One visa covers most of Europe, but you do not get to choose which country decides it. You apply to the embassy of your main destination — the country where you will spend the most nights — and applying to the wrong one is a common, avoidable refusal.
At a glance
Visa needed: Yes — Schengen short-stay visa (Type C)
Length of stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period, across the whole area
Where to apply: VFS Global, Thamel, Kathmandu, under the relevant embassy
Official processing time: 15 calendar days, though 15–45 days is common in peak season
Indicative fee: Around EUR 90, roughly NPR 13,500–14,000
Fees
The EUR 90 fee is set by the EU and paid at VFS in rupees at their rate, plus a VFS service charge. It is non-refundable if the visa is refused.
Visa types
Type C — tourism — Up to 90 days in 180. Holidays and sightseeing across the Schengen area.
Type C — visiting family or friends — Up to 90 days in 180. Requires a formal invitation from your host, often on an official form issued by their local authority.
Type C — business — Up to 90 days in 180. Invitation from the European company plus your own employer and company documents.
Type C — medical treatment — Varies. Requires the hospital's appointment letter and evidence you can pay for treatment.
National (Type D) visa — Over 90 days. For study, work or residence. Applied for under one country's national rules, not the Schengen rules.
Documents required
Completed and signed Schengen application form
Two photographs, 35×45 mm, on a white or light grey background
Nepali passport issued within the last 10 years, valid 3 months beyond your return, with two blank pages
Travel medical insurance with at least EUR 30,000 cover valid across the Schengen area
Return flight reservation and a complete day-by-day itinerary
Confirmed accommodation for every night of the trip
Bank statements for the last 6 months, plus a balance certificate
Employment or business documents, and your tax records
Evidence of ties to Nepal — property, dependents, ongoing employment
Before you apply
Apply to the right country
Apply to the embassy of your main destination — where you spend the most nights. If nights are equal, apply to the country you enter first. Getting this wrong gets applications rejected without assessment.
Accommodation must cover every night
A booking that covers the first three nights of a two-week itinerary is one of the most common weaknesses in Schengen files from Kathmandu.
About Schengen Europe
A Schengen visa covers most of Europe on one sticker, but you do not choose which country decides it — you apply to the embassy of your main destination, meaning the country where you will spend the most nights. Applying to the wrong one is among the most common and most avoidable refusals we see from Kathmandu, closely followed by accommodation bookings that cover the first few nights of a two-week itinerary. This is a visa service rather than a packaged tour: we build the file, the day-by-day itinerary and the supporting documents, and lodge it at VFS in Thamel under the right embassy.
Highlights
Paris: the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and a day out at Versailles
Switzerland by rail — Jungfraujoch, Interlaken and the Glacier Express
Rome, the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum, then Florence and Venice
Amsterdam canals, the Rijksmuseum and the tulip fields in April
Prague old town and Vienna in one easy train hop
Barcelona for Gaudí, and Madrid for the Prado
The Bavarian Alps and Neuschwanstein Castle out of Munich
Santorini and the Greek islands at the end of a longer itinerary