There is no single Schengen bank balance. Every Schengen country sets its own daily amount, and the figure you must show depends on the country whose consulate takes your application. On the European Commission’s official reference-amounts table (updated 8 June 2026), the range runs from about EUR 14 a day in Latvia to EUR 120 a day in France when you have no proof of accommodation.
The amounts are per person, per day of the planned stay. A 10-day trip costs you roughly ten times the daily figure on your bank statement, plus whatever your tickets and hotel already cost. Germany’s figure is EUR 45 a day, the Netherlands’ is EUR 55, Portugal’s is EUR 75 per entry plus EUR 40 a day, and Spain’s is EUR 122.10 a day with a EUR 1,098.90 floor per person.
These are border-control reference amounts that Schengen states report to the Commission under Article 39 of the Schengen Borders Code. Consulates use them as the yardstick when they read your statements. They are not a promise of approval, and they are not a rule that your balance must equal the number to the cent. A thin file with a perfect balance still gets refused.
The Commission table also shows where the official figure is soft. Austria and Cyprus set no daily amount and decide case by case. Germany says it has no mandatory daily rate, and applies EUR 45 a day when an applicant cannot otherwise show their circumstances. Where a country’s published figure is a flexible guide, the table below says so rather than treating it as a hard line.
Which consulate you apply to is itself a rule. You apply to the country where you will spend the most nights, or to the country of first entry if the nights are equal. That means your itinerary decides your bank-balance bar, which is why our Schengen tips for Indian applicants start with choosing the right country to apply through.
This guide lists the official daily amount for 18 Schengen countries, works through a 10-day example for the big destinations, and explains what statements consulates usually ask for. Where an amount could not be confirmed from an official source, the table says so. For the other documents in your file, see our Schengen cover letter samples and the Schengen application form page.
How the Two Ends of the Range Compare
Free toolSchengen Short-Stay Visa CalculatorThe simplest way to see the spread is to put the cheap end and the expensive end side by side for the same trip. Take a 10-day visit and one traveller. All figures below are straight multiplication of the official daily amounts, with no allowance for your flights or hotel.
The French example is the sharpest, because the same country has three different bars. The reference amount is EUR 65 a day, which is the French daily minimum wage figure the Commission lists. It falls to EUR 32.50 a day for travellers holding proof of accommodation under an attestation d’accueil. It rises to EUR 120 a day when you show no hotel reservation. If you have a hotel booking for only part of the stay, the Commission table says EUR 65 applies to the booked nights and EUR 120 to the rest.
Book accommodation for every night before you apply. In France alone, a hotel reservation covering the whole stay cuts the daily bar from EUR 120 to EUR 65, a saving of EUR 550 on a 10-day trip.
Daily Subsistence Amounts by Country
The table follows the Commission’s reference-amounts table, with extra detail from Annex 25 of the Practical Handbook where the table is brief. Amounts are per person per day unless the Remarks column says otherwise. Where a national figure is not in euros, we give it in the national currency rather than convert it, because conversions drift.
| Country | Daily amount | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | EUR 45 | No mandatory daily rate; officers assess each case. EUR 45 a day applies when you cannot show your circumstances. |
| France | EUR 120 / EUR 65 / EUR 32.50 | EUR 120 with no accommodation proof, EUR 65 with a hotel booking, EUR 32.50 with an attestation d’accueil. Part-booked stays blend EUR 65 and EUR 120. |
| Spain | EUR 122.10 | 10% of the gross national minimum wage per day, with a minimum of EUR 1,098.90 per person whatever the length of stay. |
| Italy | EUR 269.60 fixed (1 to 5 days); EUR 44.93 a day (6 to 10 days) | Sliding scale for a single tourist: 11 to 20 days is EUR 51.64 plus EUR 36.67 a day; over 20 days is EUR 206.58 plus EUR 27.89 a day. Lower rates apply to groups of two or more. |
| Netherlands | EUR 55 | Applied flexibly, depending on the length and purpose of the stay. |
| Portugal | EUR 75 per entry + EUR 40 a day | Can be waived if board and lodging are guaranteed for the whole stay. |
| Belgium | about EUR 45 / about EUR 95 | EUR 45 a day staying with a private host, EUR 95 a day in a hotel, when you show no other credit. |
| Austria | Not set | No reference amount; decided case by case. |
| Greece | EUR 50 (min EUR 300 for up to 5 days) | Halved for minors. |
| Switzerland | CHF 100 | CHF 30 for students. |
| Czech Republic | CZK 1,565 | For stays up to 30 days; stays over 30 days use a separate monthly formula; half for under-18s. |
| Poland | PLN 300 total (up to 4 days); PLN 75 a day beyond | Two-tier rule: a flat sum for short stays, a daily rate for longer ones. |
| Hungary | EUR 40 | Per person per day. |
| Croatia | EUR 70 | EUR 30 a day with a certified letter of guarantee or a tourist booking. |
| Denmark | DKK 350 | Per 24 hours; officers also check the return journey. |
| Sweden | SEK 700 | Per day, as listed in the Commission table. |
| Finland | about EUR 50 | Judged case by case, on top of tickets and accommodation. |
| Latvia | EUR 14 | Stays up to 30 days. Over 30 days, no less than the monthly minimum wage of EUR 700. |
Three things in the table stand out. Latvia’s EUR 14 is so far below the rest that it is not a realistic planning figure for most trips. Portugal’s two-part formula makes short stays expensive per day and long stays cheaper per day. Italy’s scale does the opposite of what most people expect: the per-day cost falls the longer you stay, which means a 5-day Italian trip needs the fixed EUR 269.60 while a 25-day one still needs only EUR 27.89 a day on top of a fixed EUR 206.58.
Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein publish their own amounts on the Commission table, and we have not reproduced them here. Several blog guides quote daily amounts for Spain, Italy and Portugal that differ from the table above because they use older figures. Use the Commission’s current table or your consulate’s checklist, and treat any number older than 2026 with suspicion.
A 10-Day Trip in Five Countries
Daily amounts are hard to compare when countries use different formulas. Running the same 10-day, one-traveller trip through the official rules for five popular destinations gives a more useful picture. The comparison skips tickets and hotels, which you must also be able to pay for.
| Country | Calculation | Reference total |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 10 x EUR 45 | EUR 450 |
| Netherlands | 10 x EUR 55 | EUR 550 |
| Portugal | EUR 75 + 10 x EUR 40 | EUR 475 |
| Italy | 10 x EUR 44.93 (6 to 10 day tier) | EUR 449.30 |
| Spain | 10 x EUR 122.10 | EUR 1,221.00 |
| France, no accommodation proof | 10 x EUR 120 | EUR 1,200 |
Spain’s figure is also the one that surprises people. It is pegged to the national minimum wage, so it moves with it, and the Commission table lists the current daily amount as EUR 122.10. For a longer trip, our guide to the Schengen 90/180 rule explains how many days you can actually stay across the zone.
3 Months or 6 Months of Statements
The Commission table sets amounts, not statement periods. How many months of bank history you must show comes from each mission’s own checklist, and checklists change. In the published checklists we found, three months is the usual ask: German visa-centre checklists in India ask for the last three months of statements stamped by the bank, the Dutch checklist asks for three months stamped and signed, and the Swiss embassy checklist asks for three months of originals. An Italian checklist asks for three months of original certified statements, issued within a month of your application, and six months for students.
Our research could not confirm a six-month rule for tourists at every embassy, so we do not claim one. The safe approach is to pull your destination consulate’s current checklist the week you apply and count the months it asks for. Statement dates matter as much as length: several checklists want statements no more than a month old at submission.
Stamped Statements and Other Proof
A printout from an app is the most common reason a financial file looks weak. Several visa-centre checklists ask for statements stamped by the bank, and some say passbook copies are not accepted. The Dutch and Swiss checklists add a signature from the bank, and the Swiss one wants originals on A4 paper. A stamped statement shows the same balance as the online version, but it proves the bank issued it.
Statements are only one form of proof. German practice accepts a letter of guarantee from the host, a sponsorship declaration, or a guarantee deposited with the immigration authorities. France lets an attestation d’accueil cut your daily bar to EUR 32.50. Belgium’s private-host route lowers its figure from about EUR 95 to about EUR 45. Self-employed applicants are usually asked for tax-return acknowledgments as well, such as the last two assessment years on the German checklist for India.
Do not park a one-off deposit in your account just before you apply. A lump sum with no history looks borrowed, and it can sink an application that would otherwise pass. Show a normal account with ordinary salary credits and the balance that follows from them.
A strong file also states the trip clearly. Pair your statements with a cover letter, and if you travel often, read our guide to the 5-year multiple-entry Schengen visa, since consulates look more kindly at applicants with a history of Schengen visits. Budget for the visa fee as well, which is separate from your subsistence proof; see the Schengen fee changes.
Full Comparison
| Dimension | Lower-bar countries | Higher-bar countries |
|---|---|---|
| Basis of the figure | Fixed daily amount; Germany and the Netherlands apply it flexibly | Formula or tiers; Spain, Italy, Portugal, France |
| Typical 10-day total | EUR 450 to EUR 550 (Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal) | EUR 1,200 to EUR 1,221 (France with no proof, Spain) |
| Can lodging proof lower it? | Portugal (if board and lodging are guaranteed), Belgium, Croatia | France: EUR 120 to EUR 65 to EUR 32.50 |
| Statement period | Three months on the checklists we reviewed | Six months for Italian student applicants |
| Bank stamp | Usually asked for; some checklists also want a signature | Online printouts often not enough |
| No fixed figure | Austria, Cyprus | Germany applies EUR 45 only as a fallback |
Check the Commission’s table and your consulate’s own checklist before you rely on any number above. Reference amounts are revised when ministries update them, and several have been raised in recent years.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much bank balance is required for a Schengen visa?
There is no single figure. Each country sets a daily amount per person, such as EUR 45 for Germany, EUR 55 for the Netherlands and EUR 122.10 for Spain. Multiply the daily figure by the days of your stay, then add the cost of tickets and accommodation.
How much money do I need to show for a Schengen visa for 10 days?
For one traveller, the official reference amounts give about EUR 450 for Germany, EUR 550 for the Netherlands, EUR 475 for Portugal, EUR 1,221 for Spain and EUR 1,200 for France without accommodation proof. Hotel and flights are extra.
How much money do I need for a France Schengen visa per day?
France sets three levels: EUR 120 a day with no accommodation proof, EUR 65 a day with a hotel booking, and EUR 32.50 a day with an attestation d’accueil. With a booking for only part of the stay, EUR 65 covers booked nights and EUR 120 the rest.
Is the Germany Schengen bank balance EUR 45 a day?
Germany says it sets no mandatory daily rate and checks each case. If an applicant cannot show their circumstances, officers expect EUR 45 a day. Hosts can help with a letter of guarantee or a sponsorship declaration, so the bank balance is not the only proof.
How many months of bank statements do Schengen consulates ask for?
Most checklists we reviewed, including Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy, ask for the last three months. Italy asks six months from students. Statement periods come from each consulate, so check its current checklist before you apply.
Does a Schengen bank statement need a bank stamp?
Several visa-centre checklists ask for statements stamped by the bank, and some also want a signature. German checklists in India say passbook copies are not accepted. An online printout alone often will not meet these rules.
Which Schengen country has the lowest bank balance requirement?
Among the published figures, Latvia is lowest at EUR 14 a day for stays up to 30 days. Among the busiest destinations, Germany at EUR 45 a day and Portugal at EUR 75 per entry plus EUR 40 a day are lighter than Spain or France.
Do I need the full amount in my account on the day I apply?
The reference amount is what you must be able to spend during the stay, and consulates read it from your statements. A steady balance with regular income credits looks stronger than a recent large deposit. Always check your consulate’s checklist for its own rule.
