Schengen Study Visa
Studying in France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, or elsewhere in the Schengen area — what to prepare, and how document legalisation works for Nigerian applicants.
A Schengen student (national/type D) visa lets you study at a university or language school in one Schengen country, while a short-stay Schengen visa lets you also visit the other 25 Schengen states during your validity period.
What it covers
26 countries, one visa
Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Which visa you need
Courses under 90 days generally use a short-stay (type C) Schengen visa. Longer academic programmes need a national (type D) student visa issued by that specific country.
Documents you'll typically need
- Valid passport (valid at least 3 months beyond your visa's expiry)
- Completed visa application form(s) and recent photographs
- Confirmed admission letter from a recognised institution
- Proof of financial means for tuition and living costs
- Travel/health insurance covering the Schengen area
- Academic transcripts and certificates — legalised, see below
Document legalisation — Nigeria to Schengen
| Country | Legalisation route for Nigerian documents | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| France | Full consular legalisation | Nigeria isn't a Hague Apostille member, so documents need Nigerian MFA authentication + French Embassy legalisation. |
| Netherlands | Full consular legalisation | Same two-step chain: Nigerian MFA, then the Dutch embassy or consulate. |
| Lithuania | Full consular legalisation | Apostilles aren't accepted from non-Hague countries like Nigeria — full legalisation required. |
| Portugal | Full consular legalisation | Academic and civil documents typically need MFA authentication plus Portuguese embassy legalisation. |
| Spain | Full consular legalisation | Spanish consular offices require the full legalisation chain for documents from non-Hague countries. |
| Switzerland | Full consular legalisation | Switzerland is a Hague member, but since Nigeria isn't, documents still need full legalisation before use there. |
| Belgium | Full consular legalisation | Same chain applies: Nigerian MFA authentication, then Belgian embassy legalisation. |
| Italy | Full consular legalisation | Italian consulates require full legalisation for Nigerian-issued academic and civil documents. |
All eight countries above are Hague Apostille Convention members — but because Nigeria itself is not a member, an apostille alone won't be accepted for Nigerian-issued documents in any of them. Instead, documents typically go through: (1) authentication at the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then (2) legalisation at the destination country's embassy or consulate in Nigeria. We help you sequence this correctly and avoid delays.