schengen visa

[stevewool]

well it has arrived and what a suprize. its a multi entry and each time should last no more then 90 days and here is the best bit. it will last for 4 years too. so for the 24 quid it cost us i think we have a great deal

[Arthur Little]

well it has arrived

Well done, Steve ... that was QUICK!

and what a suprize. its a multi entry and each time should last no more then 90 days and here is the best bit. it will last for 4 years too.

... Four years? IS a surprise! Normally (based on my own experience) they're valid for a maximum of 6 months. Yes ... even multiple entry ones.

[Arthur Little]

so for the 24 quid it cost us i think we have a great deal

... wonder if its validity came to be lengthened because you'd paid an agency to process it?

[Arthur Little]

Not that I'm doubting your word for it ... it just seems odd!

[stevewool]

seems very odd to me too Arthur, when we filled the forms in the chap said your travel date is so far off and we changed it to april for the travel date, and now its come back and there is the date is valid from 26-02-2013 to 25-02-2017, so its just like my passport.
have to start saving very hard now for all the places we can visit in 4 years

[Terpe]

seems very odd to me too Arthur, when we filled the forms in the chap said your travel date is so far of and we changed it to april for the travel date, and now its come back and there is the date is valid from 26-02-2013 to 25-02-2017, so its just like my passport.
have to start saving very hard now for all the places we can visit in 4 years

I have no idea what kind of magic you invoked Steve, but.... you've managed to get one of the best Schenghen visa's I've come by in a long long time at the first attempt.

Your banks statements must have been 'eye-popping'

Seriously though, what a fantastic result. Plenty of hassle free trips to come.
That was surely a one of the great trips to London

Couldn't have happened to a nicer couple.
In the words of Del Boy, Oh Bon Jovi!!

[stevewool]

thanks Peter, we have been looking at ferries and flights into france and today i have got a price with PO ferries to calais for under £50, thats for a car and upto 5 passengers, cant grumble at that, now who wants to come to france

[Terpe]

thanks Peter, we have been looking at ferries and flights into france and today i have got a price with PO ferries to calais for under £50, thats for a car and upto 5 passengers, cant grumble at that, now who wants to come to france

Me me me me me
Oh and Carina

Seriously Steve when you will go?
Where you will go in France?
Please don't say Calais

Say Colmar

[lovejoy]

Do your have to enter the schengen zone via France each time you travel?

[Arthur Little]

Do your have to enter the schengen zone via France each time you travel?

Ah ... now there's "the rub" - I BELIEVE so - when the visa is issued by the French Consulate.

[stevewool]

Do your have to enter the schengen zone via France each time you travel?

NO is the answer, the very first trip you must travel to the country that gave you the visa which for me is france, but after that you can travel to any country anytime

[stevewool]

Me me me me me
Oh and Carina

Seriously Steve when you will go?
Where you will go in France?
Please don't say Calais

Say Colmar

i would travel tomorrow if i had the choice, but its going to be the end of March /early April time, its going to be a short skip over the channel just to get the stamp,a trip to the 1st world war sites would be interesting but i dont think so for Ems.
Rome or Venice is more important for our holiday or even Spain

[SteveJ]

i would travel tomorrow if i had the choice, but its going to be the end of March /early April time, its going to be a short skip over the channel just to get the stamp,a trip to the 1st world war sites would be interesting but i dont think so for Ems.
Rome or Venice is more important for our holiday or even Spain

Hi Steve - my wife and I are looking to apply for a Schengen Visa in the near future, how did you apply for and get yours.. ?

[stevewool]

Hi there stevej, we did ours through the internet site tsl contracts, look at there site, its really is very easy, any problems or needing any other help just give me a shout

[Terpe]

Hi Steve - my wife and I are looking to apply for a Schengen Visa in the near future, how did you apply for and get yours.. ?

Which country are you considering?

[marksroomspain]

So is that correct Steve once you travel to the country that first give you the visa then you can travel to any other european as long as the visa is still valid.

The reason I am asking is my famiy and I will be travelling to Germany in October then maybe to Spain in December and I thought I would have to get a different visa from each embassy.

Well if thats correct then that saves a lot of hassle, I hope this can be clarified thanks...

[SteveJ]

So is that correct Steve once you travel to the country that first give you the visa then you can travel to any other european as long as the visa is still valid.

The reason I am asking is my famiy and I will be travelling to Germany in October then maybe to Spain in December and I thought I would have to get a different visa from each embassy.

Well if thats correct then that saves a lot of hassle, I hope this can be clarified thanks...

Hope it is the case as I agree makes life a lot simpler..

Thanks Stevewool for all the info and help....

[stevewool]

yes is the answer, whereever you apply for the schengen that is the country you first must go to, they stamp the visa/passport then you are free to travel to any other place within the time frame, we chose france because its closer and cheaper to get the ball rolling

[marksroomspain]

yes is the answer, where ever you apply for the schengen that is the country you first must go too, they stamp the visa/passport then you are free to travel to any other place within the time frame, we chose france because its closer and cheaper to get the ball rolling

Cheers Buddy thats saves a lot of hassle

[malchard888]

We recently got our German Schengen visa but it is only valid for 3 months but it appears that others have received visa for other EU countries with a much longer shelf life. Maybe its the luck of the draw and at the discretion of the staff member processing the documentation so just be aware if u are travelling elsewhere at a later date.

[Terpe]

We recently got our German Schengen visa but it is only valid for 3 months but it appears that others have received visa for other EU countries with a much longer shelf life. Maybe its the luck of the draw and at the discretion of the staff member processing the documentation so just be aware if u are travelling elsewhere at a later date.

It's down to individual Embassy policy.
Not all Embassies/Consulates issue either longer validity or multiple entry visa.

You're most likely to get those from the French Embassy.

[Moving Forward]

Just to add to this thread my wife recently received her Schengen Visa which was issued by the French embassy via TLS contact. It is valid for 3 years multiple entry so we are very pleased with this (her UK entry clearance visa runs out before the Schengen does!).


We are currently in France on holiday, we popped over the border to visit Girona in Spain yesterday, and at the weekend we were trekking in the Pyrenees. We also visited Andorra. So that's 3 new countries my wife has visited since she got here in May.

There was no passport control on the A9 motorway between France and Spain --- you just drive through now. However, entering France from Andorra is another matter as you may get stopped to check if you have brought too much alcohol and tobacco back.

[stevewool]

wait until you try to get back into England, that took us ages,

[Iani]

Daft question perhaps, but is there a minimum period you have to be in the UK, before you can apply for one of these?

I'm sure I read once you have to be here for 6 months before applying (So for example, wifey arrived 2 months ago, no use us applying until October).
I could be wrong though - I can't find this 6 months thing now on an internet search

[Terpe]

Daft question perhaps, but is there a minimum period you have to be in the UK, before you can apply for one of these?

I'm sure I read once you have to be here for 6 months before applying (So for example, wifey arrived 2 months ago, no use us applying until October).
I could be wrong though - I can't find this 6 months thing now on an internet search

There's no requirement to have been resident in UK for any specific period.

You may be getting mixed up with the requirement to have a visa which is valid for more than 6 months.

The General Requirements for granting of a Schengen Visa are:-

- The applicant must be resident in the UK.
Foreign nationals residing in the UK must have been granted visa leave to remain for more than 6 months.

- The applicant's UK visa must exceed the return date of the proposed trip by more than 3 months

- The applicant's passport must exceed the return date of the proposed trip by more than 3 months and must have a full blank VISA PAGE for the visa.

If the applicant is in the UK as the spouse of an EU national, they will be required to produce an original marriage certificate, together with the original passport of their EU spouse.

The 'standard issue' Schengen Visa is a 90 day visa with six month validity.
Depending on the application and also the individual Embassy, it's very often possible to secure a multiple entry visa with validity up to 5 years.

Each 'visit/trip' validity will always be a maximum of 90 days 'stay' in a six month period starting with first entry.

A Multiple Entry visa allows the holder to make multiple visits during the period of visa validity, provided each 'stay' within the Schengen zone does not exceed a maximum 90 days in any 6 month period. (unless specific visa restrictions apply).
This 90 'stay' can be divided into as many separate 'trips/visits' as wished by the visa holder. Means that leaving the Schengen-zone between 'trips/visits' and then re-entering via different points of entry.
However, if you use up your 90 days 'stay' allowance all in one go, you'd need to wait 3 months before being allowed to enter the Schengen zone again.