Re-entering Schengen Area before expiration of my Swedish visa

Re-entering Schengen Area before expiration of my Swedish visa - Brown Metal Train Rail Near Body of Water

I am Hong Kongese, studying in Sweden. I have a Hong Kong SAR passport which allows me visa-free access to Schengen countries for 90 days. I also have a Swedish residence permit.

I read in other discussion forums that I can enjoy 90-days visa free entry to the Schengen Area if I re-enter Schengen from a non-Schengen area after expiry of my residence permit. If I want to travel to other Schengen countries before the day of expiry of my residence permit, can I still get an 90-days visa-free?

My plan is leave Sweden 10 days before expiry and go to the UK. Then I will travel to Norway as a tourist, entering 4 days before the expiry of my permit. Can I get 90-days visa-free stay by following this plan even when my residence permit will not have expired when I enter Norway?



Best Answer

It is in practice unclear whether one needs to leave and re-enter the Schengen area in order to continue traveling in the area as a tourist after the expiry of a national long-stay visa or residence permit.

Reading the actual Schengen regulations, I cannot find anything that implies such a requirement. However, several people have independently related on this site that they were told by border/immigration officials they would need to do to that. So it would appear that, at the least, there's a risk that if you don't make a visa run, you may run into trouble when you leave the Area because you run into a border guard who thinks you need to do it. Perhaps the trouble would be cleared up when their superior gets involved, perhaps not.

In any case, the only halfway reasonable purpose of requiring a visa run would be to get an entry stamp in your passport that marks the beginning of your stay not under the residence permit. Thus, as long as you enter the Schengen area at another country than Sweden and do not actually go to Sweden, I think even confused border guards ought to allow starting the 90/180 day count at that day, even if your Swedish residence permit was still valid at that time.

Of course, you should also be sure to follow the actual 90/180 day rule, which says that every day where you have been in a Schengen country other than Sweden counts, no matter whether you went there from Sweden or indirectly.




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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!

Can I get 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 I apply for Schengen visa before it expires?

Can I apply for a new visa in advance? Yes. The validity of the new visa will start from the expiry date of the previous visa. My Schengen visa has a 6-month validity.

How long do you have to leave the Schengen zone 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.



Overstaying in the Schengen Zone - How to Extend Your Stay in Europe UPDATED




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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