Can I apply for a new Schengen visa while in Europe?
A bit of background: I will be heading for an exchange program in Switzerland; I have applied for a Visa 'D' for that purpose.
I would like to continue travelling in Europe (primarily Schengen states) after my exchange ends around 8th July. I assume that will also be the expiry of the Swiss residence permit I will be issued.
The passport that I hold requires a visa for almost every country. As such, once my residence permit expires, I cannot stay in Europe and will have to leave the Schengen Area.
However, at the end of my program, I would like to travel around for about 3 weeks. Am I able to apply to extend or renew my Schengen visa while I'm already in the area? I can't apply now as it's way too early.
Would it be possible for me to go to UK and apply for the Schengen visa there? I have a UK visa that is valid throughout the exchange, so heading there is a possibility.
Best Answer
Since you'll be in Switzerland on a long-term visa (and therefore a resident), nothing would stop you from applying for a Schengen visa from within Europe. There are plenty of European consulates in Bern and other major cities, however most of them don't issue short-term visas. The reason is that Switzerland is a Schengen member and very few local residents require a visa. E.g. from the Czech embassy in Bern:
Due to the possibility to travel in all countries of the Schengen-area using only one visa the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to unite the Embassy Visa Departments into Regional Visa Centers.
As of January 1st 2011, therefore, visa-applications are only being processed in the Consular Departments of a few selected Czech Embassies within the Schengen-area (Athens, Berlin, Bratislava, Brussels, Madrid, Stockholm, Warsaw, Vienna). Their territorial competence is the following:
...
Embassy of the Czech Republic Vienna (Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Malta, Slovenia)
So, e.g., in order to obtain a Czech short-term visa, you will need to travel to Vienna. As statistics found by @Relaxed show, only 162 visas were issued within Switzerland in 2014, so it's unlikely you will be able to find a consulate to help you out within the country. To answer your other questions...
Am I able to apply to extend or renew my Schengen visa while I'm already in the area
You have a national 'D' visa, which might indeed be extendable if you have a reason to stay in Switzerland for more time. However you cannot 'convert' a 'D' visa into a tourist ('C') visa, so you would need to apply for one from scratch.
Would it be possible for me to go to UK and apply for the Schengen visa there?
No, since you won't be a UK resident. See our related question for more details.
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Can I apply again for Schengen Visa?
You can reapply for your visa, or you can appeal the initial decision made on your first visa application. Keep in mind that when you reapply for your Schengen Visa, it might be automatically refused due to the refusal of your first application.Can I extend my Schengen Visa in Europe?
Generally speaking, you cannot extend a Schengen Visa during your trip, apart from in exceptional circumstances. If you want to extend your trip you will have to exit the Schengen Area and apply for a new visa to return and continue your visit.Can I apply for two Schengen Visa at the same time?
In theory, it is not possible for a person to hold two valid short stay visas covering the same period. I have a valid Schengen visa but it does not cover my next intended stay, what can I do? In this case, it is possible to file a visa application for another Schengen visa to cover the next intended stay entirely.Can I apply for two visas for different countries at the same time?
Yes you can. No 2 countries share data with each other. Neither are they bothered about you applying visa at the same time. You can apply visa to N number of countries at the same time.How to apply Schengen Visa As an International student #traveling | Europe 🇪🇺#schengenvisa #uk
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