Governance
How the Schengen visa actually works — and the 4 mistakes that get people refused
The "first entry" rule, the 90/180 counter, travel insurance minimums, and proof of funds — explained with the official thresholds, updated for 2026.
In this article
- How the 90/180 rule actually counts (not calendar months)
- What "first entry" means and how to handle multi-country trips
- Travel insurance minimum: what €30,000 actually covers
- Proof of funds: daily minimum, bank statements, hotel bookings
- The 4 most common reasons applications get refused
About this article
This article is currently an AI-drafted outline — the framework and key points are in place, but the prose body is still pending human review. Each outline item maps to an official source listed below; use this page as a "question map" to know where to verify each sub-answer.
Sources
- European Commission — Visa policy https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/visa-policy_en
- EU Short-stay Visa Calculator https://ec.europa.eu/assets/home/visa-calculator/calculator.htm
- Schengen short-stay calculator https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/short-stay-visa-calculator/