One visa, 27 countries, up to 90 days. The hard parts are knowing which country to apply to and winning the appointment — and both are exactly what we handle. Wherever you legally live, Opaige builds a file that gets approved the first time. 94% first-submission approval. Flat $199.
How do I apply for a Schengen visa?
A Schengen visa is a short-stay Type-C visa for the 27-country Schengen Area. You apply from your country of legal residence, at the consulate of the country that is your main destination (the most nights, or your point of entry). You submit a form, passport, photo, €30,000 travel insurance, itinerary, accommodation and proof of funds, attend for biometrics, and get a decision in about 15 days. One €90 visa lets you travel all 27 Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180.
Reviewed July 2026 · Standard Schengen Type-C rules (European Commission visa policy).
The rule everyone gets wrong
Not the “easiest” one. You apply to your main destination— the country where you’ll spend the most nights. If your nights are split evenly, you apply to the country you enter first. Applying to the wrong country is one of the most common refusals — and you still apply from your country of legal residence, not your nationality.
Per-country and residence-specific guides — with the exact consulate and process — are rolling out worldwide.
Get this wrong and the €90 fee — non-refundable — is wasted. Opaige works out the correct country and consulate before you pay.
What you need
The universal checklist for a short-stay Type-C Schengen visa. Your consulate may ask for a little more depending on the country and your residence — Opaige assembles and reviews all of it before submission.
Why Opaige
First we determine the correct country and consulate for your trip and residence — the mistake that sinks many applications. Then we win the appointment (VFS, BLS, a partner mission or a scarce direct-booking system) and build a file calibrated to how that specific post reviews it.
Every Schengen post reviews a little differently. We build for the exact one deciding your file.
We front-load quality so the consulate doesn't pause your file for missing information.
We frame your main destination correctly, so your visa opens every Schengen country cleanly.
From $199, shown upfront. The €90 consulate fee and insurance are passed through at exact cost.
How it works
You apply at the consulate of your main destination (the most nights, or your point of entry), from your country of legal residence. We identify the exact post with jurisdiction over you and build the file for how it reviews applications.
Whether your post uses VFS, BLS, a partner mission or direct booking (like Prenot@mi), we monitor availability and lock a slot inside your travel window — the step most people lose weeks on.
You attend for biometrics; we front-load document quality so the consulate doesn't pause for more information. Standard decisions land within about 15 days, on your Opaige dashboard.
Flat fees. The service guarantee is included — if we make a review error, your service fee is refunded in full.
Forms & booking
+ supporting documents
Complete package
Same-day, hands-off
The €90 consulate fee and any visa-centre fee are paid separately at exact cost — we never mark them up.
A Schengen visa is a short-stay Type-C visa for the 27-country Schengen Area. You apply from your country of legal residence, at the consulate (or its visa centre) of the country that is your main destination. You submit a form, passport, photo, €30,000 travel insurance, itinerary, accommodation and proof of funds, attend for biometrics, and receive a decision in about 15 days. One visa lets you travel all 27 Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180.
You apply to the country that is your main destination — where you'll spend the most nights. If your nights are split evenly, you apply to the country you enter first. You do not simply choose the 'easiest' consulate; applying to the wrong country is a common reason for refusal. Opaige works out the correct country and consulate for your trip.
Nationals of countries that are not visa-exempt for the Schengen Area need a Type-C visa — including most passports from Africa, South Asia and many others. Visa-exempt travellers do not need a visa (and from 2026 use the ETIAS travel authorisation instead). If your passport requires a visa, you apply based on your country of legal residence.
They are different things. A Schengen visa is a full visa required by visa-national passport holders, applied for at a consulate with biometrics. ETIAS is a lighter online travel authorisation for travellers who are already visa-exempt — it is not a visa and does not replace one. If your nationality needs a Schengen visa, ETIAS does not apply to you.
The consulate fee is €90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6–12 (under 6 free). Any visa-centre service fee is separate and varies by country. Opaige's flat service fee starts at $199, with government and centre fees quoted at exact cost, never marked up.
Standard processing is about 15 calendar days after your appointment, occasionally up to 45. You can apply up to 6 months before travel and must apply at least 15 days before. The visa allows up to 90 days within any 180-day period, across the whole Schengen Area.
Applying to the wrong country, unexplained bank deposits, insufficient or undocumented funds, weak ties to your country of residence, missing or inadequate travel insurance (below €30,000), and vague itineraries. Opaige checks every one before you submit and pay the non-refundable fee.
The fee and core rules are identical across all 27 consulates — what differs is review patterns and appointment availability. Italy and Spain are widely regarded as among the more accessible routes, which is why many travellers use them as their door into Europe when they are a genuine main destination. Opaige advises on the strongest correct route for your trip.
Opaige (formerly SwiftPass Immigration) specialises in the Schengen visa: we determine the correct country and consulate for your residence and itinerary, secure the scarce appointment, and build a file calibrated to how that post reviews it — fully online, dashboard-tracked, 94% first-submission approval, flat pricing from $199.
27 countries, 90 days, one Type-C visa. Wherever you live, Opaige picks the right country, wins the appointment and builds the file. Flat $199 · 94% first-submission approval.
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