Consecutive Schengen area visas from different countries?

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I am currently living in Germany, using a one-year working holiday visa. When that expires, I hope to move to another European country, and continue this pattern of moving countries for as long as I'm eligible for visas.

I know that without a visa, as an Australian I can only stay in the Schengen area for 90 days out of every 180.

  • Is it going to be fine to apply for a Schengen visa (probably another 1-year working holiday) visa for another country, immediately consecutive to my current visa - i.e. starting the day my current one ends?

  • When my visa here expires, do I need to leave the country immediately, or can I stay for up to 90 days before leaving?



Best Answer

Staying some time in the Schengen area after your current visa expires is possible as the time under the work-holiday visa does not count toward the 90-day limit, see Does tourist visa (90 days) apply after a long-term visa ends in Schengen countries?

Applying for a work-holiday visa from another country should also be no problem, at least as far as Schengen regulations are concerned. The basic principle is that long-stay visas are still national matters, not subject to the Schengen-wide restrictions on short stay (“Schengen visa” is a bit of a misnomer in this case, there are major differences between Schengen uniform short-stay visas and national long-term visas from Schengen countries).

If you are eligible under local law, a Schengen member state can certainly grant you a national visa starting immediately after another long-term national visa (from the same country or from another Schengen country). One thing you need to be mindful of is that it's sometimes impossible to apply for a long-stay visa from within the country (even if you would otherwise qualify for the visa) but some countries do allow it.

Importantly, none of this is true for short-stay visas (Schengen uniform type C visas) or, for Australian citizens, to visa-free short stays. In that case, the 90-day rule applies and it applies to you as a person. Getting another short-stay visa or using another passport does not entitle you to another 90 days in the Schengen area.

Finally, there is one last legal way to stay a bit longer in the Schengen area after having exhausted all work-holiday visas and visa-free short stays using prior bilateral agreements between Australia and specific Schengen member states. In particular, you should be able to get another 90 days in Denmark if your previous 90 days were spent elsewhere and possibly to stay longer in Germany as well.




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Can I apply for two Schengen visas for different countries at the same time?

A Schengen visa, by definition, is for all Schengen countries, so you can't have two Schengen visas for different countries.

Can I travel to more than one Schengen country with the same Schengen visa?

Yes. According to the Schengen rules, the Schengen visa is generally valid for all the countries in the Schengen area.

Can I apply for 2 Schengen visas?

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 enter and or exit the Schengen Area via a country other than the one for which I have a visa?

As a general rule, you may cross any Schengen border with visa issued by any Schengen country. However, you should try and stick to your itinerary as filed when applying for your Schengen Visa.



Where Can I Go With A Country Specific Schengen Visa?




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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