🇪🇺 Official data · Annex 25
How much money you need for a Schengen visa, by country
There is no single Schengen amount. Each member state fixes its own means-of-subsistence reference figure and the one that binds you is the country you apply to. They differ by a factor of three: €40 a day in Portugal against €122.10 a day in Spain, while Spain adds a floor of €1,098.90 whatever the trip length and Germany publishes no fixed figure at all. For a 10-day trip that means anywhere from about €449 to €1,221. These are benchmarks applied with discretion, not pass marks.
Source: European Commission — Annex 25 of the Visa Code Practical Handbook: reference amounts required for the crossing of the external border, fixed by national authorities · document dated 2026-04-01.
What a 10-day trip requires
The published rule applied to a single traveller on a 10-day visit, before any accommodation exemption. Treat it as the floor to clear comfortably, not the target to match.
Country by country, with the rule as published
Germany
No fixed daily amount — assessed case by caseGermany has deliberately not set a mandatory per-day reference amount. Border and consular officers assess each applicant individually against the cost of the planned stay, including the return journey.
“Mandatory reference amounts per day have not been set. Instead, border control officials need to examine each situation individually.”
France
€65/day with a hotel booking, €120/day withoutFrance benchmarks against the daily SMIC (minimum wage), stated as €65.00 per day. Since 19 June 2014, an applicant with no hotel reservation must show €120 per day; where a booking covers part of the stay, €65 applies to the booked nights and €120 to the rest. With a certified attestation d'accueil the requirement halves to €32.50 per day.
“From 19 June 2014, where no hotel reservation is presented as proof of accommodation, the minimum amount of money per day required to stay in France is €120. Where there is a hotel reservation for part of the stay, the amount required is €65.00 for the period covered by the reservation and €120.00 for the rest of the stay.”
Netherlands
€55 per person per dayDutch border officers work from €55 per person per day, applied flexibly against the planned duration, the reason for the visit and the applicant's personal circumstances.
“…the basis when checking means of subsistence is currently EUR 55 per person per day.”
Italy
€269.60 for a trip of up to 5 days, then a sliding scaleItaly publishes a table rather than a flat rate. A solo traveller needs a fixed €269.60 for 1–5 days; €44.93 per day for 6–10 days; €51.64 plus €36.67 per day for 11–20 days; and €206.58 plus €27.89 per day beyond 20 days. Every amount is lower per head when two or more people travel together.
“1 to 5 days overall fixed sum 269,60 … 6 to 10 days daily sum per person 44,93 … 11 to 20 days fixed sum + daily sum per person 51,64 + 36,67 … more than 20 days fixed sum + daily sum per person 206,58 + 27,89”
Spain
€122.10 per day, and never less than €1,098.90Spain pegs the requirement to the national minimum wage: 10% of the gross minimum wage — €122.10 — per day of the intended stay and per dependant, subject to an absolute floor of 90% of the gross minimum wage, €1,098.90 per person, whatever the length of the trip.
“…the amount they have available to them must represent, in euro, 10% of the gross national minimum wage (EUR 122.10) … The minimum amount at their disposal must represent 90% of the gross national minimum wage (EUR 1 098.90) … per person, regardless of the intended duration of the stay.”
Portugal
€75 per entry plus €40 per dayPortugal asks for €75 on entry plus €40 for each day spent in the country. Applicants who can prove board and lodging are guaranteed for the whole stay may be exempted.
“EUR 75 for each entry - EUR 40 for each day spent on the territory. Aliens who are able to prove that their board and lodging are guaranteed for the duration of their stay may be exempted.”
Greece
€50 per person per day, minimum €300Greece fixes €50 per person per day, with a floor of €300 for any stay of up to five days. The amounts are halved for minors.
“…the amount … is fixed at EUR 50 per person per day, and a minimum total amount of EUR 300 for a stay of up to 5 days. Where the foreign national is a minor the above amounts are reduced by 50 %.”
Each Schengen state fixes its own means-of-subsistence reference amount; the Commission compiles them in Annex 25. There is no single Schengen-wide figure, so any site quoting one is generalising from one country's rule. The version consulted carries the document date 01/04/2026. Amounts are what border and consular officers use as a benchmark — they are applied with discretion, not as a hard cut-off.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need for a Schengen visa?
It depends entirely on which country you apply to — there is no Schengen-wide amount. For a 10-day trip the published reference amounts work out at roughly €449 for Italy, €475 for Portugal, €500 for Greece, rising to €1,221 for Spain. Germany deliberately publishes no fixed figure and assesses each applicant individually.
Is the reference amount a hard cut-off?
No. It is a benchmark that border and consular officers apply with discretion, alongside your accommodation, your purpose, who is paying and your ties to home. Showing exactly the minimum with no margin is a common way to fail; showing comfortably more than the benchmark, from a well-documented source, is what actually strengthens an application.
Does prepaid accommodation reduce what I have to show?
In several countries, yes, and it is written into the rule. France halves the daily requirement to €32.50 for holders of a certified attestation d’accueil, and applies €65 rather than €120 per day for nights covered by a hotel booking. Portugal exempts travellers who can prove board and lodging are guaranteed for the whole stay.
Which country do I have to apply to?
The state where you will spend the most nights. If nights are split evenly, apply to your first point of entry. You cannot pick the country with the lowest money requirement — applying to the wrong consulate is itself a ground for refusal, and the visa you get is valid across the whole area anyway.
Where do these amounts come from?
Each Schengen state fixes its own amount under national law and notifies the European Commission, which compiles them in Annex 25 of the Visa Code Practical Handbook. The version consulted here carries the document date 2026-04-01. Amounts change without much publicity, so verify against your consulate's own checklist before you apply.
