Bank Statement for a Visa: How Much Money You Need to Show

For most visa applications, your bank statement proves you can pay for the trip and the journey home. For a Schengen visa the amount is usually a daily figure each country sets, multiplied by your days; the UK and US set no minimum. This page gives you the official amounts for the 30 countries in the European Commission’s table, worked examples, how many months consulates ask for and how the statement should look, as of October 2026.

Why a visa application asks for a bank statement

A Schengen consulate checks your money for 2 reasons. Article 14(1)(c) of the EU Visa Code asks for documents showing sufficient means of subsistence for your stay and for the return to your country of residence, or that you can acquire such means lawfully. Annex II then lists proof of financial means in your country of residence and “proof of employment: bank statements” among the documents that show you intend to leave before the visa expires.

In the papers a Schengen consulate checks, the statement is the money evidence, read together with your payslips and any sponsor’s papers. Between them they answer 2 questions: can you pay for this trip, and is there a working life at home to go back to.

How much money you need for a Schengen visa, by country

No minimum balance applies across the Schengen area. Each country sets its own reference amount, or decides case by case, and notifies it to the European Commission, which publishes them together in a reference amounts table. As of October 2026 the current table is dated 8 June 2026. Amounts are per person and per day unless the row says otherwise, and they change when a country notifies a new figure, so check the date on the table before you apply.

Country	Minimum amount	Other amounts and notes
Austria	Case by case	None listed
Belgium	€45 a day staying with a private host	€95 a day at a hotel
Bulgaria	€50 a day	At least €500 per stay
Croatia	€70 a day	€30 a day with a certified letter of guarantee from a person or company in Croatia, a tourist booking or a similar document
Cyprus	Case by case	Cyprus is not yet a full Schengen member
Czech Republic	CZK 1,565 a day for stays up to 30 days	Over 30 days: CZK 46,950 plus CZK 6,260 for each full month; under 18: half
Denmark	DKK 350 a day	None listed
Estonia	€70 a day	None listed
Finland	Case by case; €50 a day	On top of the money or tickets for departure and accommodation
France	€65 a day with a hotel booking	€32.50 with proof of accommodation from a host; €120 with none; part of the stay booked: €65 for those days, €120 for the rest
Germany	€45 a day	No mandatory amount; see below
Greece	€50 a day	€25 for minors; €300 for a stay of up to 5 days
Hungary	€40 a day	None listed
Iceland	ISK 8,000 a day	ISK 40,000 for each entry
Italy	€269.60 for 1 to 5 days	Longer stays and groups: see the worked examples
Latvia	€14 a day	At least the minimum monthly wage of €700 for stays over 30 days
Liechtenstein	Around CHF 100 a day	Around CHF 30 for students with a valid student ID
Lithuania	€50 a day	None listed
Luxembourg	€67 a day	None listed
Malta	€48 a day	None listed
Netherlands	€55 a day	Applied flexibly
Norway	Case by case	NOK 300 a day with hosted or prepaid accommodation; NOK 1,300 with no proof of accommodation; at least NOK 1,000 a day per person for more than 1 traveler
Poland	PLN 300 for a stay of up to 4 days	PLN 75 a day for longer stays
Portugal	€40 a day	Plus €75 for each entry
Romania	€50 a day	At least €500 in total; €30 a day under the invitation procedure
Slovakia	€56 a day	None listed
Slovenia	€70 a day	€35 for minors traveling with their parents
Spain	€122.10 a day	At least €1,098.90 per person, whatever the length of stay
Sweden	SEK 700 a day	None listed
Switzerland	CHF 100 a day	CHF 30 for students

Annex 25 of the Schengen Handbook, dated the same day, gives the detail behind several rows. Germany sets no mandatory amount and decides case by case, using €45 a day only where you cannot show your circumstances. The Netherlands applies its €55 by the length, purpose and personal circumstances of the trip. Spain multiplies €122.10 by your days and by each dependent traveling with you.

Worked examples: how much to show for your trip

Multiply the daily amount by the days you will spend in the country, then check the row for a floor or a fixed sum. These examples use the June 2026 figures for 1 adult unless stated.

Trip	Working	Amount to show
10 days in France, hotel booked for every day	10 × €65	€650
10 days in France, hotel booked for 6 of them	6 × €65 + 4 × €120	€870
10 days in Spain	10 × €122.10, above the floor	€1,221
4 days in Spain	4 × €122.10 is €488.40, under the floor	€1,098.90
3 days in Italy, alone	Fixed sum for 1 to 5 days	€269.60
3 days in Italy, 2 people	2 × €212.81	€425.62
14 days in Italy, alone	€51.64 + 14 × €36.67	€565.02
14 days in Germany, no other evidence	14 × €45	€630
10 days in Portugal, 1 entry	€75 + 10 × €40	€475

Spain’s floor decides most short trips: 9 days at €122.10 is exactly €1,098.90, so the daily rate only takes over from day 10. Italy’s table charges less per person when 2 or more travel together. For a trip through more than 1 country, we recommend adding up each country’s days at its own rate, since Article 21(5) measures prices in the country or countries concerned.

These are minimums for the money check, not a figure that wins the visa. The Visa Code asks for enough for the stay and for the return, and the consulate reads your statement alongside your bookings, your job and your ties at home.

How many months of bank statements you need

The Visa Code names bank statements but no number of months, so the period comes from the checklist of the consulate where you apply. Of the 6 checklists compared below, 5 ask for the last 3 months and only Malta’s checklist for applicants in Libya asks for 6.

Checklist	Period	Form	Other conditions
Netherlands, Netherlands Worldwide	Previous 3 months	Color copy	Asked when you pay your own costs; 3 recent payslips too if employed
Italy, VFS London	Last 3 months, updated to within 1 month of submitting	A4; no screenshots or photos	British accounts only; name must match the passport; positive balance only; no business accounts; a credit card statement showing the monthly limit is recommended
Germany, Embassy Dublin	Last 3 months	Not stated	Listed under proof of funds with the last 3 payslips and a third party’s sponsorship letter; a statement used as proof of address must be no more than 2 weeks old
Germany, missions in India (February 2023)	3 months	Stamped by the bank	Passbook copies not accepted
Switzerland, embassy in India (October 2024)	Last 3 months	Originals on A4 with the bank’s stamp and signature	Employed applicants show the personal account their salary is paid into
Malta, VFS Libya	Last 6 months	Not stated	Must show movements; asked of employees, self-employed applicants and pensioners

If your consulate is not in the table, its own checklist decides.

What your bank statement should show

A consulate reads the statement for more than the closing balance. Across the rules and checklists above, a strong one shows:

• Your name as in your passport. Italy’s London checklist says the names must match.
• The period the checklist names, ending close to your appointment rather than months before it.
• A positive balance that covers the amount for your trip, with no overdraft.
• Regular income. Annex II of the Visa Code lists bank statements as proof of employment, so the monthly salary credits should match the salary in your employer letter.
• Where the money came from. UK guidance asks for statements that detail the origin of the funds held.
• A personal account. Italy’s London checklist does not accept business accounts.

A credit card is weak evidence on its own. Spain’s border rules accept a card only with a recent bank statement or an up-to-date bank book, or other proof of the credit available. Italy’s London checklist recommends adding a credit card statement that shows the monthly limit, and UK guidance lists credit card statements among the less useful documents.

This is an invented sample. The person, bank and figures are not real.

• Applicant: Ravi Menon, 34, a software tester in Bengaluru, applying for a tourist visa.
• Trip: Madrid and Seville, 4 to 13 July 2027, 10 days, with hotels booked for every night.
• Amount to cover: 10 × €122.10 = €1,221, above Spain’s €1,098.90 floor.
• Statements: his personal savings account for March, April and May 2027, printed at the branch with the bank’s stamp and signature on all 6 pages.
• What they show: his name exactly as in his passport, a salary credit of INR 1,42,000 at the end of each month, rent and card spending going out, and a closing balance of INR 4,85,000 on 31 May 2027.
• Filed with them: his last 3 payslips and an employer letter that gives the same salary and approves his leave from 4 to 13 July.

Stamped or downloaded: which statement to get from your bank

Whether a printout from your banking app is enough depends on who reads it. Germany’s missions in India want statements stamped by the bank and do not accept passbook copies. Switzerland’s embassy in India asks for originals on A4 paper with the bank’s stamp and signature. At Spain’s external border, internet bank statements and bank letters are not accepted as the statement that backs a card or cheque.

Where the checklist says nothing, we recommend a printout stamped by the bank anyway: it costs a branch visit and removes the question.

Get your bank statement ready in 7 steps

1. Read your consulate’s checklist for the period, the form and how recent the last entry must be.
2. Work out the amount for your trip from the country’s reference amount and your days, and check that your balance covers it.
3. Ask your bank for statements covering every day of that period, in your name as it appears in your passport.
4. Get the bank’s stamp and signature on each page where the checklist wants stamped or original statements.
5. Add the document behind any large recent deposit, such as a sale contract or a relative’s statement showing the transfer.
6. Translate the statement where the consulate asks, and for a UK application whenever it is not in English or Welsh.
7. Check that the names, dates and salary agree with your application form, payslips and employer letter before the appointment.

If your own balance falls short: sponsors, hosts and prepaid trips

The money does not all have to sit in your own account. Article 14(1)(c) of the Visa Code accepts means you are in a position to acquire lawfully, and Article 21(5) counts proof of sponsorship or private accommodation.

• Someone else pays. When a parent, spouse or other relative pays, their signed letter taking on your costs, backed by their own statements, fills the gap. Germany’s Dublin checklist lists a third party’s letter, a copy of their passport and a recent statement or payslip under proof of funds.
• You stay with a host. Several countries ask less: Belgium €45 a day with a private host against €95 at a hotel, France €32.50 with a host’s proof of accommodation, Croatia €30 with a certified letter of guarantee, and Norway NOK 300 with hosted or prepaid accommodation.
• A host or sponsor guarantees you. At Germany’s border, a host’s letter of guarantee, a guarantee deposited with the immigration authority or a sponsorship declaration can serve as proof alongside cash and cards.
• You prepay the trip. Bulgaria accepts prepaid tourist services in place of its €50 a day.

Falling short has 2 reasons of its own on the standard Schengen refusal form: reason 3 is no proof of sufficient means for the stay or the return, and reason 4 is no proof that you can acquire them lawfully. Article 32 of the Visa Code says a visa shall be refused on that ground.

Bank statements for UK and US visitor visas

The UK sets no minimum balance. The gov.uk guide to supporting documents, updated 8 October 2026, asks you to show enough money for yourself and any dependents to cover all reasonable costs of the visit, and it names no number of months of statements.

A statement that is not in English or Welsh needs a full translation the Home Office can verify, carrying the translator’s confirmation that it is accurate, the date, their full name and signature, and their contact details.

For a US B1/B2 visitor visa, bank documents are optional. The US Embassy in Armenia tells applicants to bring documents such as bank papers to the interview if they feel these show their ties at home, and says officers decide largely on the answers given in the interview and on the application form.