Schengen Visa to Visit Family in Europe from the UK

Do you need a visa to visit family in Europe if you live in the UK?

It depends on your nationality, not on where you live. British, Irish and EU citizens can visit family anywhere in the Schengen area without a visa. Most other nationals living in the UK, such as Indian, Pakistani, Nigerian, Chinese or South African citizens on a work, study or family visa, need a short-stay Schengen visa.

You apply from the UK only if you are lawfully resident here. Prove your status with your UKVI eVisa and a share code, not a BRP (see our eVisa and share code guide). Each country sets its own rule on how long your UK permission must run beyond the trip: most ask for at least one month after you leave the Schengen area, and some, such as Italy, Finland and Iceland, ask for about three months, so treat three months as the safe margin. Check your eVisa expiry before you book anything.

If you are only in the UK as a visitor, you will normally have to apply in your home country instead. That catches many families out, so read Schengen visa on a UK visitor visa before planning a joint trip.

Note: ETIAS, the €20 travel authorisation for visa-free visitors such as British citizens, has no confirmed launch date. It does not apply to anyone who needs a Schengen visa.

Which visa do you apply for to visit relatives?

You apply for the standard uniform short-stay visa (type C) and tick “visit to family or friends” as the main purpose on the form. There is no separate “family visa” for short visits: the rules, the €90 fee and the 90-days-in-180 limit are the same as for tourism. What changes is the evidence, because you are staying in a private home and often relying on your relative.

Apply to the country where you will spend the most nights. If your sister lives in Lyon but you will spend ten days with her and four in Barcelona, you apply to France. Our guide on which country to apply to covers split trips.

Two situations fall outside the C visa:

• Stays longer than 90 days, such as moving to join a spouse, need a national (D) visa from that country, which is a different process.
• Frequent visits to parents or children abroad may justify asking for a multiple-entry visa. Consulates follow a “cascade” for repeat applicants with a clean travel history; see multiple-entry visas and the cascade.

What documents do you need for a family-visit Schengen visa?

You need the standard Schengen file plus a second set of documents from your host. Think of it as two halves that must match: your evidence shows you will return to the UK, and your host’s evidence shows where you will stay and who pays.

Your cover letter should explain who you are visiting, how you are related, the dates, and who is paying, in the same words as the form. Our cover letter template includes a family-visit version, and the invitation and sponsor letter guide covers what your relative should write.

Tip: Certificates not in English or the host country’s language usually need a certified translation. Some consulates go further: Poland wants an apostille on official documents issued outside Poland, the EU or the UK for family members of Polish nationals, and Italy wants certificates issued outside the UK translated and legalised, so check early.

What hosting document does each country ask for?

This is where family-visit applications differ most. Some countries accept a signed letter; others want an official certificate your host must obtain in person from a local authority, sometimes for a fee and with a wait of several weeks.

For the full requirements, see the France attestation d’accueil rules, Spain carta de invitación details, Italy hosting declaration, Germany Verpflichtungserklärung guidance, Belgium Annex 3bis, Netherlands sponsor form, Portugal termo de responsabilidade and Poland invitation rules. Norway uses UDI’s sponsorship and invitation form, which hosts can complete digitally; see the Norway visa checklist. Croatia expects a guarantee letter with the host’s signature certified by a Croatian public notary (Croatia visa checklist), and Sweden the Migration Agency’s form 241011 with a Skatteverket extract (Sweden visa checklist).

Important: The hosting document must name you exactly as in your passport and cover the same dates and address as your application. A French attestation for 1-14 August does not cover a visa request for 1-21 August.

Does your relative have to pay for your trip?

No. Staying with family and being paid for by family are separate things. Many applicants stay free in a relative’s home but fund the flights and spending themselves, and that is often the stronger file because it shows your own UK income.

Each country sets its own funds benchmark, and a few lower it when you stay with a host:

• France uses €32.50 a day if you stay with a host holding an attestation d’accueil, against €65 a day with a hotel booking (France funds guide).
• Belgium uses about €45 a day with a private host and about €95 in a hotel (Belgium funds guide).
• Spain applies a fixed formula whoever you stay with: about €122 per person per day in 2026, with a minimum of €1,098.90 however short the trip (Spain funds guide).
• Portugal uses €75 per entry plus €40 per day; a host’s certified termo de responsabilidade can carry part of it (Portugal funds guide).
• Croatia uses €70 a day, €30 a day with a certified guarantee letter, and nothing if the letter shows the host covers all costs (Croatia funds guide).

If your relative is paying, the consulate needs to see their means as clearly as it would see yours: a signed letter stating what they will cover, recent bank statements or payslips, their ID or residence permit, and proof of how you are related. Where a country has an official guarantee (Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal), use it rather than a home-made letter.

Tip: Avoid a relative transferring a lump sum into your account shortly before you apply. Officers treat unexplained recent deposits as borrowed funds. If family money is part of your budget, show it as sponsorship instead. Our bank statements guide explains what officers look for.

What if your family member is an EU citizen?

You may qualify for a free, faster visa. Under the EU free movement directive, the spouse, registered partner, children under 21 or dependent, and dependent parents of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen get facilitated treatment: no visa fee, an accelerated procedure and a shorter document list.

The catch is that it applies when you travel with, or join, that family member in an EU or EEA country other than the one whose nationality they hold. Travelling with your Italian wife to Spain usually qualifies; visiting her parents in Italy may be handled under ordinary rules, depending on the consulate. Bring the marriage or birth certificate and a copy of your family member’s EU passport.

Relatives who are not EU, EEA or Swiss citizens themselves, such as a cousin with a work permit in Germany, do not create this right, even if they have lived there for years. Since Brexit, a British spouse or parent does not create it either, unless you hold rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

Can you take children or bring your parents along?

Children each need their own application, appointment and fee: €45 for ages 6 to 11, €90 from 12, and nothing under 6 (Greece and Croatia charge nothing under 12). Bring a full birth certificate and, if one parent is not travelling, that parent’s signed consent with a copy of their ID. In the Netherlands, each child also needs their own sponsor form. Our children’s Schengen visa guide has the full list.

Parents are a common sticking point. If they live with you in the UK on a family visa or with settled status, they apply here like any other resident. If they are in the UK on a visitor visa, the UK centres will normally not accept their application, so they would need to apply in their home country before coming to the UK.

How long does it take and when should you apply?

Consulates aim to decide within 15 calendar days, which can stretch to 45. The real delay is usually the host document and finding an appointment, so work backwards from your travel date.

Before Christmas, Easter, Eid and the summer holidays, family-visit demand peaks, so start at the earlier end. See Schengen visa processing times from the UK for country differences, and the France appointment guide or Spain appointment guide for centre details.

Note: Appointments are booked free in the applicant’s own name on the official provider’s system. Schengen Visa Support does not book, hold or supply appointments.

Why are family-visit applications refused?

Family visits are refused for the same reasons as other applications, but officers look harder at whether you will return, because you have personal ties in Europe. The usual problems are:

• Missing or mismatched host document: a letter where an official form is required, or dates and addresses that do not match the application.
• Doubts about your return: a short UK work history, UK permission ending soon after the trip, or a long stay with no clear reason to come back.
• Weak sponsor evidence: a relative “paying” with no statements, no ID and no proof of relationship.
• Unexplained deposits: money moved in from family just before applying.
• Insurance gaps: cover below €30,000 or dates that miss the travel days.

If you are refused, the letter names the ground and the route to appeal, which differs by country. Our refusal guide explains your options.

Schengen Visa Support is an independent UK visa admin support service. For a family visit we prepare your personal checklist, complete your form, check that your host’s paperwork matches your application, help draft the cover and sponsor letters, and guide you through booking the official appointment in your own name. The consulate makes every decision, and we give no UK immigration advice. See how it works and our pricing.