Travel Eligibility

Whether you can enter a country and what document you need comes down to a handful of factors. Here is how eligibility is actually determined.

What decides your eligibility

Entry rules are set by the destination country and applied to each traveler based on several inputs:

• Passport nationality: The single biggest factor. The country that issued your passport determines which entry policy applies to you, because visa agreements are negotiated between countries.
• Destination: Every country sets its own rules, so the same passport can be visa-free in one place and visa-required in another.
• Purpose of trip: Tourism, business, study, work, and transit often have different rules. A passport that is visa-free for a short holiday may still need a visa to work or study.
• Passport validity: Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least 3 or 6 months beyond your planned departure date, and to have blank pages.
• Length and recency of previous stays: Rules like the Schengen 90/180 limit cap how long you can stay within a rolling period, so recent trips affect how many days you have left.

The possible outcomes

• Visa-free: Enter without applying in advance, usually for a limited number of days.
• ETA: A quick online travel authorization linked to your passport, required before you travel.
• eVisa: A visa applied for and issued online before your trip.
• ETIAS: The EU's travel authorization for visa-exempt visitors to the Schengen area, expected from 2026.
• Visa-required: You must obtain a visa, often through an embassy or consulate, before you can travel.

Go deeper

Once you know what you need, see typical processing times so you can apply with enough lead time, and explore our free travel calculators to check passport validity, Schengen day counts, and overstay risk.