Can I enter a Schengen country early as a visa-free traveler, then a week later begin staying with my Schengen visa?
So I have a passport that is visa free in Schengen, but I received a year long visa for France. I just found out a friend is getting married before the start of the visa and want to attend obviously. Can I just enter as a "tourist", then slide into the start of the long stay visa? Or would I have to leave and come back?
(I saw dupes of this question but they are from people who don't have visa-free travel in the Schengen zone)
Best Answer
Official answer from the Consulate in DC
Dear Sir,
You can enter before on your 90/180 days allowance BUT
<<Or would I need to leave the schengen area and re-enter to get a valid stamp matching the visa start date?>>
You will have to leave the Schengen area (visiting UK for example) to have your long-stay Visa activated.
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How long do you have to leave Europe before returning?
Most visitors (including Americans) are allowed to spend 90 days in the Schengen Area in every 180-day period. The easiest way to think of it is that you can visit for 3 months and then you have to leave for 3 months before you can return.Can I leave the Schengen Zone and come back?
If you leave the Schengen Zone, your time doesn't reset so it is really important that you keep track of how long you're in the Schengen Zone. If you're in the Schengen Zone for 90 days consecutively, you must leave after 90 days and can't return for another 90 days!Should my first trip be to the country issued by Schengen Visa can I enter a different Schengen country?
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 many times can I enter Schengen?
Schengen visas may allow for a single-entry or multiple entries. With a single-entry visa you can enter the Schengen area only once. This is indicated on the visa sticker by "01". With a visa allowing for two or multiple entries you may enter twice or several times during the validity of the visa.THE SCHENGEN ZONE TRAVEL EXPLAINED - DIGITAL NOMAD TV
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Answer 2
French long-stay visas typically need to be validated within three months of entering France (there are exceptions, including working holiday visas). This used to entail a medical checkup and getting a sticker but can now be done online. What happens if you exceed that delay is not completely clear. In theory your presence could be deemed illegal which would in turn create many problems down the line but I have also heard of people who submitted their application a little late and didn't suffer any consequences.
Note that this is three months after entering France, not the Schengen area. A long visa-free visit elsewhere in the Schengen area before could therefore create some difficulties because it would prevent you to use your entry stamp to document your date of entry or could make it appear as if you went past the three-month deadline. A week is not long enough to be a problem.
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