How can I travel to the Schengen area without applying for a separate visa for every trip?
I am an Indian citizen about to start graduate school in the United States. I anticipate flying back home every year for a month or two though some EU country.
My question is this: is there a possibility of holding an extended visa to EU for the purpose of tourism in EU? I sometimes regret that there are cheap tickets to Paris or Amsterdam or such, and I have friends who can host me but I have to drop such plans for the fear of bureaucracy.
Any remarks or helpful pointers will be greatly appreciated.
Best Answer
As far as the regulation are concerned you can get a multiple entry visa valid for up to five years. You are still bound by the 90 days in any 180-day period maximum stay rule but if you don't exceed that, you can do as many trips as you want during those five years, paying the visa fee only once, with no extra paperwork.
The trouble is that you can't just ask for one and expect to get it. I don't think the rules explicitly say that anywhere but my understanding is that the five-year visa is mostly intended for UK residents (the UK is in the European Union and geographically very close to the Schengen area but not part of it).
As a US resident, you could probably hope for a two-year visa, which already gives you some flexibility. But you need to be a trusted traveller to get one (that is to have completed several trips on short single-entry visas) and to show you have a stable situation in your country of residence (thus being a student is probably less than ideal). It does not hurt to ask but consulates can always decide to issue a single-entry visa covering the trip at hand instead.
There is a bit of luck involved as well, I have heard about people getting a multiple-entry visa the first time around. The best you can do to help your case if you are not that lucky is to go several times through the bureaucratic process and respect the rules scrupulously. After several visits, you stand a better chance of getting such a multiple-entry visa.
Pictures about "How can I travel to the Schengen area without applying for a separate visa for every trip?"
Can tourists get a multiple entry Schengen Visa?
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.Can you travel within Schengen without visa?
How long can I stay without a visa in the Schengen area? You can stay 90 days in any 180-day period within the Schengen area. calculated individually for each of these states. For instance, after a 90-day stay in the Schengen area, the person can immediately travel to Croatia and stay for another 90 days there.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.How can I stay in Schengen area longer than 90 days?
What you can do though is to get a Schengen Tourist Visa for 90 days (3 months) and then get another 180 days (6 months) tourist visa for the UK or through other European countries and that would technically enable you to stay in the European area for a long time.THE SCHENGEN ZONE TRAVEL EXPLAINED - DIGITAL NOMAD TV
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