Let's dot all the i's right away. The first entry rule into Schengen is not valid. Experts say that it was invented by travel agencies. This was done in order to make more money from it. You can apply for a Schengen visa in person at the nearest visa application center.
Many argue that such a rule has been abolished. As you understand, there is simply no logic in this, since they canceled something that, in principle, never happened. As a result, what you could do yourself was done by other people for your money. From all of the above, it’s time to conclude that you can save a lot of money on applying for a Schengen visa.
Some general information
So, there are a number of myths that travel agents impose on us. Let's dispel some of them so that you understand the complete picture:
- With a multiple visa, for example, issued in France, you have every opportunity to travel to all Schengen countries. There is nothing surprising. We can say that you receive a document that is valid throughout the entire European Union.
- If the German embassy has issued you a multiple visa, then you do not have to go to Germany at all. It turns out that any country can issue you a multiple visa, and you will only have to use it to travel throughout Schengen.
Please pay attention to the fact that when filling out, for example, a German visa application form, there will be the following item: First country of entry. Yes, you must indicate the first country of entry, however this is only a formality. It is necessary to understand that it is a Schengen visa that is issued for a trip to Germany. So you write what you should, but act in a way that is convenient.
From this it is time to conclude that if you go to another Schengen member country, then you are not breaking any rules. You can be sure that no one will even ask you such questions.
Important Concepts
In this section we will look at phrases such as “country of first entry” and “country of longest stay”. What do they mean and how are they different?
The rules of the Schengen Agreement will help us with this. They say that any citizen of another state must obtain a visa from the country where he will spend most of his time. From this it is worth drawing a simple conclusion that you can visit at least all countries with different lengths of stay. This includes Finland, France, and others.
Now it’s worth talking about the length of stay in the Schengen zone. First let's take a look at your passport. The second line indicates the period during which the visa is valid. To determine its type, you just need to count. It can be six months or three months. The third line will tell us about the category of the visa issued. As for the number of entries, it is determined by the presence of the phrase “Mult”. For example, our visa is for 90 days. It turns out that we have every right to be in the Schengen zone during the entire first half of the year. The countdown starts from the first border crossing. As you can see, everything is very simple and clear!
Benefits of the visa
Obtaining a Schengen visa is not at all problematic, but obtaining it requires you to have all the necessary documents. Of course, it guarantees some undeniable advantages:
- You can freely visit European countries that have the above-mentioned agreement between them.
- There is a very real opportunity to fly to Europe with special offers or last-minute air tickets.
The only condition for this is the need to obtain a Schengen visa for at least a year.
As for the necessary documents for registration, their number is standard:
- First of all, you need copies of tickets from your country to the country you are visiting.
- Questionnaire for visiting. It is filled out in exactly the language that is valid in the country where you are going to fly.
- You must provide all information about your current place of work. If you do not have a workplace, then you need all the information from the sponsor.
- While you are in another country, you will have to book a hotel in advance and provide this information. Be careful, as the consul or authorities may personally check the availability of a room or reservation at the hotel.
- There must also be medical insurance for 30,000 euros. Without this, you simply will not be allowed to receive the coveted visa.
- If you are traveling with small children, you need to provide a birth certificate. For example, you are moving without your husband. In this case, you need to have his written consent about your trip. If a child travels without parents, namely with a proxy, then a document on the consent of the guardians is required.
A Schengen visa allows you to travel freely across 28 European countries. In this case, the pass is to obtain documentary permission from the embassy of only one state included in the Schengen zone. But even such loyalty has rules for Schengen control and border entry. Neglect of these principles and violation of the terms of stay may lead to the tourist being blacklisted for issuing stamps.
Many travelers do not always correctly interpret the rules for using Schengen with its free movement. There are three basic requirements that allow you to properly plan your movements and not break the law:
- first entry rule;
- the principle of preferential presence in the state;
- stay limit.
Knowledge of these features will allow you to understand which consulate of which country to submit documents to and will not allow you to violate the requirements, thereby eliminating negative consequences.
First entry
Today, the list of European states between which unhindered movement is allowed with a permit and which are parties to the Schengen Agreement consists of 28 states. Although it all started with only five powers.
Schengen zone map
Travelers quite often, planning to visit Europe, choose combined tours covering several territories at once. It is these people who are faced with the question of which country’s embassy to contact. The situation with a visit to only one place is much simpler - a package of requirements is submitted to the relevant consulate. In addition, you can use the services of a travel agency or visa center. Having arrived, for example, in Rome with an Italian visa and booked a hotel there, you can go on an excursion to neighboring Austria or France. In this case, there will be no violations - the stamp is worth the country in which the arrival was made, the excursion to another state is short-term. This is the rule of first entry into Schengen.
Schengen visa - uniform for all countries of the agreement
It’s another matter when you plan to fly to Italy, but travel around France, while requesting entry permission from the French consulate. It is quite natural for the Italian border services officers to ask on what basis the permission given is not the one that is necessary. It is likely that a tourist crossing borders for the first time in this way will hardly be denied a pass. But it is worth knowing that consular services only need one such violation to add a person to the black list.
Thus, the most important thing is to fly in and, if possible, fly out from the city at whose airport the citizen arrived. Quite often, this type of single-entry visa is used when applying for organized tourist groups traveling on bus tours around Europe. Such routes can combine up to 10 countries in one tour. But due to the fact that the group spends no more than 1-2 days in each country, such travel is regarded as transit, and preference is given to the direction into which entry was made. Moreover, it does not matter at which checkpoint the stamp was placed - at the airport, at a railway junction or on a highway.
There are often cases when travelers deliberately put a stamp at the embassy of the country that is most loyal to our compatriots.
Among them:
- Greece;
- Italy;
- Austria.
Visa formalities here are not difficult, and Greek consuls even give approval within 3-5 days. Tourists make this choice so as not to complicate, so to speak, their lives before their vacation, because it is known that Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Denmark require not only an impressive list of documents, but also their notarized translation. This requires time, nerves, and additional expenses. But despite the tick on arrival, it is advisable to spend some time in this place so that unnecessary questions do not arise on departure.
The principle of predominant presence in one country
The rules for obtaining a Schengen visa also apply to the mechanism for choosing the main destination. The traveler needs to plan his route in advance. Spontaneous decisions in European cities with chaotic movements can lead not only to violation of visa regulations, but also to deportation.
So, for example, preference should be given to the consulate of the state where most of the vacation, work or study takes place. If a foreigner, in fact, does not violate the requirements of the location of first entry when he arrives in Rome with an Italian visa, then it is another matter when with an Italian visa he not only does not fly here, but does not even live here.
Individual tourism has become very popular among independent travelers over the past 10 years. Building routes, combining cities, collecting documents and obtaining entry permits is not a difficult task at all. But if, when buying a combined tour from an agency, the task of deciding which stamp to put lies with the tour operator, then in this matter the tourist must rely on himself. For example, the correct option would be to purchase favorable air tickets to one country, travel in a rented car and live almost the entire vacation in the country in whose embassy the permits were issued.
If the route includes several destinations that are almost identical in terms of stay time, then you should use simple arithmetic and make a choice in favor of the one where the number of days is at least two days higher than others.
In situations with a completely identical period of stay, it is worth taking two formats together - the first entry and the period of stay. If Spain is on the list and tickets are taken at least for the front road to Barcelona, then it is worth making a request from the Spanish consuls or making such a request to specialized centers and travel agencies.
The Schengen rules with multiple categories are different. In this matter, it is worth not calculating the days of stay, but the number of entries into the country that issued the visa - this is the direction that should be given preference. The rules for staying in Schengen on a multiple-entry visa require special attention, since neglecting them can lead to subsequent refusals of multiple-entry visas.
Duration of stay
Since October 2013, innovations have appeared in the entry rules to Schengen. These recommendations apply to the period of stay on European territory. At the same time, the new mechanisms in no way affect travelers holding single-entry stamps. First of all, this will be of interest to current and future multi-visa holders.
Multiple visa (sample)
The main point, which has not changed in any way, is the ability to visit Europe with multiple stamps for three months. But only from 2013 these 90 days will need to be used differently. Previously, it was allowed to stay 90 days at any time during a six-month visa corridor, even on the very last day of the visa expiration date. Now it is impossible to do this.
For the third year now, the visa half-year has been calculated individually for the holder of a multiple stamp - the starting point will be the first entry into the Schengen area. In this case, visa control services will count in sequence not from days 1 to 90, but from 90 to 1. Thus, in total it will turn out that the period of stay in Europe will not exceed three months. This applies to owners of a six-month stamp; for those who have a multi-visa issued for 360 days, this innovation has become an advantage, since when calculating all periods of arrival and departure, it becomes possible to spend twice as long in Schengen, i.e. six months.
Such rules are not always and not immediately clear to ordinary people. The calculation becomes complicated, confusion and questions arise. This reaction was predictable, and therefore special online calculators appeared on consulate websites that allow you to calculate how much time you can spend abroad.
Other innovations
Among the innovations in the Schengen visa legislation are changes regarding the completion of documents. Previously, visas to the Schengen area had a simplified application system, when the personal presence of the citizen was not required. This simplified the procedure especially for regions where there are no diplomatic missions or visa centers. Registration of various types of visas from travel agencies was in flux, as a package of requirements was collected and sent by courier directly to the consular department or tour operators.
As of September 14, 2015, everything changed and is still in effect in 2019. Now, in order to obtain Schengen, you must undergo a fingerprinting procedure and digital photography.
The regions reacted especially sharply to this innovation, since ordinary tourists, when purchasing budget tours, often do not have the opportunity to go to the capital to get fingerprinted. True, a solution was found very quickly - mobile headquarters appeared in the regions, working mainly 1-2 times a week, after which the data was collected and sent to Moscow.
These changes only apply to travelers planning a trip who do not have a valid visa. Those who have it open will not have any problems. In addition, there is no need to perform such actions as the desire to travel to a European country arises. Fingerprint data and digital photographs will be stored in the database for five years, after which they will need to be updated. This is an absolute plus of the procedure.
This innovation was introduced in order to reduce the flow of unscrupulous vacationers, dubious individuals and citizens violating the visa regime. The database will contain the entire visa history based on the fingerprints taken, which will make it possible, upon repeated applications, to reasonably refuse to receive a stamp to those who have neglected the regulations. In addition, it is an excellent protection for confidential information.
A citizen’s positive reputation develops not only in the banking, social and professional spheres. A person who wants to travel frequently and discover new horizons must comply with the requirements for visiting the Schengen zone without violating the validity of the Schengen visa and border, in order to receive only positive consular results in the future.
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The European Union adheres to a policy of free movement of its citizens throughout the country, and a certain set of recommendations is provided for foreign citizens. The Schengen rules were not changed by the migration department in 2018; there are still three of them: the first visit rule, the main state rule, and the restrictive period of stay.
Therefore, before submitting documents for obtaining the appropriate permit, you should carefully read them. The rules are not regulated by anyone, but you cannot break them, as this can lead to a number of negative consequences.
The EU visa code does not mention the first visit rule at all, as in previous editions, but this does not mean that it has been abolished. It works in cases where difficulties arise in determining the country of primary residence. The stamp in the passport is recorded at the diplomatic mission of the country in which you plan to stay for a longer period of time.
If the Schengen visa was used in violation, then re-applying to the consulate of that country often leads to refusal. In a situation with a multiple-use visa, the number of people crossing the borders of the main country when processing documents must exceed all other Schengen states.
All European consulates adhere to these guidelines. It turns out that the first power that is recorded in the Schengen visa still has a significant basis. But it is impossible to legally prohibit entry into Schengen through the territory of another state. A striking example is the situation when a visa is issued for one country of residence, but the traveler’s ticket and hotel reservation are from another, and this can lead to the visa being terminated at the border.
Cancellation of a permit occurs only in rare cases when a tourist cannot clearly explain to border guards the purpose of the trip, the reasons for entering through another state, or the person provides them with confusing and false information.
First visit rule
The first priority for a visit with a Schengen visa is to cross the territory of the state where the visa was issued. The rules for the route through Europe and the first entry are indicated in the Schengen application form when submitting documentation to determine the intended migration of a foreign citizen. If for some reason a person deviates from his route within the European Union, this is not considered a crime, the result of which may be the cancellation of the mark in the passport. The main thing is to adequately explain the reason for the deviation in plans if asked at the border.
The following arguments can serve as compelling reasons:
- Saving money on travel, air tickets are cheaper;
- Confirmation of residence in the country where the visa was issued. Border guards can be provided with a hotel reservation;
- Other real circumstances of transit to the zone of stay.
It is noteworthy that in some cases the country of the first visit to the Schengen area may not correspond to the country for which the visa was issued, but the subject is sent to it. Such violations are recorded by border services very often on bus tours, when foreigners travel to their destination through a transit country.
According to the updated Eurozone code, the transit visa category “B” is abolished; it is now necessary to apply for a standard Schengen visa, indicating the main state of visit and the route of transit countries.
Major power rule
Many people may think that there are no hidden pitfalls in this recommendation and that it is not at all mandatory. This is wrong. The rule applies to short-term permits, regardless of the frequency of entry. In the case of obtaining a long-term or national visa in order to obtain education, employment, or a residence permit, the main state has already been selected by the foreigner in advance.
If you plan to cross the border of European countries more than once, then you need to independently decide on the choice of the main state. Hotels where a foreign citizen plans to stay overnight can help with this. The place where everyone will have the most overnight stays will give the desired result. Only after this determination can you apply to the required consulate for a visa, taking with you a package of documents.
In cases where the planned trip involves an equal period of stay in Schengen member countries, it is recommended to use the first visit rule. This will save you from misunderstandings.
For a multiple-entry visa, it is also necessary to decide on the greater number of visits to a specific country indicated in the foreign passport. If you do not follow this rule, then in the future this may cause a refusal to issue a visa to this state, but will not close the road to the European Union.
The recommendation of the main power is applied in rather rare cases of issuing a double transit permit. Such a visa is issued to the applicant in situations where a transfer in any Schengen country on business and further return to the original point is envisaged. The rule is applied according to a well-known principle: where there are more overnight stops, there is the main state. If the length of stay is equal, then the first visit rule is used.
Time spent in Schengen
Not long ago, innovations were adopted in the rules of stay in the Schengen countries, which are also valid in 2018. The changes apply to holders of multiple-entry tourist visas and do not apply to single-entry permits. You will now have to use the allotted time differently, as the wording of the Schengen rule has changed. It will no longer be possible to combine two periods with one trip.
The length of stay in any Schengen country remains unchanged - three months in semi-annual terms.
Previously, after 90 days of stay in the country, you can take advantage of combining the same period of the next six months and stay for another three months in the country, provided that an additional visa is issued.
The total time spent in Schengen has not changed, but today two periods of 90 days per six months cannot be combined together. For each migrant, visa requirements for six months will be calculated individually, from the time of first crossing the border. If you use all the allowable time for six months at once, for example, during the summer holidays, then the Schengen countries will be closed to tourists for the next 90 days.
Multiple-entry visa holders found themselves in a slightly better situation. If you correctly calculate entries and exits in Europe, you can use the maximum number of days in annual terms, that is, 180 days.
Due to the complexity of calculating the period of stay in the Schengen zone, special computing programs have been developed on the official resources of the consulates that allow you to determine the available number of days for today.
The system cannot be deceived by artificially canceling a visa and then opening a new permit. Border controls are thorough. Stamps of all visas are taken into account, including canceled ones.
Not only the tourist, but also the travel agency and the carrier are now responsible for counting the remaining days. If the subject is not allowed into the country due to visa violations, then the latter will transport the client to their homeland from their budget. Therefore, when issuing vouchers and checking in at the airport, all aspects are taken into account from the very beginning.
Innovations on the Schengen visa today are tough. Their main goal is to persecute persons who carry out free activities in obtaining tourist permits, as well as to reduce the flow of unscrupulous migrants.
However, this rule does not apply to European countries free from the Schengen Agreement. In these states, obtaining permits is regulated by their own migration code.
Biometrics is a mandatory procedure
According to the latest changes to the Schengen visa code, foreign citizens cannot cross European borders without fingerprint analysis. Biometrics is free if you are applying for a Schengen visa for the first time. Migration department employees take your personal signature, fingerprints, and photographs in the required format on the spot. The validity period of biometric information is 5 years. Next, you need to update your personal identification information.
You can get fingerprinting for a Schengen visa at the following points:
- Embassy;
- Diplomatic representation;
- Visa intermediary company;
- At home or in the workplace, using mobile biometrics.
Without submitting biometrics, you will not receive a Schengen entry permit. All biometric information enters a single database. They are publicly available to European border agencies.
Minor children under 12 years of age are exempt from taking biometrics. An important innovation is personal presence to submit documents for a visa at the place of residence. Therefore, it is now impossible to extend a visa on the territory of European countries; you will have to return to your homeland. The exception is global cataclysms and terror.
Thanks to changes in the visa code, the work of embassies has been revised. Entry permits are issued within 10 days or 14 days for a work or student visa that requires an interview. The presence of biometric information in the European database implies expedited border control.
Read more about how to apply for a Schengen visa for a child.
Important agreements
Among some European countries, namely Belgium, Holland, small Luxembourg and Sweden, there is a special agreement according to which the rule of the first visit does not apply to the territories of these states.
There is also a list of Schengen zone states that are loyal to travelers who often change their location and border route. However, the list is not considered official, so there is still no need to strictly follow it. Therefore, in order not to play with border migration structures and to avoid cancellation of the mark in a foreign document, you should unconditionally follow the main principles of first entry when applying for a single-entry visa.
The new Schengen entry rules do not require strict compliance among travelers in 2018, but are still considered a necessity as border authorities actively monitor migrant movements. Therefore, you should pay attention to the consequences and, guided by this information, select the required diplomatic missions for applying for a visa. Such an approach to business will save tourists from force majeure situations and misunderstandings.
When visiting European countries with a Schengen visa, you must adhere to the rules established by Schengen legislation. Some prohibitions, such as the rule of first entry into the Schengen zone, are a myth that is beneficial to travel agencies in order to convince clients to use tour operators as intermediaries when applying for a visa. Another rule, the country of greatest residence is more of a formality. And due to exceeding the period of stay, the calculation procedure for which has recently changed, you may receive a refusal in the future when applying for a visa.
There are 3 basic rules for visiting Europe when applying for a Schengen permit:
- priority entry procedure;
- longest stay;
- number of days spent in Schengen territory.
Consulates most strictly monitor compliance with the last point. If it is violated, a person faces a ban on entry into the territory of all Schengen countries for several years.
A Schengen visa allows you to stay in Schengen territory for no more than 3 months within six months. Monitoring compliance with this requirement is especially important for holders of multiple visas, when frequent trips to Europe can lead to confusion about the number of days spent abroad.
In 2013, the rules by which the permitted period is calculated changed. Until 2013, the half-year during which it was allowed to visit the Schengen zone for no more than 90 days began to count from the moment of the first crossing of its border. Thus, according to these requirements, the possibility of a situation arose where a tourist spends the bulk of the days allowed to stay in Europe at the end of the first visa half-year, and with the beginning of the next visa half-year remains in the Schengen zone for another 90 days.
A situation arose when, without breaking the law, a person could be in the Schengen countries continuously for six months. This distorted the meaning of the Schengen requirements, which were the basis for the division into half-year visas and restrictions on the period of stay.
To avoid such situations, amendments were made to the legislation in 2013 - now the visa half-year is counted when crossing the border of the Schengen zone not forward, but backward. The number of days that a person can spend during this trip in the Schengen countries will depend on the number of days spent there in the previous 180 days. In total, over the previous 180 days from the start date, no more than 3 months should have been spent in Schengen territory.
Due to the new rules, the procedure for calculating the length of stay has become more complicated. To make it easier, online visa calculators have appeared on many websites. To use them, you need to enter the dates of the trips made and the days of the intended ones, and the program will give an answer whether the future trip fits within the permitted time frame or will be a violation of Schengen legislation.
First entry rule
The first entry rule follows from the requirements specified in the EU visa code. According to them, a Schengen visa must be issued by the consulate of the country the trip to which is the main purpose of the tourist. The main purpose of a visit for consulates is measured in the number of days spent in the country, compared to the duration of visits to other countries.
Entry into the Schengen zone.
In the country whose visit was the main purpose of the tourist’s trip, and whose consulate issued an entry document, a person must stay longer than in others if he visits several states. This is the rule of the main country of residence, the same for both single-entry visa holders and those traveling on a multiple visa.
If a tourist is going to visit more than one country, and plans to stay there for approximately the same amount of time, then he should indicate that country as the main one through which he will enter the Schengen zone. And you need to fill out a visa application at the consulate of that country.
Thus, you can get a Schengen visa at the representative office of the country where you will spend the most time, or which will be the first in order of entry. Because of these alternatives, confusion often arises among tourists - there is no need to adhere to 2 conditions at once.
Many travel agencies convince their clients that if they have issued a visa to Germany, then they only need to enter the Schengen zone through the German border. This is incorrect: a Schengen visa issued by the consulate of one country implies the possibility of transit to the destination through other countries.
Confusion in Schengen rules often arises due to the peculiarities of filling out a visa application form at consulates. Most tourists indicate in the application form the country of their first entry into Schengen that the country at whose embassy they applied for a visa.
At its core, the order of priority for entry and longest visit is not Schengen rules, but recommendations for tourists, which allow them to be more likely to receive entry permission and avoid many questions from customs officers.
Consequences of violating the established entry procedure
If a person enters the Schengen area through a country other than the one that issued the permit, border officials may ask additional questions to ensure that the primary country will be visited. The Schengen zone does not involve internal border controls, therefore, after a tourist crosses the Schengen territory, European consulates do not have tools to track the person’s movements.
At the border, you can prove the seriousness of your intentions to visit the target country by providing border guards with transport tickets and hotel reservations in the territory of the state that issued the entry permit. If a person can document that he is traveling to the country that issued the visa, then if the rule of first entry into Schengen in 2019 is not followed, problems will not arise at the border.
Difficulties may arise if the longest stay rule is not followed. This applies primarily to those traveling on a multiple visa - there is still no way to check the movements of tourists with a single entry permit.
For holders of a visa that allows multiple crossings of Schengen borders during the validity period of the document, the embassy will take into account the amount of travel to the target country. If there are fewer visits than visits to other countries, then in the future this consulate may refuse to issue a visa. But it remains possible to apply for Schengen through the embassy of another state.
How to use a Schengen visa correctly.
We called several embassies, an agency that helps with obtaining visas, and also talked with the traveler about what his life experience suggests. In general, we can say that, although both embassies and travel agencies assert the inviolability of the rule of first entry, both it and the clause on “maximum presence” can be interpreted much more freely.
WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?
Firstly, that foreigners can stay in the territory of countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement if they have: a) a passport, b) a visa and c) justified purpose and conditions of the intended stay, funds for staying in the country.
The country whose territory “serves as the sole destination of the trip(s)” must issue you a visa, in accordance with Article 5 of the Visa Code; if the trip includes several destinations, the Member State whose territory is the main destination of the trip(s) in terms of the duration or purpose of the stay; if the main place of destination cannot be determined, the Member State through whose external border the applicant intends to enter the territory of the Member States.”
A national visa gives you the right to “transit through the territory of other Contracting Parties on your way to the territory of the Contracting Party that issued the visa.”
WHAT DO THE EMBASSIES SAY?
Lithuanian
“You can enter any country with a multiple-entry Schengen visa, i.e. be the first to cross any border. But in general, the number of trips should be greater to the country that issued the visa. It is important to understand that a visa allows you to enter any country, but having a visa does not automatically give you the right to enter. After all, the border allows you through, and at the border, if necessary, you may be asked additional questions. Regarding re-obtaining visas at our embassy: if you have never crossed the Lithuanian border with our visa, then this is always very individual and is decided by the consul,”– they told us at the consular section of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania.
Latvian
“You can enter Latvia, for example, through Lithuania, without any problems. At the same time, Latvia will remain the main host country. After all, you not only need to cross the territory of a certain country, but also spend more time in the country that issued you a visa, in our case it is Latvia. If you are traveling through Lithuania to Latvia, we will see this. But if you go shopping in Vilnius with our visa, we will also see this and next time we will simply give you a visa for a very short period of time.”, – clarified at the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia.
French
“If you are not flying directly to France, but are crossing the Lithuanian/Polish border with a French visa, then be prepared, if necessary, to provide documents confirming your future stay in France: hotel reservation, round trip plane tickets.
If you have received a visa from the French Embassy and plan to stay the maximum number of days in the country of your main destination, but would like to travel to another Schengen country for a few days, then be prepared if necessary - for example, when carrying out ground control or control at the country's airport, where you have planned a short trip - provide documents regarding your stay in this country: for example, a hotel reservation, as well as your financial means that allow you to travel from the country of your main destination to another country for a short visit. This visit should not compromise the fact that your main stay will be in the country that issued your visa.
If there are any doubts regarding your stay in the country of destination or transit to the country of destination, the French Embassy may ask you to provide documents proving your stay in the country of primary destination: hotel bills, car gas receipts, tickets when you re-apply for a visa for transport there and back, etc. In addition, the French Embassy may ask you to arrive immediately after your trip with documents confirming your maximum stay in the country of your main destination.", - they told us at the visa department of the French Embassy.
Polish
“If the Republic of Poland is the only destination of the trip or trip in terms of duration or purpose of stay (according to Article 5 of the Visa Code), then there are no obstacles to entering the Republic of Poland through the borders of other republics. However, having a visa does not automatically guarantee entry into the Schengen area. Each time, the decision on entry is made by the border service of a given Schengen member state. All issues relating to the legality of stay in the Schengen zone are resolved by the border service of a given state.”, – said Anna Derska, press secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland.
WHAT DOES THE EXPERIENCE OF AGENCIES AND TRAVELERS SAY?
Kristina Kolyadko
Customer Service Specialist Belvisa.by
– The rule of first entry must be observed, then you can travel through any country you want, but the first time you must “print” the visa through the country that issued the visa for you. Because in the future, when extending it, this may be the basis for “shortening” your visa and not renewing it. Not to extend it is probably a strong word, but to shorten it is quite possible. From experience I can say that shorter visas are indeed issued.
With national visas it is even more difficult: they are work visas, with them you can only stay in the country that issued the national visa. There is a rule that you can travel to other countries. But basically you need to be in the country that issued your visa. And this is a visa for long trips, so you can’t travel to different countries once a month. It may be canceled upon entry; such cases have also happened. And then for two months you will not be able to submit documents to this embassy.
There is no way to check where you have been, only by the stamps that are in your passport. That is, if you were in Germany on a Polish visa, then the Poles will see that you spent all the time in Poland.
Lyaksey Lyavonchyk, travels a lot in Schengen countries
– At work, I make 100-150 flights a year to the Schengen countries and Britain/Ireland, I made myself different types of Schengen, American and British visas, I made requests to friends for Schengen and Britain, I know the procedure for obtaining a visa from the inside. And I really like to read primary sources, i.e. English-French documents of the European Commission. And these documents often have very interpretative language. Of course, all this is my experience, which I know how to use carefully. There will be cases that contradict it. But people often read the rules (translated from an English source through five hands) and have absolutely no idea what “enforcement practice” is.
If the visa is one-time, then entry must really be through the country that issued the visa, except in cases when you are traveling by land, and Belarus does not have common borders with the issuing country (for example, the visa is Czech and you are traveling through Poland). Suspicion in this case may be caused by a strange route when you are traveling to the Czech Republic on a one-time visa through Lithuania or Latvia, while the shortest route is through Poland. In this case, you need to have a ticket from Vilnius or Riga to Prague by plane or bus, which would legitimize the chosen route.
In the case of a reusable Schengen card, the rule says that you must stay in the country issuing the visa longer than in any other country. No, not even that - you PLAN to stay in the country issuing the visa longer than in any other. I emphasize: “more than in any other country” does not mean that you must be in the country issuing the visa more than 50 percent of the time. This means that if the visa is Lithuanian, and you travel to Poland, Germany, Latvia and Slovakia, then you must stay in Lithuania more than 20 percent of the time (five countries, one fifth of the time). This is proven by stamps - which again mean little, since to Germany you can travel by land through Poland and only Polish stamps will be visible, to Latvia - through Lithuania. In fact, this rule is very rarely “enforced”, and it is very unlikely that constant entries into Poland on a Lithuanian visa will become a reason for refusal of the next visa.
Regarding the first entry and the first stamp on the visa, then my colleagues and I have repeatedly stamped Lithuanian and Estonian visas in Iceland, the Canary Islands and Lisbon - it’s hard to think further from Lithuania. And again there were no problems with the following visas. But, if you are flying to Germany with an “unopened” Slovak visa for the first time, just say at the border that you are flying to Germany. And nothing will happen. Because if you say that you are flying to Bratislava, and you are asked for tickets that are not available, alas and ah, the introduction of the border guard “in zman”.
By the way, about embassies and entry into countries. When applying again, the Czech Embassy in Belarus always looks at the stamps: have you ever traveled to the Czech Republic on their annual visas? If the entry stamps are not openly visible (for example, there are only Polish stamps), then they may ask where you lived, on what street, the name of the hotel. If you have never been to the Czech Republic, then just say that you didn’t manage to get there, your plans changed. This does not affect your visa history in any way. If you start to invent and mumble, the Czechs will very scrupulously, with German pedantry, extract all the details from you, ask for copies of tickets or receipts for them, and if you do not provide them, they will refuse a visa (which does not prevent you from applying again). Therefore, there is only one rule: tell it like it is. As long as you tell it like it is, in the eyes of the border guard and consul you are a conscientious traveler. Lies are always interpreted not in your favor. If you arrived in Tenerife Sud on a clear Czech visa, then when asked why you are here, you do not answer: “I have a transit to Prague” (yup, Warsaw - Tenerife - Prague!). You answer truthfully. In my case, it was like this: “I was planning to go to Prague - the meeting was postponed, I decided not to waste time.” I just confused a business trip with a vacation, I can’t cancel them, right?
