Tourist visa for Liechtenstein: documents, fees and steps

Documents requested

Schengen visa application form, completed and signedConditions and details
The Liechtenstein Ordinance on Entry and the Granting of Visas (VEV, art. 10) subjects the short-stay visa procedure to Title III of the Visa Code. The latter requires, at the time of submission, a form conforming to Annex I thereto, completed by hand or electronically, then signed. The consulate indicates the languages in which it may be completed.
Passport valid and recognised by Liechtenstein, issued less than ten years ago, valid for at least three months after the planned date of departure from the Schengen area, with at least two blank pagesConditions and details
Under art. 5 of the VEV, the foreign national must hold a travel document valid and recognised by Liechtenstein. For a short stay, its validity must extend at least three months after the date on which the holder intends to leave the Schengen area; it must have been issued within the previous ten years and, for a person subject to the visa requirement, must contain at least two blank pages at the time of application. The authorities may waive the validity requirement in justified urgent cases. The page integration.li confirms that third-country nationals need a valid passport and, where applicable, a visa.
Identity photograph conforming to ICAO document 9303Conditions and details
The Visa Code requires a photograph to be submitted at the time of application. It is recorded in the Visa Information System (VIS); it may be scanned or taken on the spot, and must comply with the technical requirements of ICAO document 9303, part 1, 6th edition.
Evidence of the purpose of the journey (tourism or visit)Conditions and details
For a uniform visa, the Visa Code requires documents indicating the purpose of the journey. The non-exhaustive list of supporting documents appears in Annex II thereto; the competent representation specifies those it expects.
Evidence of accommodation, or proof of sufficient means to pay for itThe Visa Code requires documents relating to accommodation during the stay or, failing that, proof of sufficient means to cover that accommodation.
Proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the duration of the stay and for the returnConditions and details
The VEV refers to Art. 6 of the Schengen Borders Code for the entry conditions. It states that means are in particular sufficient if it is guaranteed that no social assistance will be received during the stay, and that they may be proven by cash, bank assets, a declaration of sponsorship or another guarantee. The Visa Code (Art. 14(1)(c)) requires documents showing sufficient means for the entire duration of the stay and for the return to the country of origin or residence.
Elements enabling assessment of the intention to leave the Schengen area before the visa expiresConditions and details
The Visa Code requires information enabling assessment of the applicant's intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the requested visa expires. Their nature is not specified in that article; Annex II gives non-exhaustive examples thereof.
Travel health insurance valid throughout the Schengen area for the entire duration of the stay, minimum cover of EUR 30 000, repatriation for medical reasons includedConditions and details
Art. 15, para. 1 of the VEV requires any applicant for a short-stay visa to prove that they hold travel health insurance within the meaning of Art. 15 of the Visa Code. It must cover repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical care, urgent hospital care or death, be valid throughout the Schengen area for the entire duration of the stay, with minimum cover of EUR 30 000. It is in principle taken out in the country of residence. For a multiple-entry visa, it must cover the first intended stay.

Depending on your situation

Declaration of sponsorship (Verpflichtungserklärung) by a person or company domiciled in Liechtenstein, if the authorities request itConditions and details
To prove sufficient means, the competent authorities may require a declaration of sponsorship from a natural or legal person of solvent means domiciled or established in Liechtenstein; if that person is married or in a registered partnership, the written consent of the spouse or partner is required. It may be submitted by Liechtenstein or Swiss nationals domiciled in Liechtenstein or Switzerland, foreigners holding a residence, permanent residence or establishment permit, and legal persons entered in the commercial register. It is irrevocable, covers uncovered costs (subsistence, accident and illness, return) and relates to a guarantee of a maximum of 30 000 francs.

Official fees

Fee for a category C visa application processed by a diplomatic or consular mission, adult applicant (collected after conversion into Swiss francs) 90 €

Steps

Check the visa requirement: nationals of the States in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 are subject to it, unless they hold a residence permit or a D visa from a Schengen State.
Check that Liechtenstein is the sole or main destination of the trip; otherwise, the application falls under the Schengen State of the main destination.
As a general rule, apply to the Swiss representation (embassy, consulate general) competent for the place of residence abroad.
Submit the application in good time: no earlier than six months and, as a general rule, no later than 15 calendar days before the start of the stay; an appointment may be required.
Appear in person for the recording of ten fingerprints, unless they were recorded in the VIS less than 59 months before the new application.
Submit the form, the passport, the photograph, the supporting documents and proof of travel health insurance, then pay the visa fee.
Wait for the decision: the Swiss representation issues the visa directly in the cases designated by the Office for Foreigners and Passports (APA); otherwise, the APA is consulted and must approve it before it is issued.

Where to apply

Swiss representations abroad, which issue Schengen visas in the name and on behalf of Liechtenstein
Designated Austrian embassies: Zagreb, Tirana, Dublin, Kuala Lumpur, Nicosia, Skopje; New Delhi (submissions in Thimphu) and Canberra (submissions in Australia) via an external service provider
Hungarian consulates in Chișinău, Minsk and Chongqing, at the applicant's choice instead of the Swiss representation
Consulate of Lithuania in Chicago, for the jurisdictions of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, both Dakotas, Ohio and Wisconsin

Good to know

Liechtenstein does not itself issue the visaConditions and details
Under the framework agreement with Switzerland, Switzerland issues Schengen visas on behalf of Liechtenstein; the Liechtenstein authorities decide in consultation with the Swiss authorities, and the visa fees go to the Swiss authorities.
Same visa requirements as for SwitzerlandConditions and details
The Liechtenstein embassy in Washington states that Liechtenstein does not issue its own visas and that, in the absence of border controls with Switzerland, the same visa requirements apply to travellers to Liechtenstein and to Switzerland; it refers to the competent Swiss representation.
Marking “R FL” on the stickerSwiss visa stickers issued for Liechtenstein bear the marking “R FL”.
Territorial validity of the visaConditions and details
A type C visa is either uniform, valid for the territory of all Schengen States, or has territorial validity limited to one or more Schengen States. It covers a short stay, i.e. no more than 90 days over a period of 180 days within the Schengen area.
Stay of more than 90 daysAccording to integration.li, staying more than 90 days in Liechtenstein requires a permit: the short-stay visa does not cover this case.
Scope of the information on integration.liThe integration.li website warns that its texts are not legally binding and that they simplify certain rules: the legal texts published on gesetze.li are authoritative.
Refusal decisionConditions and details
The refusal, annulment or revocation of a short-stay visa is notified by the representation or by the APA using the standard form in Annex VI of the Visa Code. Appeals against the refusal of a Schengen visa are addressed to the competent authorities under the international agreements cited by the VEV.
Appeal before the Swiss authoritiesConditions and details
For a Schengen visa refused on behalf of Liechtenstein by a Swiss representation, the Swiss authorities are competent for the appeal, according to Swiss procedural rules, unless the appeal invokes a violation of the Agreement on the European Economic Area.
Extension of the visaThe Liechtenstein Office for Foreigners and Passports (APA) is competent to extend a short-stay visa under Article 33 of the Visa Code.
Extension feeExtending a visa costs 30 EUR for serious personal reasons; it is free of charge for humanitarian reasons or in cases of force majeure (amounts converted into Swiss francs).
Reduction or exemption from the feeConditions and details
The fee may be reduced or waived on a case-by-case basis for important cultural, sporting or public interests of Liechtenstein, or for humanitarian reasons; holders of a diplomatic, service or special passport are exempt. This is without prejudice to fees established by international agreements.

Nationalities covered

This procedure applies to 104 nationalities.

Afghanistan
Algeria
Angola
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
China
Comoros
Congo
Côte d'Ivoire
Cuba
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Fiji
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Maldives
Mali
Mauritania
Mongolia
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
Oman
Pakistan
Palestine
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Qatar
Russia
Rwanda
São Tomé and Príncipe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Syria
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tunisia
Türkiye
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

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