Schengen Visa Frequently Asked Questions II

Here’s my second attempt at answering some of my readers and (YouTube) viewers questions about the Schengen Visa. These questions focus mainly on entry and stay within the Schengen Area. You can read part 1 of the Schegen Visa FAQs here.

INCLUDES

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Entry into the Schengen Area

What documents do I need to enter the Schengen Area?

Aside from your Schengen Visa, if you need one, you will need to present the following documents as listed in the Schengen Borders Code (2019).

valid travel document/passport with the following criteria:
- its validity shall extend at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Member States. In a justified case of emergency, this obligation may be waived
- it shall have been issued within the previous 10 year
valid visa OR a valid residence permit or a valid long-stay visa;
they justify the purpose and conditions of the intended stay, and they have sufficient means of subsistence, both for the duration of the intended stay and for the return to their country of origin or transit to a third country into which they are certain to be admitted, or are in a position to acquire such means lawfully;
they are not persons for whom an alert has been issued in the SIS for the purposes of refusing entry;
they are not considered to be a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of any of the Member States, in particular where no alert has been issued in Member States’ national data bases for the purposes of refusing entry on the same grounds;
they provide biometric data

When can I enter the Schengen Area?

Once your visa is valid.

On the visa vignette on the right, the visa validity starts on 14 October 2020. You cannot travel before this date.

Follow-up Question: My flight leaves on 13 October and arrives at 12:01 AM of 14 October, will I be allowed to board my flight?

Believe it or not, I have received this question AND the answer lies on the airline. I have always traveled on the eve of my visa validity and have not encountered any problems from NAIA (Philippines) BUT I have heard (read) of other travelers being denied boarding at different ports (and countries).

Can I enter the Schengen Area through Country X when my my visa was issued by Country Y?

Yes, IF your visa sticker has the words “Schengen States” in the valid for portion of the visa.

In this old Schengen Visa Sticker, the area of validity is the whole Schengen State which means the holder can travel to all 27 Schengen Member-States upon the visa validity.

Please check your visa sticker before booking your flight to be sure that your Schengen Visa is not a limited territory visa (LTV). Aside from that, make sure that you have all the necessary entry documents with you.

Can I leave the Schengen Area and return again with my Schengen Visa?

Yes, IF you were granted with either a double (02) or multiple (MULT) entry visa AND you have not used up the visa duration.

Stay in the Schengen Area

What is visa duration?

The visa duration determines the TOTAL number of days you can stay in the Schengen Area. Make sure you do not go beyond that number.

In the visa vignette at the left, you are allowed to stay a total of 90 days .

What is visa validity?

The visa validity determines the start and end date of your visa. You can travel and stay in the Schengen Area within the validity period provided.

In the visa vignette at the left, you can travel from 13 April 2021 to 01 August 2021 for 90 days.

How long can I stay in the Schengen Area?

Your stay must follow the visa validity and visa duration on your visa sticker.

For individuals with longer visa validity, your intended stay in all of the Schengen Member States must not exceed the allowed 90 days in any 180-day period.

How do I calculate my allowed stay?

Whether you have a single entry or multiple entry visa, you can use any of the available Schengen Visa Calculators online to calculate your allowed stay. Remember that day 1 is when you first enter the Schengen Area.

I prefer to use the one from the European Commission website since it’s more official.

Let’s say you have a planned entry from 08 October 2023 to 05 December 2023 for 59 days and you have previously stayed in the Schengen area from 01 July 2023 to 29 August 2023 for 60 days.

To check if you have exceeded the allowed 90/180 days, count 180 days backwards from 05 December 2023, this means the start of your 180-day period is 09 June 2023. Within that 180-day period, you can also stay for a total of 90 days. You can only stay until 06 November 2023 so that you won’t exceed the allowed limit.

Can my visa be extended?

You MUST be able to show proof why it is not possible for you to leave the Schengen Area before the expiry of your visa. This can be due to force majeure, humanitarian reasons, or serious personal reasons. Make sure that you contact migration authorities competent on extending visas.

Follow-up Question: Have you tried extending your visa?

Yes, during the pandemic when flights to my home country were cancelled 2 days before my return flight. I requested that my visa be extended and I received an additional 1.5 months on top of my visa validity. So contact the migration office if ever you need your stay extended.

Traveling in the Schengen Area

Can I travel in the Schengen Area with my long-stay visa or residence permit from a Schengen Member-State?

YES! The long-stay visa or residence permit allows you to travel within the Schengen Area. Keep in mind that you MUST follow the 90/180 day rule as well.