TL;DR
Cardiff has one Schengen visa centre in our records: VFS Global takes Lithuania applications there. For France, Spain, Italy, Germany and every other Schengen country, applicants from Cardiff and South Wales lodge in London, where every country can be applied for, or Manchester, which covers most. Plan one journey, book the slot early, choose courier return, and arrive with a complete file. We prepare that file for a £99 service fee.
What Cardiff has, and what it does not
Our data lists the UK cities each Schengen country's operator uses. Cardiff appears once: Lithuania, through VFS Global, alongside London, Manchester and Edinburgh. No other country in our records offers a Cardiff centre, and none of the three direct routes, Poland, Luxembourg and Romania, does either.
Operator assignments were verified on 24 June 2026 and can change. Confirm on your destination consulate's official site before you travel, and if a Cardiff centre appears there for your country that our records do not show, trust the operator's page over this one. What we will not do is tell you a centre exists because it would be convenient if it did.
| Schengen short-stay visa (Type C) | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Visa fee (adult) | €90 |
| Visa fee (child 6 to 11) | €45 |
| Visa fee (child under 6) | Free |
| Maximum stay | 90 days in any rolling 180-day period |
| Standard processing | 15 calendar days (up to 45 in some cases) |
| Travel insurance, minimum cover | €30,000 |
| Passport | Issued within 10 years; valid 3+ months beyond your trip |
| Member states | 29 countries |
Lithuania at VFS Cardiff
If Lithuania is your main destination, Cardiff is a genuine convenience for anyone in Wales or the South West. Book at visa.vfsglobal.com, select Lithuania, and choose Cardiff at the city step. Applications are by appointment only, with slots typically released in weekly batches that fill within minutes, so have the account ready before you look for dates. The VFS service fee is 17.90 euros including VAT, charged in pounds, on top of the 90 euro consulate fee (about 81 pounds). One caveat from our Lithuania guide: the Edinburgh and Cardiff centres may add a user-pay surcharge that London and Manchester generally do not, so check the total before you commit to a city. Our VFS Lithuania appointment guide has the full walk-through.
Apply to Lithuania only if it is where you will spend the most nights, or your first entry on an evenly split Baltic trip. A Cardiff slot is not a reason to apply to Lithuania for a holiday in Spain.
Everyone else: London or Manchester
| Operator | Countries (UK) | Where you can lodge |
|---|---|---|
| VFS Global | Most Schengen states | London and Manchester for most; Netherlands and Sweden are London and Edinburgh only |
| TLScontact | France, Germany, Belgium | London, Manchester, Edinburgh |
| BLS International | Spain | London, Manchester, Edinburgh |
| GVC World | Greece | London and Manchester only |
| Embassy or consulate direct | Poland, Luxembourg, Romania | London only |
London is the only UK city where every Schengen country can be applied for, which also makes it the busiest. Manchester covers most countries and its calendar often looks nothing like London's. Any UK resident may use any centre that handles their country, so compare both before you settle on a date: a Manchester slot that lands comfortably before the trip beats a later London one. The London and Manchester guides cover each city's centres and steps.
Our sources do not record journey times from Cardiff to either city, so check train times for the day you book, and allow for a queue at the centre.
Planning the journey
- One visit for almost everyone. You lodge the file, give fingerprints and a photo, pay the fees, and choose how the passport comes back. Courier return means no second trip; Denmark adds 5 euros for courier outside London. Romania is two visits, both in London.
- Allow around an hour at the centre. That is the figure our TLScontact France guide gives, and most of it is queuing and document checks rather than the biometrics themselves.
- The counter checks the file. An incomplete submission can mean rebooking the slot and repeating the journey. Bring everything printed and in order, with photos to the biometric spec, so the on-site photo service is not your fallback.
- The clock starts at the appointment. Standard processing is 15 calendar days after biometrics, up to 45 in some cases. Work backwards from your travel date and keep bookings refundable until the visa is in your passport.
- Book early. Applications are accepted up to six months before travel, and slots in every UK city are scarce before summer.
The fees, whichever city you choose
The consulate fee is the same everywhere: 90 euros for an adult, about 81 pounds, paid at the centre. The centre's own fee varies by operator: BLS charges £14.85 including VAT for Spain, VFS charges £18 for the Netherlands and 17.90 euros for Lithuania, GVC charges £25.50 for Greece, prepaid online to hold the slot, and TLScontact's fees for France and Germany are estimates because the exact UK figures are not published openly. Travel insurance with at least 30,000 euros of medical cover is mandatory for every application. The free checklist generator tells you what to bring for your country, and the Bundler puts it in order.
Prepared for a Cardiff resident to lodge once
Our done-for-you Schengen service prepares the whole application for a flat £99 service fee: the forms, the document pack and the appointment booking in London or Manchester, or in Cardiff for Lithuania. You pay the consulate fee and the visa-centre fee at the centre on the day, and we never mark them up. Your application is prepared within 24 hours of your complete documents and details, or the fee back, and your appointment is booked within three working days of a complete file, or the fee back. Full refund if you cancel before we start. You make the journey once, attend biometrics in person, and the consulate alone decides.
Sources
Common questions
- 01
Is there a Schengen visa centre in Cardiff?
One, in our records: VFS Global takes Lithuania Schengen applications in Cardiff, alongside London, Manchester and Edinburgh. No other Schengen country's UK operator lists a Cardiff centre in our data, which was verified on 24 June 2026. Operator assignments can change, so confirm on your destination consulate's official site, and if a Cardiff option appears there for your country, trust the operator's page over ours.
- 02
Which Schengen countries can I apply for in Cardiff?
Lithuania only, through VFS Global, on our records. Applications are by appointment only, with slots typically released in weekly batches that fill quickly. The VFS service fee is 17.90 euros including VAT, charged in pounds, and the Cardiff and Edinburgh centres may add a user-pay surcharge that London and Manchester generally do not, so check before you choose where to book.
- 03
Where is the nearest Schengen visa centre to Cardiff for France, Spain or Italy?
London or Manchester. London is the only UK city where every Schengen country can be applied for: TLScontact for France, Germany and Belgium, BLS International for Spain, GVC World for Greece, VFS Global for most others, and the embassies or consulate for Poland, Luxembourg and Romania. Manchester covers most countries but not the Netherlands or Sweden, which use London and Edinburgh only, and not Poland, Luxembourg or Romania. Our sources do not record journey times from Cardiff, so check train times for the day.
- 04
Do I have to travel back to collect my passport?
Usually not. At the end of the visit you choose how the passport comes back, by collection or by courier, so a second trip happens only if you choose collection. Denmark adds 5 euros for courier outside London. Romania is the exception: you lodge in person at its London consulate and return in person to collect the passport, two visits in total.
- 05
Can you book the appointment and prepare the file for a Cardiff resident?
Yes. Our done-for-you service prepares the forms and the document pack and books the slot in London or Manchester, or in Cardiff for Lithuania, for a £99 service fee. You travel once, attend biometrics in person and pay the official fees at the centre. The application is prepared within 24 hours of your complete documents or the fee back, and booked within three working days of a complete file or the fee back. The consulate alone decides.
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