The short version
- A green card does not decide whether you need a Schengen visa. Your passport does.
- With a passport from a visa-free country, like Mexico, Canada or the UK, you can visit for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa.
- With a passport from a visa country, like India, China or the Philippines, you need a Schengen visa, green card or not.
- The green card still helps. You apply at a consulate in the US, and it frees you from the airport transit visa.
Do green card holders need a Schengen visa?
It depends on your passport, not your green card. EU law sets the Schengen visa rule by nationality, and a US green card does not change your nationality.
The law is Regulation (EU) 2018/1806. It has two lists of countries:
- Annex I: nationals need a visa to enter the Schengen area.
- Annex II: nationals can visit without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
The law does allow some exceptions, for groups such as diplomats, flight and ship crews, school groups and some refugees. Living in the US with a green card is not one of them. So a green card holder with a Mexican passport visits like any Mexican citizen. A green card holder with an Indian passport needs a visa like any Indian citizen.
One special case: recognised refugees and stateless people who live in the US and travel on a US travel document. Each Schengen country may choose to let them in without a visa. The embassy of the country you plan to visit can say whether it does.
Which passports need a Schengen visa?
Every passport on Annex I. Here is where some passports sit, checked against the current text of the law on 12 October 2026:
| Passport | Schengen visa for a short visit |
|---|---|
| Brazil | Not needed |
| Canada | Not needed |
| Colombia | Not needed |
| El Salvador | Not needed |
| Mexico | Not needed |
| South Korea | Not needed |
| United Kingdom | Not needed |
| China | Needed |
| Cuba | Needed |
| India | Needed |
| Jamaica | Needed |
| Nigeria | Needed |
| Pakistan | Needed |
| Philippines | Needed |
| Vietnam | Needed |
Passport not in the table? Look it up in our passport index, which shows where each passport can go without a visa.
How long can a green card holder stay in Schengen?
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period, with or without a visa. With a visa-free passport, those 90 days are shared by all 29 Schengen countries. A Schengen visa is for the same kind of short visit, up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Leaving does not reset the count. Read how the Schengen 90/180 rule works, or add your trips to our free Schengen calculator to see the days you have left.
ETIAS, the EU's new travel authorisation for visa-free travellers, is not running yet. The official ETIAS site said so when we checked on 12 October 2026, and the EU says it will announce the start date several months ahead. When it starts, visa-free passports will need it. See what ETIAS is and how it will work.
Where do green card holders apply for a Schengen visa?
At a consulate of the country you plan to visit, in the area of the US where you live. The EU rules for which country handles it:
- One country: apply to that country.
- Several countries: apply to the one where you will spend the most days.
- Equal days in each: apply to the first country you will visit.
Then the EU Visa Code (Article 6) says the consulate that decides is the one whose area covers the place where you legally live. Your green card shows you live in the US legally, so you apply in the US, not in your country of nationality.
If you are legally in a place where you do not live, a consulate there can still take your application if you give a reason for applying there. Some consulates use visa service centres to collect applications, and these can add their own fee.
What do you need for a Schengen visit visa application?
A passport, the form, a photo, travel medical insurance and papers on your trip. This is the EU's general list:
- Passport: valid until at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area.
- Application form: it asks if you live outside your country of nationality. Your green card details and its expiry date go there.
- Photo: one that meets ICAO standards.
- Medical insurance: covering emergency care, hospital stays and repatriation, valid in all Schengen countries for your whole stay, with at least EUR 30,000 of cover. In principle, you buy it in your country of residence.
- Supporting papers: the purpose of your trip, your money, where you will stay, and your plan to go home after.
For that last point, the Visa Code's list of papers includes proof of money in your country of residence and of your ties there, such as family and work. The consulate also takes your fingerprints, with some exceptions, and can ask for more papers.
Apply at least 15 days before your trip and no earlier than 6 months before it. You may need to book an appointment first. A decision usually takes 15 days, and up to 45 if the consulate needs to look closer.
How much does a Schengen visa cost for green card holders?
EUR 90 for an adult, the same as for anyone else who needs the visa. The fee depends on your age and passport, not your green card.
| Applicant | Visa fee |
|---|---|
| Adults | EUR 90 |
| Children aged 6 to 11 | EUR 45 |
| Children under 6 | No fee |
| Citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan or Belarus | EUR 35 |
| Citizens of Cabo Verde | EUR 67.50 |
A consulate in the US can charge the fee in euros or in dollars. The fee is not refundable, apart from a few set cases. School pupils and students travelling to study, and researchers travelling for research, pay no fee. A visa service centre can add its own charge on top.
Do green card holders need an airport transit visa?
No. A valid green card frees you from the airport transit visa. Some passports need this visa just to change planes in a Schengen airport. The Visa Code exempts people who hold a valid US Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551).
The same list also names a valid US immigrant visa, a re-entry permit (Form I-327) and a refugee travel document marked "Permanent Resident Alien" (Form I-571). A green card with no expiry date on it counts as valid for travel.
This only covers the airport's international transit area. If you leave it, you enter the Schengen area, and then your passport decides whether you need a Schengen visa.