Tourist visa is an authorization of the designated country/countries of destination within the Schengen Area issued to the citizens of countries that have mandatory visa requirements from the Schengen Zone with the sole purpose of traveling in the designated Schengen country/countries for pleasure or on a visit to their relatives living in the Schengen Zone. The holder of this type of visa is not required to have the citizenship of the designated country in order to spend time with their relatives or visiting the designated Schengen country however such an authorization has its limitations as well.
On a tourist visa you are allowed to reside in the designated country for the maximum of 3 months/90 days unless the visa states differently, and you are not allowed to work for such a period of time, unless the visa states differently.
Who needs a Schengen Visa?
Non-European citizens willing to travel to the Schengen Area are bound to apply for a short-term Schengen visa under “tourist” specification. Depending on the visa issued they may be allowed to enter once (single entry) or multiple times (multiple entry) and stay for no longer than 3 months 90 days per year in between the period of 6 months. Such a decision is made by the authorities depending on the nature of ones travel purpose and other relevant factors.