SCHENGEN VISAS

[SANDRO43]

A curiosity that some more experienced fellow Europeans may satisfy.

If I am not mistaken, the Schengen Treaty sanctions the free circulation of citizens within the borders of member countries, as well as of foreign tourists with a valid visa.

Suppose a FSUW obtains a visa from, say, a Finnish consulate. Can she then depart her country for any Schengen country, or does she have to enter via Finland first ?

[Bruno]

Suppose a FSUW obtains a visa from, say, a Finnish consulate. Can she then depart her country for any Schengen country, or does she have to enter via Finland first ?

Need to see how the FSUW have fil her visa application... you can find a field where the entry point is asked...

By example, for my girlfriend, it was Bruxelles ( Belgium ) and Budapest ( Hungary )... yes, you can select more potential entry point... Why Budapest ? In case she use the airplane compagny Malev...

He or she must first identify the Schengen country of his or her main destination. This element will determine the State responsible for deciding on the Schengen visa application and therefore the embassy or the consulate where he or she will have lodge the application. If his or her intention is to visit several Schengen countries during the trip, he or she will have to file a visa application at the embassy of the country where he or she will make his first entry in Schengen area. If the Schengen State of the main destination or first entry does not have a diplomatic mission or consular post in his or her country, he or she will have to contact the embassy or the consulate of another Schengen country, normally located in his country, which represents, for the purpose of issuing Schengen visas, the country of his or her principal destination or first entry.

Now about visiting all the Schengen country with a Schengen visa is not always true... you can have restrictive visa who only allow the visit in one country. A little detail over the different type of Schengen visa :

Type A Schengen visa: airport transit visa
You can normally stay in the international transit area at the airport without a visa whilst you wait for your connecting flight. However, some nationalities require a visa to do this, even if they do not leave the international transit area. The airport transit visa only authorises the bearer to transit through the airport's international area.

Type B Schengen visa
This visa is valid for transit through one or more Schengen countries on the way from one non-Schengen country to another non-Schengen country. The transit may last no longer than five days.

Type C Schengen visa
This visa allows the bearer to enter the territory of the Schengen countries for a maximum stay of 90 days in a six-month period. The visa may be issued for one or more entries.

Type D  visa
This is a national visa for a stay exceeding 90 days. It is only valid in country who have issued the visa, but can also be used for transit through one or more Schengen countries.

Type D + C visa
This visa entitles you to travel freely within the Schengen area during the first three months after your entry into the country who have issued the visa, while you wait to receive your official residence permit.

Benelux Visa
Only valid for Benelux countries ( i.e. Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg )

[Mir]

While there might be different Schenghen visas by and large the one that concerns an FSU lady contemplating a holiday to an Schenghen state is a tourist visa.
The advice is that this should be obtained from the country that will be used as entry and departure point to Schenghen states (if multiple ones are to be visited) or the one that is the main destination for the holiday (so if you have a 10 day holiday in France and your bus travels through Germany then you get visa from French).
However I know quite a few cases where the visa was obtained from say Spanish consulate and the holiday was in Italy. I think this is acceptable if the lady is accompanied with a EU/US boyfriend/husband. You can always argue that we wanted to visit Spain but changed our plans and decided to visit Italy instead and provided you have the documents required for the visa the airport immigration officer will not have much problem.

[jb]

Sandro, (and Mir),

The rules may have changed over the past years, but back when my wife and I were dating we thought a vacation in France would be nice.  We applied for and received a Schengen visa from France.  I then proceeded to book a package deal from the travel agency for airlines and hotel .  My mistake was to use a US travel agency who didn't know the rules.  For her to arrive in Paris at the same time as me, the agency set her itinerary on Lufthansa with a plane change in Frankfort.  The agent assured me it was not a problem for her to go through that airport, well,,, the Germans didn't see it that way.  You understand, a Russian national can fly through there if it's on to another international destination, i.e., say the USA or Canada, but flights within the EU are considered domestic flights.  They put her in the bonded traveler section, held her there for many hours and put her in the next available seat back to Moscow. 

I believe that you must enter the EU Schengen country in the country which issued the visa.  Once in the EU, the RW may travel where they wish by car, bus, rail etc. without a problem, but a Schengen visa issued from Finland or Spain is not good for a trip directly to Italy.

[Bruno]

The rules may have changed over the past years...

My mistake was to use a US travel agency who didn't know the rules.  For her to arrive in Paris at the same time as me, the agency set her itinerary on Lufthansa with a plane change in Frankfort.  The agent assured me it was not a problem for her to go through that airport, well,,, the Germans didn't see it that way...

Situation today :

Airport transit visa - A

This visa enables those aliens who are required to have it to stay in the international transit area of an airport while awaiting their connecting flight, but does not permit entry into the country.

The airport transit visa requirement is an exception to the general transit privileges that permit an alien to stay in the international area without a visa. Only citizens of the following countries are subject to the airport transit visa:
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Ethiopia
- Eritrea
- Ghana
- Iraq
- Iran
- Congo (Democratic Republic)
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Somalia
- Sri Lanka

Transit visa - B

This visa entitles an alien travelling from one country to another to transit through the territory of one schengen country.

A transit visa may only be issued if the alien proves that he or she is permitted to enter the next country of destination after his or her stay in transit schengen country. A transit visa may be issued for single or double transit and, exceptionally, multiple transits, provided that no transit through the country exceeds the number of days determined in the Duration of stay section of the visa sticker.

A transit visa B is only valid for 5 days, maximum transit delay...

[SANDRO43]

Thanks fellows, seems it is as I suspected, i.e. the tourist visa must be obtained from the consulate of the destination country (which also stands to reason). My question was prompted by the fact that an Italian consulate may exist only in a major FSU city. The only alternative would be to use whatever is convenient locally, and pick her up when she lands there.

[Mir]

I think it is best to clarify this with the consulate of the country one is intending to visit.

[Ste]

As an interesting aside, now Nadia has her work permit/residence visa for Germany and is currently on placement in Hamburg.

The permit is also a travel visa to Schengen countries, handy to know.

Ste

[SANDRO43]

Oy Ste, thought you'd gone into premature hibernation .

[Ste]

nope - working in another county, mucho travellingo.....

I'm knackered all the time now but i got loads of money now so who wants some? For serious cases I could spare a dollar or so.

Ste

[Shadow]

To make it clear, the usual visa that is given for Tourist purposes is a C. For work/resident permit a D visa is given first, to assure the country of destination is also the country where the permit will be applied for.

C+D is given when the entry point of Schengen is not equal to the destination country.
Mostly the Consulates give automatic C+D nowadays for work/residence and C for travel.

However regulations can differ for each country depending on their admission policies.

[viking]

What requirements must a FSU, or Russian, have to qualify for a Schengen visa? How long is the Schengen effective for? For example, does it expire and one must redo the process all over, or can it be renewed again and again even if a trip is not planned. My understanding in reading some threads here is that she must first have an international passport (how does she get that?) and then some type of financial stability. If she wanted to visit me in Amsterdam and then 6 months later, for example, visit me in Helsinki, what would she have to do? Thanks

[SANDRO43]

Viking, why don't you read the previous posts on this thread ? They already include some of the info you're seeking (also Google SCHENGEN for more).

The tourist visa is valid for 3 months, it does not allow multiple entries to Schengen countries but free movement therein once entered. Therefore your Amsterdam/Helsinki idea would require TWO separate visas.

The visa basically requires convicing proof that the person is entering for tourism, and not for other reasons. As for the international passport, I assume she would have to get it locally.