Those wishing to make a trip to Schengen are useful to learn how to navigate the variety of species and their designation. It is not as difficult as it seems - the system is simple and clear. Depending on the purpose for which you are going on a trip, you need different types visas to the Schengen area.

What types of visas allow you to travel within the Schengen area?

1. "C" - short-term, the most common. It allows you to visit the Schengen countries for any purpose that a well-mannered person may require. Whether you are going on a journey on business, personal or family matters, on vacation - it doesn’t matter, it is she who will help to realize all your plans. The only thing that will differ is the set of documents required to confirm the purpose of the trip.

   There are 4 types of duration:

   • "C1" - valid for 30 calendar days. As a rule, it is she who is called a tourist Schengen visa. And, as mentioned above, it is suitable for other purposes. When you first contact the embassy, ​​you will most likely be given it. And if you prove yourself on a journey as a worthy person (simply, if there are no claims against you from local law enforcement agencies), next time options with a more substantial duration will be available.
   • "C2" - valid for six months. It is suitable for everyone who wants to spend a lot of time in the vastness of Europe in the near future. According to the current rules, it is allowed to stay in Schengen no more than 90 days in the last six months. There are exceptions, but they need really weighty reasons - the passage of a long course of treatment or something no less serious.
   • "C3" - the period of validity is 1 year, while the same restrictions apply as for "C2"
   • "C4" - for the most avid travelers, valid up to 5 years. The restrictions are the same: it is allowed to stay in the Schengen area for no more than 90 days for every six months. At the same time, the limit does not accumulate - if you miss a couple of years, you will not be able to use this fact to extend your stay in the current year.
2. "D" - national visa, or long-term. Its validity period is up to 5 years. The difference from C4 is that you can stay with it in the country that issued it for more than 90 days in a row. In other states included in the agreement, the limit remains in force. As a rule, it is needed for permanent work, and it is much more difficult to obtain it than C1-C4.
3. "LTV" is a rare variant of the Schengen visa, which allows only a short stay in the territory of the country that issued it. It is impossible even to transit with it through other states of the agreement, and it is usually issued for humanitarian reasons.

Visas for tourism

The view "C" deserves attention here. The first for every travel lover is a single-entry Schengen visa, but the most desirable will be the C3 and C4 multiple visas. To get them, you need to go to Europe at least once and not leave a bad memory behind: such a tourist will be denied entry for a period of six months or more. And the most active “naughty ones” have every chance of being awarded a life ban on entry, and no pleas “I won’t do it again” will help here. Remember that even if the ban is lifted, it will be much more difficult to obtain a visa again - for refusal, the slightest doubt of the consular staff in the reliability of a person who once already showed himself not on the best side will be enough. Therefore, one must behave with dignity while traveling - ill-mannered people are not expected in Europe.

For those who “do not misbehave with discipline” and have no problems with the law, obtaining a multi-visa to the Schengen zone in most cases will not be difficult: for 2 or 3 times it will most likely show off in your passport. It is worth remembering, however, that each state has its own parameters for assessing potential tourists, and it will still be somewhat more difficult for some people to get into them. For example, the Bulgarian consulate may refuse young unmarried girls who travel unaccompanied.

To travel to the Schengen zone, you need to obtain a visa. At the same time, there are different types of Schengen visas, and so that the consulate does not refuse to issue a permit, documents must be submitted for the type whose purpose will clearly correspond to the intentions of the tourist.

Main types

A

Issued for transit through a Schengen country, subject to travel between countries that are not members of the Schengen agreement. For example, a trip from Russia to Algeria, through France. This category allows tourists to visit only the airport. Traveling around the country, and even around the city in which the airport is located, is prohibited.

This permission may not be available if:

1. Possession of any other valid EU visitor permit.
2. The presence of a residence permit, or a document replacing it from the EU countries.
3. The presence of a residence permit from some other countries. This list includes Canada, the United States of America, San Marino, Andorra or Japan.
4. Possession of a diplomatic passport.
5. Being a member of an aircraft crew who has the citizenship of a country that has signed the Chicago Convention.
6. Being closely related to an EU citizen.

B

C

If we take into account all types of Schengen visas, category C is the most common. It is divided into four subspecies:

1. C1 - visitor visa valid for up to 30 days. Most often issued to a traveler upon receipt of the first permit to visit the Schengen area. Demanded by tourists.
2. C2 - validity period from one to six months.
3. C3 - validity period from six months to one year.
4. C4 - validity period from one to five years.

Please note that the time for which a permit is issued and the period of possible stay in the Schengen zone are two different things. We will consider this topic in more detail below.

Also the resolution can be:

• Single. Regardless of the time of action, the tourist has the opportunity only once in both directions to cross the border of any of the 26 states that signed the agreement. For example, a visa to Finland C1 was opened for 15 days. Within one day, the tourist drove into Finland, made the necessary purchases and left from there. From the moment of the return crossing of the border, the permit ceases to be valid.
• Double. The situation is exactly the same as described above, with the only exception that this type allows you to cross the border of European powers twice in both directions.
• Multiple. More often these are C2-C4 permits. Their owner has the full right to enter and leave the EU as many times as necessary.

D

Issued by any Schengen state for more than six months. Allows you to live in the state that issued the permit for the duration of its validity. This type of Schengen visa allows you to travel to other EU countries. The main thing is that the trip should not last more than three months within six months. To obtain such a permit, you need good reasons, for example, study or official employment abroad.

FTD

Valid for residents only Russian Federation who wish to visit the Kaliningrad region, or vice versa, who wish to come from the Kaliningrad region. At their core, they are not visas in the full sense of the word. Rather, it transit documents. The fundamental difference between them is that FTD is issued in case of travel by car, and FRTD in case of travel by train.

LTV

Issued by the state from the Schengen agreement for the purpose of humanitarian assistance. For example, to help victims of the earthquake. Despite the fact that it is issued by the state from the Schengen, it allows you to visit only the power that issued the permit.

The difference between the duration of the permit and the time spent in the Schengen

All main types of Schengen visas have two different concepts:

1. Permit validity period
2. Time spent in the Schengen area

The first case is directly the period for which the permit is issued, from two weeks to five years. The time spent in the Schengen zone is the sum of all the days that a tourist can spend abroad.

In other words, the EU states have established certain restrictions prohibiting foreigners from staying within their borders for more than the prescribed period. From October 18, 2013, this period is three months (90 days) within six months (180 days).

Let's look at examples:

• Category A. Has no concept of the period of stay in the Schengen zone, but the period of validity of the permit is approximately equal to the time the tourist is in the country of main destination. That is, if a citizen of the Russian Federation flies to Algeria through France for 10 days, then a Schengen visa of category A will be valid for 15 days. This does not mean that all 15 days can be spent at the airport in France. A tourist is allowed to stay here exactly as long as it is necessary to transfer to the desired flight. As a rule, it is no more than 2 days for a round-trip flight.
• Category C1 - validity period up to 30 days. All this time you can stay in the Schengen zone.
• Categories C2, C3 and C4 validity period from one month to five years. At the same time, a tourist is forbidden to stay in the EU countries for more than 3 months in six months. For 3 months, 90 days are accepted, for six months - 180. For example, a tourist received a C2 visa on August 1, for a period of six months (180 days). On August 5, entry into Poland was made, from this moment the period of stay in the Schengen zone begins to operate. In August, a tourist spent 25 days abroad, in September 15, in October 30, in November 20 - a total period of 90 days. In December and January, it is forbidden to enter the Schengen area, they will no longer be allowed to cross the border. If in November instead of 20 days 22 were spent, this is a violation visa regime which may lead to further denial of a permit.

On February 1, a new C3 visa was received for a period of one year. It seems that a new visa semester begins, but due to changes from October 18, 2013, the period of stay in the Schengen countries is not reset in the new visa semester. Thus, over the past five months: September, October, November, December, January plus the current month of February, 65 days have been spent abroad. This means that in February there is an opportunity to visit Europe for 25 days. It does not matter that the tourist had a different visa for the previous six months.

• Category D. A national visa that gives permission to reside in the state that issued it for the entire period of validity. What does it mean? For example, a citizen of the Russian Federation received a Polish visa for 5 years in connection with official employment. All 5 years he has the right to live in Poland. At the same time, he is allowed to travel in the Schengen zone, but again no more than 90 days within six months.

A Schengen visa gives the holder the right to visit the territory of states,. Not at the borders passport control, so a foreigner with a sticker in his passport can feel free. However, there are limitations. They are due to the fact that there are different types of Schengen visas, on which the length of stay and the opportunity to visit Europe several times depend. You need to study the rules before proceeding with the paperwork.

The division into types of Schengen visas, or categories, is the most common. A single visa has three categories: A, C and D.

Category A

Visa for transit through the airport. Required for foreigners who fly from one country to another with a transfer in the Schengen area. Russians do not need a transit permit with one exception: if a Russian citizen arrives at French airports from Belarus, Egypt, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Armenia.

However, if a foreigner has a valid Schengen visa of another type, transit is not processed.

Category C

The most common type. This is a short-term Schengen visa that allows you to spend in a European state. It has several subspecies:

• C1: visit up to 30 days.
• C2 and C3: visit up to three months. Valid for six months and one year respectively.
• C4: . It is allowed to stay in the country for no more than three months every six months.

Sample short stay visa

Type C visa is not related to the purpose of travel. However, it does play a role when applying. Additional letters and certificates are attached to the basic package of documents. Therefore, it is important to know the purpose of visiting the Schengen area. Namely:

• Tourism.
• Private visit.
• Studies.
• Business meetings and negotiations.
• Treatment.

Category D

National long stay visa. It is not uniform - each state issues this type of permit according to its own rules. Such a right to enter is issued by those who plan to stay in the territory of a particular country for a long time. For example, get an education, participate in experience exchange programs or work. Holders of a type D visa can visit other Schengen states, but stay in them for no more than 90 days every six months.

Sample national Polish visa

A national long-term visa requires strong arguments. For example, if a foreign student enrolled in a full course of study at a European university. Either the applicant is a guest artist, athlete, etc. and comes to share experiences.

The types of Schengen visas described above are complemented by an "exotic" visa - LTV. It is short-term and is valid only in the country that issued it. Travel, including transit through the territory of other Schengen states is prohibited.

Validity periods and the right to multiple visits

Visa type C has differences in the mechanism of use. She happens:

1. Single. Allows the holder to enter the Schengen area once. After leaving, the document is considered used, even if the validity period has not expired.
2. Double. The action is similar to the previous one. The only difference is that you can visit a European state twice. As soon as the second exit stamp appears in the passport, the permit ceases to be valid.
3. multiple, or. Allows you to enter the Schengen area an unlimited number of times during the entire validity period. However, multiple visas have restrictions on the length of stay. The maximum foreigner is allowed to stay within the zone is 90 days every six months. If the visa is issued for a year, then in the second half of the year you can come for another 90 days.

Visa transcript

It is important to know that "validity of a visa" and "period of stay in the country" are different concepts.

• Validity period - the period when you can use the entry permit.
• Length of stay - the number of days that can be spent in total in the Schengen area.

For example, the validity of a visa is 6 months, and the duration of stay is 14 days. This means that a foreigner can spend a total of two weeks in Europe on any dates within the 6 months determined by the consular officer. If this is a multivisa, 14 days can be divided into several trips. If it's one time, limit it to one.

Special transit permits

Special permits include documents that are issued according to a simplified system and for a specific purpose, namely, travel to the Kaliningrad region through the territory of Lithuania. These are: UTD and UPTD.

In March 2010, all holders of Schengen visas category D rejoiced and threw up their hats and bonnets: a council of foreign ministers European Union amended the provision on the issuance of long-term Schengen visas (that is, for a period of more than 3 months). Such citizens, according to decision are equal to those who have a temporary residence permit. They can move freely within the Schengen countries, but for a period not exceeding three months.

Previously, holders of a Schengen visa category D could only be in the territory of the state party to the Schengen Agreement, which issued this visa. The only chance for such citizens to visit outside this country was the movement through the territory of other countries to the country that issued the visa.

But the new rules also stipulate that the period of validity of a long-term visa should not exceed a year. If the Schengen state allows any citizen to stay in its territory for more than a year, then the visa must be automatically replaced by a temporary residence permit before its expiration date.

Schengen visa D

Stop-stop-stop - the attentive reader will cry out. What is this? Yes, there is one, and we deliberately haven't told you about it yet. Because it deserves - at least in the context of this news - special attention.

Who calls a category D visa long-term, and who - national. Why? A national visa is simply a visa that is issued by a particular country. Accordingly, the rules for obtaining it, and where it is received and for what merits - each country has its own. A Schengen visa is the same for the entire Schengen area. Where to get a Schengen visa? Anyone can answer this question: at the embassy of one of the countries of the agreement! But the rules for obtaining it were unified. And national visas are obtained according to their own rules.

For a long time there were rumors that in 2011 the long-term visa D will become a national one. But such information - despite the fact that it is already 2011 - has not been confirmed. And this is good. Indeed, many holders of such a visa have a real chance to “stay for a long time” by obtaining a permanent residence permit. In fact, such a resolution of the situation depends mainly on the country in which the citizen lives. Yes, and it would not hurt to clarify the rules for using a visa by contacting the consulate where the Schengen visa was issued.

By the way, there was also an adjacent visa - C + D. It combines features of two categories. Such a visa is issued as a national or D, but allows its holder to freely move around the Schengen member countries. But this visa was canceled on April 5, 2010. Why? Yes, because they have simplified the rules for existence in the Schengen zone for D visa holders.

As already mentioned, such a Schengen visa is valid for a year, but some countries may issue it for a longer period, which formally is a reason to hope for permanent residence. If you do not know where to apply for a Schengen visa D, call us and we will advise you on all issues related to its issuance.

Check out the sections on the following topics:

National visa category “D” issued in cases where the applicant has reason to stay in the territory of the Schengen state for more than 180 days a year.
Reason for receiving category “D” visas is training, entrepreneurship, contract work, and family reunification.

In this publication, before you figure out how to get yourself national visa category “D” Let's take a closer look at what this visa looks like.

Our photo has numbers next to each significant item on national visa category “D”, which is pasted into the passport of any citizen who, for one reason or another, has the right to receive a national visa category “D”.

1. This is the place for the photo as on the letterhead national, as well as on the form regular schengen visa.

About what kind of photo is suitable for national visa you can read, since the requirements for photographs are the same for visas of various categories and only the requirements of different states differ.
Thus, the photo requirements for the Czech Schengen or national visa will differ from the photo requirement, for example, for a Polish visa.

2. Here it is indicated European visa type.

In our example, it is indicated that this visa category “D”, i.e., allowing its owner to stay on the territory of this state for more than 90 days in half a year.
You can read more about the types and types of Schengen visas here.

3. Validity national long stay visa, indicated in a certain time interval.

During this period, you can enter the territory of the Czech Republic, and visa category "D" allows you to travel within the Schengen area. Since March 2010, this has been allowed by a special resolution of the European Union, which can be found by clicking on this link: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/jha/113463.pdf

But if it allows you to stay on the territory of the state that issued it for a period of more than 90 days in one half-year, then on the territory of other Schengen countries with this visa you can stay no more than 90 days. And, in addition, this type of visa - national visa category d- does not allow visa-free entry and / or transit through other European countries that are not part of the Schengen area.

4. This is the country that issued the visa.

The country to which the visa applies is marked here. Recall that on April 5, 2010, the visa code came into force, which states that any visa issued by a country that is a member of the Schengen Agreement is an absolutely legal basis for free movement within the Schengen area.
AT this case the letters “CZ” is the code of the country that issued the visa, which means that the visa is Czech.
For national visas other European countries use different letters

5. This is where the visa was issued.

In our case, St. Petersburg. Recall that national long stay visa can be obtained both at the consulate and through Visa Center Schengen member countries.

6. The date of issue is shown here. national visa.

7. It displays information about the number of allowed entries into the country.

Any long stay national visa issued for multiple entries into this Schengen country.

8. Passport number Russian citizen who is allowed to stay in the country for national schengen visa.

9. Here is the immigrant visa number.

It is immigration, because "national visa "d" is a visa that allows in the future to obtain a residence permit and / or citizenship of a given European country

10. This is the number of days of stay national schengen visa.

The number of days depends on the reason that was the basis for the issuance long stay national visa.
This may be a fixed-term work contract with specific terms of stay, admission to a university, college or school that has different terms, as well as other reasons, the consideration of which is discussed in separate articles on our blog dedicated to obtaining a visa category "D" in different European countries.

11. Name and surname of the owner national visa type D.

12. Service information informing on the basis on which the Embassy issued national long stay visa.

In this case, this information concerns a foreigner in whose name the company was registered in the Czech Republic.
This information is filled in by the applicant in national visa application and supported by relevant documents for registration national visa category D.

13. Seal of the Embassy

In this case, this is the seal of the Consulate of the Czech Republic in St. Petersburg, which is among the applicants for national visa is considered the most liberal Consulate in Russia.

14. It contains official information about the type of visa, its number, as well as the data of a foreigner.

It is she who is read at the border by a border scanner when you enter the Schengen countries.

In our next articles, we will analyze in detail what specific documents are required to obtain long-term national visas who still among our population have the “glory” of an immigrant visa. True, this is not always the case and not for all countries.

Follow our publications, in subsequent articles we will talk about what requirements apply to applicants for this type of immigrant visa, as well as how to get it