Schengen Visit Visa
One visa, 26 countries — what you need to know before applying for a short-stay Schengen visa for tourism or business.
A short-stay Schengen (type C) visa lets you travel across all 26 Schengen countries for tourism, family visits, or business — for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, on a single visa.
Key facts
Stay limit
Up to 90 days within any 180-day period, across the whole Schengen area — not per country.
Where to apply
At the embassy or consulate of your main destination country — or the country you'll enter first, if your trip is evenly split.
Documents you'll typically need
- Valid passport (valid at least 3 months beyond your intended departure from Schengen)
- Completed application form and recent photographs
- Travel medical insurance (minimum €30,000 coverage)
- Round-trip flight itinerary and accommodation proof
- Bank statements and proof of ties to Nigeria
Document legalisation — Nigeria to Schengen
For most tourist applications, legalisation is less central than for study or civil matters — but if your file includes documents like invitation letters, marriage certificates, or business registration papers, the same rule applies:
| 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.