least six months after your planned departure and don’t stay in one country longer than 90 days (for the purpose of measuring this 90-day time limit, the whole Schengen area is considered a single country).

Upon arrival to a Schengen area member country, your passport will be stamped with an entry stamp. When you leave the Schengen area (not necessarily from the same country that you came in), it will be stamped again with an exit stamp. Nobody will stop you or check you when you cross the border from one Schengen member to another one, it is as simple as crossing from one U.S. state to another, you just see the roadside sign informing you that you are entering another country. And that’s it.

Jeffstravels: If you are a citizen of a country that needs visa to Schengen (which is NOT the case if you have U.S. passport), then a visa for one Schengen country permits access to all Schengen countries.

Anyway. In case you are NOT American citizens, just foreigners who live in Seattle: There are two Schengen countries that have a consulate in Seattle, France and Belgium. They are even both in the same building.

Consulate of France
2200 Alaskan Way #490
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 728-5145

Consulate of Belgium
2200 Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 256-6184

Took me one minute to find that typing “consulate seattle” into Google.

Thank you for using Google.
The two consulates listed above are Honorary Consulates, which have neither authority nor means to issue visas.

Thank you papyr for the information, I know i don’t need a visa to enter but from what i have read and understand i need one to stay longer than 90 days in a 6 month period inside that shared border. 

That is correct. Moreover, to get a long-term visa (more then 90 days) you need to have a legitimate purpose, like for example, taking a study course, having work engagement, etc. Going for more then 90 days as a tourist will probably not cut it.

Edited after looking at your original question:

When you enter as a tourist without a visa (or for those who need visas with a short term Schengen visa) it is considered that you enter the entire Schengen space, not any specific country.

When you enter on a long-term visa, say you go to France for 5 months as a student, you supposedly enter France, not Schengen. You are still allowed to travel within the common borders, however, I think, there are some limits for how long. But in reality, there are no border controls between Schengen countries and nobody checks or stamps your passport, so there is no way for authorities to know for fact how much time you spend in which particular country.

Thanks, well here is whats happening for my specific case. I am doing a study abroad in scotland so I will have a UK student visa. I haven’t decided if i’m going to need a schengen visa. What i plan on doing is during the school year on long breaks and after the school year is visiting other countries and other places. Such as St. Pattys in Dublin, Munich for Oktoberfest and then when the school year is over meet up with some friends and explore. But now that i look at I realize I more than likely will not need a visa for the schengen border because i probably won’t be in there more than 90 days in a 6 month period.

But it always helps to have the information and i thank everyone for their help!

You will be studying in the UK, which is not a member of the Schengen area. (Neither is Ireland.)

You won’t need a Schengen visa for small trips during breaks and after the end of your course, because, most probably, you won’t spend 90 days in the Schengen area on these short trips anyway.

yeah i know. 

Hi, I have question on Prague. My point of entry will be Vienna. I read that I do not need visa to enter Prague, Budapest, Bucharest and to Poland if with schengen visa.
So when I arrive in Vienna I will get schengen visa and can enter to Eastern Europe by train without much problem then?
I am a Malaysian by the way.

Romania isn’t part of the Schengen zone and Malaysia isn’t on an old list of countries that needed a visa but I would ring the Embassy to be safe.
Embassy of Romania in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia send edits
114, Jalan Damai (Off Jalan Ampang)
55000 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
City: Kuala Lumpur
Phone: (00) (60) (3) 21423172 or 21482065
Fax: (00) (60) (3) 21448713

Ok, it sounds pretty easy if you are a US citizen. But what if you are a Russian national working and living in US for about 5 years without a green card (H1B only). Is there a way to get a Schengen visa without leaving Seattle?

There is no German consulate in Seattle. They do list an “honorary consulate” but I don’t think that’s any help in getting a visa. There’s an Austrian consulate in Seattle, so I’d try there:
http://austria.visah…

If you intend to visit several Schengen countries then you must apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country which is your main destination.

If you have Schengen visa, you can use it to visit 15 European countries without the need of separate visas for each country