Schengen Visa FAQ
Posted by Jacy | Posted in Travel | Posted on 18-07-2008
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After I made an entry about Acquiring a Schengen Visa, google search has brought enough traffic to my site. Many people came to my site to find answers to their questions. Because of this, I am setting up a Schengen Visa FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) based on the searches they made on google that lead them to my site. Hope this will be a good help.
Can I travel by road, boat or plane to other countries with a Schengen Visa?
Yes. You can use whatever means of travel you prefer as long as the country you are visiting is a member of the Schengen organization. According to the so-called Schengen agreement, tourist and business visas issued by a mission of one of the following countries are valid for travel to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. As of 21 December 2007, 24 states and Monaco (treated as part of France) had abolished border controls on persons among themselves, an increase from 15 on 20 December 2007. The nine new countries which entered the Schengen travel area in 2007 were: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Switzerland has finally joined the Schengen Agreement last December 12, 2008.
Can I change my main destination after I get my Schengen Visa?
Yes. You can change your main destination or even your port of entry even after your got stamped for Schengen Visa. When I applied for Schengen Visa, I presented a plane ticket reservation to enter and exit Amsterdam. When I got my visa, I found a better airfare deal and I can fly sooner if I enter Brussels, Belgium and exit Amsterdam, The Netherlands. So, I took that flight and had no problems whatsoever with the Immigration Officer.
Can I use my Schengen Visa for my second visit?
Depending if you have a Single or Multiple entry Schengen Visa.
Single-entry Visa: This visa allows uninterrupted stay. Once you depart the Schengen territory, you can no longer enter again without obtaining a new Schengen visa.
Multiple-entry Visa: This visa allows multiple stays in one or more Schengen countries as long as the total length of your stay does not exceed 90 days in a given 180 days period from the date of yourfirst entry. You may stay continuously or you can spread it over several visits within the validity period of the visa, but no more than the number of entries allowed on our visa. Multiple entry may be valid for 1 year.
If your visa entry shows “02″, you are allowed two entries. If your entry shows “MULT”, you are allowed more than 2 entries. Multiple entry visas is not issued at all consulates/embassies.
How much does a Schengen Visa Cost?
Currently, Schengen Visa costs €60. Children below 6 years old are exempted from this fee. There are other exemptions of which you should check on your Consulates or Embassies.
How long does it take to process a Schengen Visa?
It usually takes 3 weeks to process a visa. If you have a complete requirements, it is possible that it could be sooner.
Who doesn’t need a Schengen Visa?
European Union (EU) nationals don’t require a visa for stays of up to 90 days. Nationals of the following countries do not require a Schengen Visa: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (Blue Passports Only), Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Korea (Rep Of), Latvia, Liechenstein, Lithuania, Macau, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland, Uruguay, USA, Vatican City and Venezuela.
If you are not on the list of countries above, you will need a schengen visa.
These are some of the usual questions and answers regarding Schengen Visa. Should you have any more questions, just leave me a comment below so I can include it in the FAQ above. Hope you find this helpful. Good luck on your visa application!
Hi Jacy,
I have 4 year scholarship of pakistani goverment for france. I am in living in france from last 10 months and have residence permit, i am living in family residence but alone, my wife have applied for long stay visa, her interview is conducted two months ago , when will her visa stamped, and how much she has chance of granting visa
I want to know about my visa. Now i got
already Schengen Visa The Netherlands.So now can i first enter Spain airport than i will going to The Netherlands. I waiting for your answer..
I got a visa from Finland and i m entering from Germany and if i exit from Austria i am sure it is ok there is no such rule that i have to exit from Germany please clarify.
Hi Jacy,
My sister got a Schengen visa c – Single Entry. She will flight on July here to Switzerland, then we will visit my cousin in Germany . Does it mean she have to get again visa when we come back to Switzerland while her visa is only Single entry. I am a bit confused.Hope u can help me.
i am going to apply for a working visa in czech embassy,
they need some documents i.e., academics, bank statements etc,
i want to know about the bank statement that why they need it…?
plzz do reply soon…….
Even I’m planning to apply for a long stay france visa, Plz let me know If I need to show any funds while applying.
Hi Ms. Jacy,
Im a filipina working here in Dubai. I have an invitation to visit the netherlands and currently im working out my requirements to apply for the Schengen Visa, my only question is, if i apply for a period of one month, they will also approved one month tourist visa? or is it really three months regardless of the period I will specify in my application?
Hi jacy, i would like to share my queries with you. p[ls let me know how do i do that?\ thanks, joan
Hi jacy, i am a Filipina working in dubai. I applied for a schengen visa to france just 3 weeks back with complete requirements but my passport has been sent back to me after 10 days process and apparently it is rejected.(with no reason stated. My question is when can i apply again? i would like to try once more but i dont know if its possible. Pls reply. Thank you
Hi Jacy, this is the most wonderful thread I have come across on the web!
I am a US citizen and had my type D visa application rejected by the Czech Republic.
(I overstayed my 90 day tourist visa and have a departure order and 90 day ban on the schengen zone)
I am planning on obeying the authorities and leaving the zone for 90 days.
If I reapply for the type d visa again for the czech republic in the US
(the potential employer still wants me to work for them), what are the chances I will be rejected again?
Any help would be great.
Thanks so much!
Kathleen
sorry, i forgot to add that I already have a work permit for the Czech Republic, just not permission to live there.
l was denial enter to poland with my poland schengen visa, the boarder guard said l had no secure accomadation, l had a secured accomdation payed for in full ,l felt l was wronlgly denial entry because of my nationality and skin colur ,what can l do to sake justice?
i’m an indian. my sister is employed in wipro and works at sweden. she has invited my parents there. my parents have applied for a schenegen visa. my father is employed in a nationalized bank n had to get a ‘no objection certificate’ from the bank. he got it but it is mentioned in the certificate that he is permitted and given a leave from 22nd may to 20th july. he also applied for the visa for 30 days starting from 22nd may. so does it mean he’ll get a visa for the specified period of time only?? please answer me soon………
se
My brother is Iranian he got C – type Schengen Visa to attend meeting in Rome he is there. His visa is for only 10 days and he needs stay in Italy for a few (3 or 4days) extra days. What he needs to do.
Would you please advice us?
Hi Jacy…We are a group of 11 people working here in Dubai in a company and we are supposed to go for an incentive trip to Paris and Amsterdam (on a schengen visa). We had applied on 5th may only to receive a rejected visa yesterday on 14th May from the french consulate. They havent given any reasons to us. Now i am wondering whether i can apply for another schengen visa to other shchengen state consulate and what implications does rejections has?……
Hi Jacy ,My Girlfriend is from Ukraine,she was just denied the schengen visa from spain but we provided everything they asked for , I am a U.S. Citizen and I dont need visa, if we apply with czech republic, will they see that she was denied for the visa before,and what are our chances? our itinerary will be , spain, netherland, czech republic for 2 weeks total…
Hi jacy,
I have been to europe(italy) 2 times.
my last visa was for 90 stay permit and was valid for 90 days visa type “c” how its possible.. i have read u mention iys for 6 months can stay upto 90 days.
Recently i applied for tourist visa in belgium embassy new delhi. and thy have refused my visa. giveing reason like i dis not give enough time for applying for applied visa to elg embassy . the law says i can stay 90 days but i stayed 80 days.
also i was given reason i dont have enough ties to return back .. weel then thy must see i had been to europe 2 times in last 2 yrs. got visa frm italian consulate.isnt strange one gives u visa another does not….
They wont give u tourist visa easily.For that u have to show valid accomodation,return flight ticket,insurance,Enough money to survive in europe.Try to apply buisness visa u can get for 90 days.
hi jacy.
i hold china passpost, but i am pr of australia. do you think i still need appy schengen visa. can i apply in australia?is it easy to get?
Hi..^^
i just wanna ask if when can i re-apply visa french once they rejected it?
Hi Jacy,
You are a realy helpful and nice person.
I am Yemeni citizen and I have got a scholarship for a period of four months as visiting researcher at one university in Czech republic. The Czech embassy in Yemen issued for me a Visa type C and Multiple entry with validity
from 05-04-2009 to 09-09-2009 for 90 days. I did not know that this type of visa is a tourist visa.
Any way, i entered on 09-04-2009.
some of my papers accepted in USA conference will be hold on 13-july 2009 and another one in Czech republic will hold on 28 july 2009 and one also on Poland will hold on 16 july 2009 and i have invitation letters to attend all these conferences.
Unfortunately, my visa is going to expired. i think that it will be exbired on 08 -04-09 so that i can not attend the conferences of Czech and Poland
so that i want to extend my tourist visa as soon as possible and i have proved from the czech university that i am research student and need to extend my visa more than three months but my friend told me i can not extend my visa as student from any schengen state except from my country because it is a tourist visa. Is it true?
the second question is :
may i extend my tourist visa more than 90 days as a new tourist visa. if the reply is not. there are around of 29 days from my visa. may i come back to my country and apply to extend visa as student or can stay some times in my country and come back again to attend the conference in Czech republic and Poland if the Czech embassy does not extend my visa to student visa or taking along time.
Finally, Do you know any information about the USA visa?
Best regards,
Ahmed
My husband is applying for Schengen Visa, I’m travelling with him. Do I need to fill form seperately?
kabayan, how are you? I am Filipina working in an Airline here in the Middle East. I applied for Schengen Visa to Greece. I applied four weeks ago for personal/tour. However, until now the status of my application as per the French Embassy’s website is still on process. I tried to call the visa department, but nobody answer my call. I am here in Oman and there is no Greek Embassy here, so I applied thru French Embassy (French embassy process the visa for Greec My papers were complete. Do you think they will update the status on the website if my application is rejected? Because I just want to know from them if I still have to wait or do anything. Thanks in advance.
I have a visa to travel to UK but planning to travel too to Italy but italian embassy rejected my application. can i apply to French embassy? Do u think i have a chance? if in case French embassy will grant me a visa, can i still enter Italy eventhough they rejected my application with them before?
Dear Jacy
Nice to see such a great forum.
Well just i want to discuss my problem with you. I am an indian national. In last october I have been refused visa twice by Spanish Embassy(Type C Visa). Now I have got invitation from a German University for a 6 day training in month of July. They are paying for accomodation, tution fee and partial air travel. Now I want to know should I proceed for visa or like the previous occassions my this application will be rejected? I am in great dielema. Please advise
Dear Jacy
One of my friends had applied for swiss schengen visa and had given the interview today.He had made all the necessary documents submission and the interview had gone well according to him.The Authorities in the end asked him to collect his passport this friday.So that time only we wll come to know whether he has been given his visa.Is it normal to know about the result later and not after the interview is over?
Can you tell from the scenarios you had seen whether the visa will be given?
Thanks for the reply
N
Hey, Can you tell me the outcome of your frn application as I have been told the same by the consular
Your response will be highly appreciated
Thanks
Rupali
I am an Indian and traveling to USA via Zurich and Brussels with connecting flight. is transit visa required for transiting airport?
i m pakistani living in dubai i have a transport visa to stay in dubai i m planning to poland will i gonna get the sengan visa plz help me thanks
Dear Jacy,
I got a type c visa with a single entry to Netherlands. i have a 72 days duration of stay but my visa is valid for 3 mos.now i’m confused if i can use the 3 mos visa or just the 72 days duration of stay. and since i got a type c 1 entree visa schengen staten visa am i a lso allowed to visit other schengen countries?thank you and nice to find a helpful forum like this.
I am taking a 12 day Mediterrean cruise this August and only have single entry schengen visa. The cruise will be within Schengen countries but will stop in Turkey for 1 day and will go to Italy right after that. If I don’t leave the ship in Turkey will I be fine to enter Italy after that?
Hello
My H1B visa has expired and i got a valid approval of extension for next 3 years.
I need to apply for a schengen visa for Germany. Is it still possible to get it even if the US visa is expired in my passport but the extensions has been approved?
Thanks
Hi,
I am from Pakistan and I work for scientific organization ‘World Health Organization’. I have previously stayed in France for 2 years from 2005-07. This year in 2009, I came back to France for 3 months. I have a schengin visa C type valid for 90 days. Remarks on my passport are ‘Visa Scientifique’. My 90 day validity is about to expire. However my organization wants me to stay 3 more months after my current schengin visa expires. Is it possible to get the extension for short term visa or new application for another 3 months while being in france.
I am from mumbai, india. I had to fly to Italy with a 5 day visa for a student conference, but in an airline i met one of my old school friend who was a srilankan, he told me that he will get me a french nationality , if i go with her, i agreed and went with her, on clearing the immigration she directly took me to the train station in italy and we went to france, then she took me to toulouse and there i never got any visa, but stayed with her working on a small bakery for like two years without a visa, then i lost hope of getting a pr, after two years i left the place , came back to paris and took a flight to india with the last piece of money i had. now i want to visit europe, but im sure my passport information is there on the schengan information system, is there any way that i can get a c type visa again?
hello.my duration of stay in the shengen territory was 1 month and the validity of visa was 3 months and i stayed a whole three month unless askin for extention or goin out side of the shengen zone so is it a big law imfringment.when i ask for a visa to england as a spouse of english woman will they know my previous immigration history
hi jacy.whlie i was in austria for a type c visa i asked for asylum but the problem was that i gave the asylum authorities wrong imformation about my nationality just to get a permanant stay in austria.but quikly later i regret what i did and i gave them my passport and i payed for my tiket to go back to my country.knowing that the validity of the visa was 3 months and i didnt exeed them but i exeeded the 1 month duration of stay and spent the whole three months in austria without living it.this was 4 years ago can i ask for an other visa today knowing that they didnt mention any thing on my passport.can i be banned.was i deported or removed
… i have a question… I have a Colombian passport but am a legal resident in the US. My husband is in spain doing his phd on a work visa and cannot apply for me until next year. I want to stay with him for a couple of months in spain and then come back to the states till he can apply for me. My question is, what happens if i get lets say 15 day stay period but decide to stay the full three months the visa is “valid” for without asking for an extension?.. Would i be able to apply for another visitor visa later on, if i decide i want to go back for a while before he can do the application for me? or is that considered overstaying. If so, how hard is it to get an extension once already in spain. (We are going to the world cup in south africa, leaving from spain so i really need to be safe as far as being able to reapply for a visitor’s schengen visa or a transit visa)… Thanks!!
Hi im a Filipina and im planning to visit rome, italy this december as tourist. im just worrying if it is possible for me to be provided by a schengen visa because my trip is only going to be sponsored by my auntie. what do you think are the requirements i need and what do you think will be the question of the consulate on my interview. im planning to have an interview this october. Please help!! Thanks.
yatzee,
hindi mo sinabi kung nasa abroad ang auntie mo para sponsor ka. kung nasa abroad siya kailangan mo lang ang invitation letter at nakasulat doon na siya ang sasagot lahat ng expenses pati tirahan mo. at kailangan niya magsubmit ng bank statement na -ikaw ang magdadala sa embassy. huwag kang mag-alala sa interview mo mga pilipino namam sila kung may kulang sa papers mo papaliwanag naman nila sayo kumuha ka muna ng application form sa embassy para malaman mo ang lahat ng requirement…good luck….punta ako ng norway this october 2009
I am a US citizen and I want to stay in Europe for a year. Such as Italy and travel around to Nether land also. Can I stay in Italy for 6months and go then to Nether land for 6 months and how do I apply for this? I have my passport already. What else do I need to do now to make this happen for next year?
My goal is to stay in Europe for a year! But of course legally….:)
i’m a pilipina,holding permanent residence and i want to visist paris next year if god’s will how can i apply for a visa,or schengen visa please advice
i’m a pilipina staying here in japan for 17 yeras,and a holder of permanent residence already i want to visit paris,how can i apply a visa,please advice
My son (USA citizen) has D type visa for Spain (+1 TRANS.05 Schengen) number of entries: MULT. He left NY flew to Madrid via Frankfurt in August. His passport was stamped in Frankfurt but not in Madrid. He plans to visit Munich in October for 3 days. Does he need to get another visa (maybe a C type) to enter Germany again from Spain?
Also at the end of his studies in December he will leave Madrid for Paris for 6 days. Then he will return to NY from Paris thru Zurich. Can he visit France or Switzerland prior to December or can he only enter each Schengen country once even if it is only in transit.
I am from india. I got a C categoryPoland Schengen visa,can i inter to hollend or germany with this visa or i have to inter 1st poland and thn i can inter other schengen country?–Thanks!
Hi, this is kumar,can i fly direct to frankfurt with Czech Schengen visa?Thanks.
hi . iam sohrab hossain . iam citizen in bangladesh . but right now iam stay in malaysia for study . my my one friend give me invitation letter for sweden .then i will can get sweden visa .my no need bank statement.
pls sms me must by
Hi,
Im a Filipina working here in Italy, I was given a permit to stay here, but my schengen visa was not valid anymore, im getting married to Greece to a Greek guy by April, Can i go there even i only have my permit to stay here in Italy?? How can I apply for the extension of Schengen Visa, it was issued to me in the Philippines. Pls. I need your advice!
Thanks and more power
I have a valid visa for germany.
the visa is for 6 months (until may 2010), and only 90 days stay permit.
I need to extend the visa due to family matters, say upto end June 2010 and consequently I need to extend my stay permit for another 30-45 days.
Is it possible? and what should I do?
I have got a Schengen visa from french embassy for 45 days, once i enter france can i extend my visa for more days?? please someone help me
hi, i’m a filipino national and was granted norwegian residence status. i am planning to visit U.K. this holiday season. do i need a visa if i intend to visit the U.K.?
thank you for your help.
hej…im a filipina & now im her in denmark holding schengen visa c & married with a danish man we plan to go for honeymoon in spain or turkey do i need to apply for a visa again??& can i go travel in other schengen country too??thanks & more power!!!
Hi Jacy,
My name is Ika and I’m Indonesian. Now I’m visiting Poland with my Schengen Visa which will finish at 23 January next year. I’m wondering if I can extend my visa in Poland without going back to Indonesia, can’t I? Coz I search for that info but couldn’t find it yet!