Check my trip

For Indian passport holders travelling to Europe on business

Business trip to Europe? Check which Schengen visa actually covers it.

Free 60-second check: the visa type, whether your planned activities are allowed, which embassy you apply to, and whether the decision arrives before your flight. No passport number. No documents.

  • ISO 27001 certified
  • Used by enterprise travel teams
  • Private company, not a government website
Business trip checkStep 1 of 2

Your trip

Add them in the order you'll travel, with nights in each.

What will you do there?

Select everything that applies. This decides which visa fits.

Independent private company. VisaDoc Ltd is not a government, embassy or visa application centre, and is not affiliated with any of them. This check is free. The €90 Schengen visa fee is set by the EU and charged by the consulate; the visa centre charges its own service fee.

At a glance

One visa, 29 countries, 90 days in any 180

A Schengen short-stay visa covers business visits across all 29 countries in the area. Ireland, Cyprus and the United Kingdom are not part of it and have their own entry rules.

  • Schengen area: 29 countries, one visa
  • Not Schengen: separate entry rules

Key numbers

  • 90 days

    in any 180-day period, counted across all 29 countries together

  • 15 days

    standard decision time after a complete application, up to 45 in individual cases

  • €90

    visa fee for adults, set by the EU and charged by the consulate. The visa centre adds its own fee.

  • 6 months

    the earliest you can apply before travel. The latest is 15 days before.

When to submit, counted back from your flight

If your travel dates can't move, submit at least 45 days before you fly. That covers even an extended decision.

  • Comfortable: room for an extended decision
  • Tight: works only with a standard 15-day decision
  • Too late: apply at least 15 days before travel
  1. Earliest: 6 months
  2. Safe: 45 days
  3. Latest: 15 days
Check my dates

The trip check turns this into dates for your trip, including your visa-centre slot.

Why travellers get refused

Four things a document checklist won't tell you

Most refusals for business travellers aren't about missing paper. They come from the wrong visa for the activity, the wrong embassy for the itinerary, or a decision that lands after the flight.

Is it really a business trip?

Meetings, conferences and trade fairs are covered. Billable project work at a client site usually isn't, even for a week. The check names the activity that breaks it.

Which embassy or VAC is yours?

You apply to your main destination: where the main purpose is, otherwise where you stay longest. The wrong consulate returns your file unprocessed, and the weeks are gone.

Will the decision arrive in time?

Consulates decide within 15 calendar days of a complete application and can extend to 45. You can apply up to 6 months ahead, so your slot date decides everything.

Can you get a multi-year visa?

Indian residents who lawfully used two Schengen visas in the last three years can request a 2-year multiple-entry visa, normally followed by 5 years. Your passport validity caps it.
Run the check on my trip

Free planning tools

Four checks to run before you book a visa-centre slot

No sign-up, nothing saved. Each tool runs in your browser and uses the EU rules for short-stay visas.

Every entry and exit day counts. Add your planned trip and any Schengen stays in the last 180 days.

Your planned trip

Earlier stays in the last 180 days

Add your planned entry and exit dates to see your days.

Since the EU Entry/Exit System went live in October 2025, every entry and exit is recorded digitally, so overstays are detected automatically.

Run the full trip check

Visa type, activities, documents and timeline in one report.

Before you apply

Business visa or work permit? It depends on what you'll do, not on your job title

A Schengen business visa (type C) covers short business visits of up to 90 days in any 180. It doesn't cover productive work for a client or a European company, however short the trip.
Colleagues in a business meeting
Usually covered

Schengen business visa

  • Meetings with clients, partners or colleagues
  • Negotiating or signing contracts
  • Attending a conference or seminar
  • Visiting or exhibiting at a trade fair
  • Visiting suppliers or auditing a site
Engineer in a hard hat leading a team on site
Depends on country and contract

Check the country's rules first

  • Receiving training at a group company
  • Installing or repairing equipment your company supplied
  • Delivering training to a client
Some countries allow these for a few days under conditions. Others treat them as work.
Two developers working on code in an office
Usually needs work authorisation

Work permit or national visa

  • Billable project work at a client site (onsite)
  • Working in a role for the European company
  • Being paid by the company in Europe
Your employer may also need to notify the host country before you start.
Check my activities
General guidance, not legal advice. The trip check applies each country's rules to the activities you select.
Documents

Three parties, one file: who provides what

Most delays come from documents nobody owns. Your file needs papers from you, your employer in India and your host in Europe, and all three must describe the same trip.

You

  • Passport issued in the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave, with 2 blank pages
  • Two recent photos (35 × 45 mm)
  • Bank statements and salary slips for the last 3 to 6 months
  • Income tax returns (often requested)
  • Previous visas and passports, if any
  • Travel medical insurance of at least €30,000, valid in all Schengen countries

Your employer in India

  • Cover letter on letterhead: your role, the purpose, the dates and who pays
  • Leave approval or no-objection certificate (NOC)
  • Proof of employment, such as your contract or an employment letter
  • Company registration documents if you're a director or self-employed

Your host in Europe

  • Invitation letter on letterhead: who you'll meet, why, and the dates
  • Host company details and a contact person
  • Registration or confirmation for conferences and trade fairs
Typical list for applicants in India. Your consulate publishes the exact checklist, so always use the latest version from the visa centre. Your trip report adds the who-pays wording, a dated timeline and a ready-to-send request for your employer.
Get my trip info
Timeline

From trip idea to boarding: six dates that matter

Work backwards from your flight. The visa-centre slot, not the paperwork, is usually what decides whether you travel on time.

Up to 6 months before travel

The earliest you can submit. The latest is 15 calendar days before you fly, but that leaves no room for an extended decision.

Book the visa-centre slot

Most consulates in India use VFS Global; Spain uses BLS International. Book the slot first, then build the file around that date.

Submit and give biometrics

Your fingerprints are taken at the visa centre and can be reused for applications within the next 59 months.

Decision: 15 days, up to 45

The consulate decides within 15 calendar days of a complete application. In individual cases it can extend to 45.

Passport back: check the sticker

Check the validity dates, the number of entries and the days allowed before you book anything you can't change.

Travel: the Entry/Exit System

At the first Schengen border, EES registers your passport, fingerprints and face, then counts your 90/180 days automatically.
Get my dated timeline
Who we are

Enterprise travel and mobility teams use VisaDoc

VisaDoc helps companies check, prepare and track business visas for the people they send abroad. Selected clients and partners:
Elsevier logo
Creative Artists Agency logo
Reed Exhibitions logo
LexisNexis logo
Qvest logo
Toyota logo
ECA International logo
BCD Travel logo
Equus logo
Elsevier logo
Creative Artists Agency logo
Reed Exhibitions logo
LexisNexis logo
Qvest logo
Toyota logo
ECA International logo
BCD Travel logo
Equus logo

ISO 27001 certified

Our information security management system is certified to ISO 27001. Policies and controls are published in our Trust Center.

Partners in corporate travel

We work with ECA International and BCD Travel to support global mobility and travel management teams.

Private by design

The trip check needs no passport number and no documents. Marketing emails only if you opt in.
Check my tripFor travel desks
FAQ

Questions Indian business travellers ask

Short answers here. The trip check applies them to your dates, countries and activities.
Check my trip
Do Indian passport holders need a visa for a business trip to Europe?
Can I do onsite project work on a Schengen business visa?
Which embassy do I apply to if I'm visiting several countries?
How early should I apply?
How much does a Schengen business visa cost?
Can I get a multiple-entry visa valid for several years?
What is the 90/180-day rule, and what did EES change?
Can I apply online instead of going to a visa centre?
Is this a government website?

Know before you book the appointment.

Sixty seconds, no passport number. See the visa type, the right embassy, your decision date and what each party must provide.
Check my tripTry the 90/180 tool

Official sources

About VisaDoc

VisaDoc Ltd is an independent private company registered in the United Kingdom. We are not a government agency, embassy, consulate or visa application centre, and we are not affiliated with any of them. Visa decisions are made only by the competent consulate. The Schengen visa fee is set by the EU and charged by the consulate; visa centres charge their own service fees. You can apply directly through official channels without using VisaDoc.
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Last reviewed October 2026. Rules change, so confirm the requirements with the consulate or its visa centre before you travel.
© 2026 VisaDoc Ltd · One Sovereign Quay, Bridge End, Leeds LS1 4AG, United Kingdom