Can a student get a Schengen visa from India?
Yes. A student applies for the same short-stay visa as any other traveller: up to 90 days in any 180-day period, for a holiday, a family visit, a short course or an event. The list for India adds one document for students, a certificate from the institution where you are enrolled, on top of the documents every applicant submits.
The rest is the standard process: EUR 90 fee per traveller unless a waiver applies, biometrics in person, a decision within 15 calendar days of submission that can stretch to 45. Apply no more than six months and, as a rule, no later than 15 days before you travel; the apply-by tool gives you both dates for a college break or a summer trip.
Is there a separate Schengen student visa?
No. A Schengen visa is a short-stay visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. A degree, a semester or any longer course needs a national long-stay visa under the rules of the country where you will study. For a summer school or short course within 90 days, the Schengen visa is the route.
The Common Information Sheet for India says it directly: long-stay visas are issued under the national rules of each member state, and the relevant information comes from that state's embassy. It also points to the EU Immigration Portal for information. Everything below is about the short-stay visa.
What documents does a student need for a Schengen visa?
Every applicant submits the core list adopted by the European Commission on 4 July 2025. A student adds a certificate from their institution. Documents for the purpose of the trip come on top: an admission letter for a course, an agency certificate for an organised tour, an invitation for a family visit. Under-18s add parental consent.
| Group | Documents (list for India, Decision C(2025) 4379) |
|---|---|
| Everyone | Cover letter (purpose, duration, companions, transport, accommodation); proof of transport and itinerary; accommodation in every Schengen state on the route, which can be a hotel, a holiday rental or a campus residence reservation; original bank statement for the last three months, stamped and signed by the bank; income tax return acknowledgments for the last two assessment years; copies of the passport's biodata page, last page and earlier Schengen stamps |
| Students | Certificate of the establishment at which the applicant is enrolled |
| Trip to study, research or intern | Certificate of admission or registration at an educational establishment for academic or vocational courses, or a cover letter from the inviting company |
| Tourism | Travel agency certificate confirming an organised trip, or another document showing the travel plans |
| Sponsored | Proof of sponsorship and/or private accommodation on the national form of the member state, where it has one |
| Under 18 | Notarised consent of the parent or parents not travelling, and copies of the parents' identity documents (details below) |
Plus, for everyone: travel medical insurance of at least EUR 30,000 valid in every Schengen state for the whole stay (see the insurance guide), and a passport valid for three months after you leave, with two blank pages, issued within the last 10 years. The document checklist covers the standard items in detail.
Do students need a bank statement and ITR?
The list does not exempt students. It asks every applicant in India for an original bank statement covering the last three months, stamped and signed by the bank, and the income tax return acknowledgment for the last two assessment years. It names no substitute for a student without income or a return, so the file must show clearly who pays.
The list's route for that is sponsorship. Where the destination country has a national sponsorship form, the list says to use it; the visa office's website says whether it has one and what the sponsor encloses. The Visa Code adds that proof of sponsorship may count as evidence of sufficient means (Article 21).
Three things keep a parent-funded file coherent:
- The cover letter names the sponsor and their relationship to you, and lists what is enclosed for them.
- Your own statement is still yours. Submit it even if the balance is small; it is on the list for every applicant.
- One story across the documents. Letter, sponsorship papers and statements should agree on who pays for flights, stay and daily costs.
The cover letter guide has the paragraph for sponsored travellers, and the parents' guide shows the same sponsorship rule from the other side.
Do students pay the Schengen visa fee?
It depends on the trip's purpose, not the student card. The fee is waived for school pupils, students, postgraduate students and accompanying teachers travelling for study or educational training. A student on holiday pays the standard fee: EUR 90, or EUR 45 for a child aged 6 to 11. Visa offices may also waive it for ages 6 to 17.
| Trip | Visa fee |
|---|---|
| Holiday, family visit or event, aged 12 or over | EUR 90 (Germany: ₹10,100 from 27 August 2026) |
| Holiday, family visit or event, aged 6 to 11 | EUR 45 |
| Any trip, under 6 | Free |
| Study or educational training, such as a course, or pupils and their teachers on an educational trip | Waived |
| Aged 25 or under, representing a non-profit organisation at a seminar, conference, sports, cultural or educational event organised by non-profit organisations | Waived |
| Aged 25 or under, taking part in such an event | May be waived, at the visa office's choice |
| Aged 6 to 17, any purpose | May be waived, at the visa office's choice |
The waiver for study trips follows the stated purpose, so the documents have to show it: the admission or registration certificate for a course, or the institution's letter for a school trip. The application centre's service charge is separate from the visa fee and follows the centre's own rules. The fee guide has the rupee amounts and the service charges.
What does a student under 18 need?
Everything above, plus parental consent. A minor travelling with one parent needs the other parent's written consent, certified by a notary, unless the travelling parent has sole custody, proven by a court order or other proof. A minor travelling without parents needs notarised consent from both. Copies of the parents' identity documents, with signature and photograph, are also required.
Two more points for younger students:
- Fingerprints. Children under 12 are exempt from giving fingerprints. The appointment still happens; the appointment guide explains who attends.
- School trips. Each pupil is still an individual applicant with their own file. The consent rule for a minor travelling without parents applies to every child in the group.
How much money does a student need to show?
No rupee figure is set for India. The officer checks that the money covers the stay and the return, by reference to daily amounts each Schengen state publishes. Switzerland and Liechtenstein set a lower figure for students: about CHF 30 a day with a valid student card, against about CHF 100 for other visitors.
France expects EUR 65 a day with hotel bookings and EUR 120 a day without proof of accommodation. Liechtenstein does not issue visas in India; its applications go to the Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi. Work out your destination's amount for your trip length with the bank balance tool.
I am an Indian student in the UK or elsewhere. Where do I apply?
Where you legally live. The Visa Code sends each application to the competent country's visa office in the jurisdiction where the applicant legally resides. An Indian student living in the UK applies there, under the requirements that apply there, not the India list. The India multiple-entry rule covers only Indian nationals residing in India.
A visa office in India takes an application from someone who does not live in India only if they are legally present in India and can justify applying here rather than where they live, as the Common Information Sheet for India puts it. That multiple-entry rule is Commission Implementing Decision C(2024) 2434.
Which country does a student apply to?
The country of the main destination, measured by length or purpose of stay. A two-week summer school in the Netherlands with a weekend in Belgium goes to the Netherlands. If no main destination can be determined, it is the country whose external border you cross first. Which country is not a choice, and a file submitted elsewhere is returned.
The which-country tool applies the rule to your itinerary. If you plan more than one trip within six months, the Schengen calculator counts your days against the 90-days-in-180 limit. The Schengen visa guide covers the whole process.
What should a student's cover letter say?
The five items the list for India requires from everyone: the purpose of the trip, its duration, the names of anyone travelling with you, transport and accommodation. Then two lines a student's file needs: where you study and until when, and who pays for the trip. Name each enclosed document, including the enrolment certificate and any sponsorship papers.
End with your return: the date your classes resume. The cover letter guide has a template.
Before the appointment
A student with no income of their own has little to show for two items on the list: the three-month statement and two years of tax returns. That gap has to be filled with the right sponsor documents, not left open. A free readiness check goes through the India list per traveller and shows what is missing before the fee is paid.
Sources
- Commission Implementing Decision C(2025) 4379 of 4 July 2025, Annex I: list of supporting documents to be submitted by visa applicants in India (all applicants; sponsored; minors; students; study, research and internship trips; tourism).
- Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (Visa Code), Article 5 (competent member state), Article 6 (consular territorial competence), Article 9 (when to apply), Article 16 (visa fee and waivers), Article 21 (means of subsistence and sponsorship), Article 23 (decision period).
- Common Information Sheet for Schengen visa applicants in India, published by the Schengen member states' missions in India (long-stay visas, who can apply in India, Liechtenstein, passport validity, travel medical insurance, fingerprint exemptions).
- Commission Implementing Decision C(2024) 2434 of 18 April 2024 (multiple-entry visas for Indian nationals residing in India).
- Annex 25 of the Practical Handbook for Border Guards (reference amounts for means of subsistence), DG HOME compilation of 1 April 2026, for the Switzerland, Liechtenstein and France figures.
- German Missions in India, visa fee page (india.diplo.de): ₹10,100 adult, effective 27 August 2026.