Arriving at night before Schengen visa valid date? [duplicate]
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I'll be traveling to Germany this May and my planes would arrive at 4 May 20.30 at Frankfurt Airport but the Schengen visa that I received is valid only at 5 May.
Is it possible to enter if it's only a few hours before the day change? Or do I have to wait until day change in the transit area?
Another thing, would the airline rejected me from boarding the plane?
Best Answer
For the first point, it will really depend on the immigration officer. Arrival at 20:30 means presenting your papers at 21-22:00 depending on the lineup. They might consider that you won't get to your hotel before nearly midnight, or they might say "have a seat".
For the second point, I think there is a very high chance the airline will deny boarding. They get large fines for bringing passengers without proper permissions and are often pickier than the immigration agents.
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Can I change my travel date after getting Schengen Visa?
You cannot change your itinerary so completely that the information you gave in the visa application is no longer true. If you planned a trip lasting 10 days, and you now have 15 days "duration of stay", you can extend your trip by up to 5 days (including a visit to another country if you want).Can I travel a day before my visa starts?
No you can't travel before the visa date, you will waste money cos you can book the ticket but at the time of check in , the counter person will check your passport and visa, if dates not matching they won't allow you to board and won't issue you a boarding pass. Your ticket money will go waste.How long do you have to leave the Schengen zone before returning?
Under the terms of Schengen, non-EEA nationals cannot spend more than a total of 90 days within a total period of 180 days without a visa. Furthermore, once you've used up your quota of 90 days, you cannot return to Schengen until 90 more days have passed.Can I enter Schengen before my visa starts?
Your first country of entry is the country in which you enter the Schengen Area for the first time from the outside. It does not need to be the country that issued you with a Schengen Visa, as you must apply with the nation where you are planning to spend the majority of your stay in the Schengen Area.How to get Schengen Visa with five year validity?@Chandra Shekher, Visa and Education Advisor
More answers regarding arriving at night before Schengen visa valid date? [duplicate]
Answer 2
Entering into the country is completely different from entering into the airport, Airport is just a transit area and you can be in airport without holding that country's visa i.e. while transiting. Entering the country means passing the immigration desk and need valid visa. And, your visa gets valid after couple of hours from the time you reach. It matters what time you pass the immigration check not what time you arrived at airport.
You can reach that country without any problem and simply walk to the immigration officer and explain your situation. In most cases he should agree but be sure, give a valid and genuine reason with pleading manner and you should be fine. In worst case scenario he may ask you to wait for couple more hours to let you into the country.
Immigration cannot deny your entry for this kind of reasons. Yeah, sometimes these airways can be hassle, but as long as you got a visa they cannot deny boarding the plane.
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