You require a Schengen visa

• in category “A” (airport transit visa) for transit by air (this visa only entitles you to stay in the airport’s transit area and not to leave it via a border control point)
• in category “C” (short-stay visa) for
  • overland transit through Schengen territory to a third country that is not a Schengen state
  • a short stay of up to 90 days within a period of 180 days from the date of your initial entry. This visa entitles you to short stays in
    • Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia,
    • Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

N.B. A category “C” visa does not entitle you to take up gainful employment unless this is marked in the visa.

You can also have a visa issued for several stays within a period of up to five years. This is conditional on each short stay not exceeding a period of up to 90 days within a period of 180 days from the date of your initial entry.
Please note that the immigration authority only has a very limited scope to extend your visa after your arrival.

For longer stays, you need a national visa.

Note: No entry visa or residence permit is required for citizens of European Union (EU) member states or citizens of the EEA countries Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. The same applies to Swiss citizens. You will find further information in the procedure “Application for residence permit for citizens of Switzerland".