Schengen Visa Application for Medical Reasons

If you are travelling primarily for medical reasons-i.e. you are seeking medical care, you should apply for a Schengen Medical Visa.

What is a Schengen Medical Visa?

A kind of short stay (Type C) visa allowing you access to the Schengen area for up to 90 days within a 180-day period for medical purposes.

In addition to the Basic of Schengen Visa Application Requirements, to apply for a Medical Visa, you will need to present the following: (Please note that the required forms differ depending on whether you are the patient or the escort).

Recent medical report.
Appointment letter from the hospital/clinic/doctor you intend to receive care from. This form must be:
- stamped and/or signed.
- descriptive of how you will pay for treatment (i.e. whether there is a deposit or fee payable on arrival).

A cover letter introducing the escort, detailing your relationship to the patient (full name of both escort and patient must be included).
Letter of appointment for patient’s treatment (preferably the escort’s full name should be mentioned in it).
Information/proof of coverage of travel related-expenses as an escort-where you are staying and how you will pay for your stay, etc.

Nationals of a third country excluded from visa-free access or visas on arrival to the Schengen area who have a legitimate, valid, and documented reason for seeking medical care in the Schengen area are eligible to apply for a Medical Reasons Schengen Visa.

Determine the Schengen country where you will be spending the most time on your trip. You will apply for the Medical Reasons Schengen Visa through that country’s consulate.
Select “Medical Reasons” as the purpose of the journey.
Determine how many “Entries” to the Schengen area you need.
Gather your Basic Required Documents, as well as the documents required for a Medical Visa.
Fill out your application. Different Schengen countries provide different ways of accessing applications; you might have to use an online application portal or fill out a print-application by hand.
Pay the application fee (the standard fee for adults is 80 Euros). You will likely have to submit a service payment with your visa application. This is a separate cost from the visa fee, which you will likely pay in person, at your subsequent interview appointment at a Visa Application Center. Please note that these fees are non-refundable.
Submit your application.
Schedule an interview appointment. Interviews are conducted in person either at the embassy or the consulate of the country you are applying to, or at a Visa Application Center associated with the consulate of the country you are applying to.

You should apply for a Medical Reasons Schengen Visa at least 15 days prior to the day you intend to travel, and no earlier than 6 months before you leave.

You should apply for the Schengen Visa through the embassy or the consulate of the country you are travelling to in the Schengen area, or through a Visa Application Center associated with the consulate of the country.
If you are travelling to multiple countries in the Schengen area, you should apply through the embassy, the consulate, or the associated Visa Application Center for the country in which you will spend the most time. And in case you plan to spend an equal period of time in those multiple countries, then you need to apply at the embassy, the consulate or the associated Visa Application Center of the country where you will arrive first.

The processing time for a Schengen medical visa is generally about two weeks (15 days). In rarer cases, consulates can take anywhere from 30-60 days to render a decision on an application.