the Schengen State(s) to whose territory the validity of the visa is restricted - in this heading, in the language of the Member State issuing the visa, the name of one or more Member States, to whose territory the stay of the holder of the visa is restricted, is indicated. If the “Valid for” section does not allow inclusion of all codes of Member States that accept or do not accept the relevant travel document, then the letters are reduced: BE - Belgium, CZ - Czech Republic, DK - Denmark, DE - Germany, EE - Estonia, GR - Greece, ES - Spain, FR - France, IT - Italy, LV - Latvia, LT - Lithuania, LU - Luxembourg, HU - Hungary, MT - Malta, NL - Netherlands, AT - Austria, PL - Poland, PT - Portugal, SI - Slovenia, SK - Slovakia, FI - Finland, SE - Sweden, IS - Iceland, NO - Norway, CH - Switzerland.

Possible options in case of limited validity of the visa:

a) inclusion in the heading of the codes of the Member States concerned;

b) inclusion of the entry "Schengen States" followed by a minus sign and the codes of the Member States in whose territory the visa is not valid.

2. Rubric “From … until …” (“From … to …”)

This section indicates the period of stay in the Schengen country.

"From" - the date of authorized entry into the territory covered by the visa, is entered after the word "From" in the following way: DD-MM-YY (a horizontal bar is used for separating purposes).

"Until" - indicates the last day of the term. On that date, the visa holder must leave the territory for which the visa is valid before midnight.

3. Rubric “Type of visa”

This section indicates the type of Schengen visa. Here are the following marks:

A - visa for transit through the airport,

C - visa for a short stay,

D - visa for long-term stay.

4. Rubric “Number of entries”

This section contains the number of times a Schengen visa holder can enter the territory for which the visa is valid.

The number fits in with right side from printed text - "01" or "02", or the abbreviation "MULT" gives the right to more than two entries.

In the case of a multiple-entry airport transit visa, its validity period is determined as follows: the first date of departure plus six months.

If the total number of departures made by the visa holder equals the number of entries allowed, then the visa is no longer valid even if the visa holder has not fully exhausted the number of days allowed by the visa.

5. Rubric "Duration of stay" ("Term of stay ... days")

This section indicates the number of days during which the holder of a Schengen visa can stay in the territory.

The number of allowed days is entered in the free space between the "Duration of stay" and the "Days" in the form of two digits (if the number of corresponding days is less than ten, then the first digit will be zero).

The maximum number of days that can be entered in this category is 90.

Such a stay may be subdivided into several periods within the dates indicated in the “From … until …” rubric, taking into account the number of entries allowed according to the “Number of entries” rubric.

When the visa is valid for more than six months, the duration of stays is 90 days in each six-month period.

6. Heading "Issued in" ("Issued in (place) ... (date) ...")

The name of the place where the Schengen visa was issued and the date of issue.

7. The heading "Number of passport" ("Passport number")

Here you enter the data of the document for the trip, in which the visa stamp is affixed. The passport number of your spouse, parent or guardian (custodian) is indicated.

Where the applicant's travel document is not recognized by the issuing Member State, a uniform visa stamping sheet format shall be used for visa stamping purposes.

8. Rubric "Surname, name" ("Surname and name")

In this section indicate the "last name" and "first name" of the holder of a Schengen visa.

9. Rubric "Remarks" ("Notes")

Notes are made here that indicate additional data for internal communication between visa service workers

Designation of additional marks:

"R/[representing Member State code]";

the following mark is additionally included: "TRANSIT".

Zone for automated data reading

Consists of two lines of 36 characters (OCR B-10 cpi). For example:

VCESTPETROV< - тип документа (V); код типа визы (А, С, D); алфавитный код ИКАО из 3 знаков (код страны); фамилия и имя (фамилия отделяется от имен двумя промежуточными знаками (<<);

different elements of the surname / name are separated by an intermediate sign (<);

unused space elements are filled with the sign (<);

0000624938BLR8105071F1208017 - visa number (number printed in the upper right corner of the stamp); control mark (is the result of a complex calculation based on the previous zone, according to the algorithm defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization of the United Nations); citizenship of the applicant (country code); date of birth (in YYMMDD format); check mark; gender (F/M); visa expiration date (in YYMMDD format); check mark; territorial effect - "T" if a single visa, insert the intermediate sign "<»); количество въездов (1, 2 или M); срок пребывания (краткосрочное пребывание – количество дней, вписанное в зону для визуального чтения, долгосрочное пребывание – «<<»), начало действия визы (в формате ММДД).

Instruction

Typically, a visa is a sticker that occupies one page in the passport. The visa contains information about the host country, the applicant (name and surname, date of birth, gender, citizenship, passport number) and validity period. It also indicates the category and number of entries that can be made on this visa, the date of issue and the purpose of the trip. Sometimes information about the inviting person or organization is added to the visa. A special code contains other information that is understandable only to employees of embassies: it can be used to determine by whom and where this visa was issued.

Most modern visas are protected from forgery using various methods. This may be a special form containing water lines and patterns that are difficult to repeat or imitate. Usually, though not always, the visa is "decorated" with a fresh photo of the applicant, so that the seasoned traveler's passport turns into a mini-photo album.

Visas of all countries are slightly different. There is no single set of rules that would regulate the rules for issuing visas for all countries. But such rules may exist if the countries have entered into an alliance providing for a single visa area, for example, the Schengen Union. Previously, each country that was part of it issued a visa with its own design, but now all Schengen visas look almost the same. Visas of many countries are light green in color. Russia also issues light green visas. There are visas of a different color, for example, an American visa. The visa of the same country may look different, depending on the selected country.

Previously, visas were issued not in the form of a sticker, but were written out on a regular sheet of paper. It was glued or put into the passport. Today, there are also visas that are not present in the passport, but these are already those that are issued via the Internet. Some countries allow you to submit documents and pay the visa fee through the site, and the visa comes in the form of a document by e-mail. It must be printed out (although officially this may not be done - the presence of a visa is determined by the passport).

Some visas are stamped in the passport. On this seal, some information can be manually added, for example, the length of stay. Such a visa is easy to forge, and handwritten data can be corrected, so countries trying to control immigration do not use them.

Do not confuse a visa with a stamp that is placed when crossing the border. The stamp is put up by border guards at passport control. It contains information about the place where the border was crossed and the date of this event. But if one country has canceled visas for citizens of another country, then the stamp actually replaces the visa. For example, in a number of countries in Southeast Asia, Russian tourists are stamped and do not require a visa if the period of stay meets certain rules.

If a person travels often, it is very convenient to have a multi visa(this is the so-called annual visa). A multivisa looks like a special stamp in your passport and gives you the opportunity to repeatedly visit the countries included in the Schengen Agreement, the USA and some others. Such a document is issued like a regular visa, but with a number of features.

Instruction

A multivisa can be of several types, depending on the number of days of possible entry, the number of days of stay depends, respectively: 30 days of entry - 15 days of stay, 45 days of entry - 30 days of stay, 60 days of entry - 30 days of stay, 90 days of entry - 60 days stay, 180 days of entry - 90 days of stay, 360 days of entry - 180 days of stay. The visa must indicate the number of days of entry and residence.

Submit the following documents: 2 photographs 3.5x4.5 cm matte on a white background, passport valid for at least three months, certificate of employment on company letterhead indicating position, salary and length of service, bank statement indicating the balance on the account (usually amount not less than 50,000 rubles), copies of all passports ever issued, copies of all pages of a Russian passport.

Fill out a questionnaire. Pay the visa and service fee. This can usually be done directly at the embassy. Visa processing takes 3 to 7 business days.

It costs a multivisa from 1000 euros. Many countries require citizens entering on a multivisa to have a medical insurance policy without a deductible and with a coverage amount of at least 30,000 euros.

To obtain a multi-visa to the Schengen countries, the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa, you need to do the following - contact the consulate of the country where you plan to travel, and write a reasoned application there. The justification for issuing such a visa may be an invitation from relatives, friends (not always an invitation from friends is taken into account, remember) or an employer.

However, please note that the annual visa are issued only to those citizens who have previously received visas to the countries listed above.

Related videos

Obtaining a US visa is considered a difficult procedure for Russian citizens. The decision is made by the visa officer on the basis of a personal conversation with the applicant. Sometimes it looks contradictory. A nice feature is that any visa issued by this country is multiple entry.

Preparation of documents

The peculiarity of obtaining a visa to the United States is that you will definitely have to pass an interview with a visa officer. The only exceptions are those applicants who already have a US visa in their passport. Those who submit documents for the first time cannot do without a visit to the consulate.

The visa officer makes a decision based on the conversation. Documents may not even be needed. However, it is recommended to have as many papers as possible with you, as in a disputed case they can influence the decision. The required documents include the following:

International passport,
- an old passport, if it contains visas of the countries of the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Australia or the countries of the Schengen agreement,
- confirmation of filling out the questionnaire on the site,
- receipt of payment of the visa fee,
- photo,
- certificate from work or study,
- statement from the bank account.

Additionally, the following papers may be useful:

Certificate of registration of a legal entity,
- copies of tax returns,
- certificates of ownership of real estate or valuable property,
- certificates of marriage or birth of children.
- confirmation of the purpose of the trip, for example, an invitation or hotel reservations,
- thoughtful itinerary.

There is no need to translate documents. A certificate from work and an account statement must be submitted in their original form, photocopies can be made of other papers.

After filling out the questionnaire on the site, you will be asked to sign up for a visit to the consulate. To do this, you will need to indicate the number of the receipt for payment of the state duty, which is 160 US dollars. The names of banks where you can pay the fee are indicated on the website.

Passing an interview

The interview is the most critical part of the procedure for obtaining a US visa. Before going to the consulate, be sure to think over the answers to questions about what you are going to do in the USA, how much time you plan to spend there. They also usually ask about what you are currently doing, whether you have a family.

During the conversation, try not to be nervous, behave calmly. Until you are asked for documents, do not get them. This is not the place to take the initiative.

Usually the decision is made immediately, and you are informed about it. If this did not happen, then you can find out about the result on the website of the migration service or by calling the call center.

Validity of issued visas

Starting in 2012, the US Consulate will only issue multiple visas valid for 1 year or 3 years. One-year visas are usually issued to people with business purposes, and three-year visas to all other candidates.

The number of days you are allowed to stay is entered by the passport control officer when you cross the border. Usually it is 6 months during one visit. It also happens that if you cross the border several times, 6 months are entered in your passport each time. The peculiarity of a US visa is that you can enter the country even on the last day of its validity.

Related videos

Each state has its own visa formalities and features of the conditions of stay in their territory. With the development of tourism, many countries are gradually simplifying the visa regime, which can significantly increase the incoming tourist flow.

Do Russians need a visa to Cyprus?

Cyprus is included not only in the European Union, but also in the list of countries participating in the Schengen Agreement, so the visa regime with Western European countries is simplified. However, the Schengen Agreement on the territory of Cyprus has been fully suspended indefinitely due to the unresolved territorial situation with Northern Cyprus. The above circumstances allowed Cyprus to create a simplified visa regime with Russia.

Features of the visa regime between Cyprus and Russia

The Republic of Cyprus and the Russian Federation in 2009 entered into an agreement on visa facilitation, according to which Russian citizens can visit sunny Cyprus only on a pro-visa. Such a visa gives the right to a single entry and stay in Cyprus for 90 days. You can fly on it only from the territory of Russia, third countries are strictly excluded.

A pro-visa is relevant for Russian travelers on a direct flight Russia-Cyprus and back.

Travelers who prefer to fly to the island frequently are advised to apply for a regular national visa at the Cypriot embassy in Moscow or St. Petersburg. To do this, you need to provide the necessary documents to the consulate, among which financial guarantees of your own solvency are required. You can apply for a Schengen multi-visa, according to which you first need to visit a Western European country, and then, until its expiration date, you can freely travel to Cyprus.

What does a pro-visa look like?

The pro-visa looks like an A4 form with a table with the entered data of tourists in Latin letters. A pro-visa is free of charge, and you can apply for it via the Internet 1-2 days before departure. To do this, you only need to fill out an electronic template, and you do not need to provide any documents (copies of passports, certificates of employment, etc.). The main requirement is that the passport must be valid for more than 6 months at the time of application. If a ticket is purchased through a tour operator, then an internal questionnaire of the company is filled out. Employees of the travel agency, based on the data provided, will fill out the questionnaire for a pro-visa.

But it should be borne in mind that in case of any questions from the consulate, it is possible to call the embassy or request additional documents. It is undesirable to have stamps of Northern Cyprus in the passport: in the vast majority of cases, this threatens to be denied entry into the territory of the Greek part of Cyprus in the future. Officially, the country's authorities have pledged not to impede entry and exit through the ports and airports of the northern part of the island, but in reality, unfortunately, the opposite is still happening.

There are simplified visa regimes between the countries. One example is the Cyprus pro-visa.

It is noteworthy that for the establishment of a simplified visa regime with Russia, Cyprus annually pays a fine to the European Union. However, it can be assumed that the state's income from the influx of Russian tourists is significantly higher, because the regime has been in place for five years.

The international relations of our state with most European countries are developing in such a way that in order to visit them, Russians need to obtain a special permit for entry and stay. A large number of European states are united by a common space that has arisen as a result of joining the Schengen Agreement. Thus, the movement is also simplified for foreign citizens: it is enough to have a visa of one of the countries in order to freely move around all included in the Schengen zone. What a visa to these countries looks like and how to correctly understand the information contained in it will be discussed in this article.

What a Schengen visa looks like is known to a fairly small number of our compatriots, especially in recent years due to the innovation on the mandatory surrender of fingerprints (hence, personal presence when submitting documents). A visa is a rectangular sticker (or stamp), slightly smaller than the page of a foreign passport, in color from green to pink.

Minor differences in this document are encountered when issuing it by one or another Schengen state (in particular, the name of the document, the language of its compilation, the abbreviation of the issuing state).

What information is on the visa

Permission to enter and stay in a European country consists of several sections and contains the following information:

• Number of the issued permit.
• The territory in which this visa is valid (in this case, most likely, it will cover all countries of the Schengen area).
• Section with the start and end dates of the visa.
• Type of entry permit.
• The number of entries that a visa holder can make to the territory of the country that issued it (or any other Schengen country, subject to the rules of stay).
• The period during which the permit holder may stay in the country.
• Place of issue (city) and date.
• Passport number proving the identity of a Russian abroad.
• Surname and name of the applicant.
• Special section with note.
• Color photograph of the recipient.
• Section for automatic reading of information.

What do visa terms mean?

In total, the entry permit contains two types of terms:

1. Period of validity of the visa.
2. The duration of the permitted stay in the country during the period of validity of the visa.

Thus, the period during which the entry and stay permit is valid does not mean that the visa holder can stay in the country during this entire time. And the period of his permissible stay is negotiated separately in the appropriate section (duration of stay).

How to find out which country issued a visa

You can read which country issued a permit document, including by the language in which it is drawn up. But since not every citizen learns a certain language, there is another way. So, in the upper right corner, immediately below the “visa number” section, there is a pale yellow abbreviation corresponding to the code of the state that issued it. This code is generally accepted, therefore it is easy to recognize.

But in case of difficulty, you can look into the Visa Code of the European Union in Russian, where all the transcripts are available. This can be done with a simple query in any search engine.

And the simplest and most obvious way to read the country that pasted the stamp into the passport is immediately evident. The full name of the state in its official language is indicated in large background at the bottom of the visa, and it is rather problematic not to see it.

Where is the type of visa

Newcomers to traveling around European countries often wonder what a visa of one type or another looks like, how to recognize the type of document in the permission received in the passport. In reality, everything is much simpler: outwardly, visas absolutely do not differ in any way, no matter what type it belongs to. There is a special section on this stamp, which has a section consonant with the Russian term called “type of visa”, where its type is indicated by a Latin letter.

Most often, type C appears, as a regular short-term visa, which grants the right to stay in the Schengen area for a short time (from several days to 3 months). In addition, there is the TRANSIT type, which provides the right to arrive in the country in order to transfer to the next flight as soon as possible.

What does visa coding mean?

Everyone who has ever become the owner of a Schengen visa, paid attention to the not entirely clear set of numbers and letters in the lower zone of the stamp. This section is intended for reading information about the document and its owner in automatic mode using special equipment. To deal with what is encrypted in these two lines, the same Visa Code will help.

Both lines have an independent purpose and carry different information. The top one contains:

• The line begins in all cases with the Latin letter V, which means the name of the document.
• The letter indicating the type of visa permit.
• Three characters corresponding to the code of the country that issued the entry permit.
• Surname of the recipient in accordance with the passport data.
• Two separator characters (<<).
• The name of the visa holder.

The next line says:

• 9-digit document number.
• Control sign, which is almost impossible to calculate on your own, consisting of the 1st character.
• Three letters indicating the nationality of the applicant.
• Date of birth, including the last two digits of the year of birth, the month in numerical terms, and the day (required as two digits) in that order.
• Another unambiguous check mark.
• A letter indicating the gender of the recipient, or a sign<, свидетельствующий о неопределённости пола (такое тоже встречается).
• 6 digits of visa expiration date.
• Third check mark.
• The territory to which its actions apply (if it is limited, then T is indicated, otherwise the sign appears<).
• Number of allowed entries (1, 2 or more - M).
• Two digits - the length of the allowable stay.
• Month and day of the start of the visa in the MMDD format.

Since the number of characters in both lines must be the same and be 36, if there are unused characters in the first line, the same sign is put down instead< вместо пробелов.

What is the difference between multivisa

A multi-visa is a type of permit, with which you can make an unlimited number of entries to the Schengen countries within the validity period of the visa and the period of allowable total stay.

It is this type that can be recognized in the received visa in the section “Number of entries” (number of entries). This column may contain the number 1 or 2, indicating the number of entries, or the letter M (sometimes abbreviated MULT), indicating that there is no limit on the number of border crossings. It is the latter that is called a multivisa.

With a thorough study of the relevant information, the recipient of an entry permit to the countries of the European Union will not have any difficulties in how to read the Schengen visa correctly, having learned the maximum of useful information for himself. And the information in this stamp contains really valuable information, which determines the possibility of staying in the country for a certain period of time, the period during which you can visit this country, etc. And the most reliable source of information about the content of a visa is the Visa Code of the countries of the European Union, in accordance with which the issuance and issuance of visa stamps is carried out.

Our company offers a full range of services on all issues related to obtaining a visa as part of organizing your trip abroad. If you need to obtain a visa to one of the countries that is in the list posted on our website, then we:

• We will consult you for all questions. During the consultation, our qualified specialist, having studied the introductory conditions for the trip and the visa history of the applicant, will develop and offer you a personal strategy for resolving your issue. (service is provided free of charge!)
• Let's help You will form and execute the entire package of documents for submission to the consulate - our employee will evaluate the documents for compliance with their requirements of the consulate and, if necessary, issue a list of recommendations for their correction, fill out your visa application based on the data you provided, taking into account all requirements of the consulate, arrange in the required sequence and fully prepare your package of documents for submission, and you will only have to submit them to the consulate. (the service is included in the cost of applying for a visa, but can be provided separately, on average, at the rate of 1500 rubles for a package of documents for 1 tourist)
• We organize for you, the personal submission of your documents to the consulate or its service center. Our employee, at a convenient time for you, will meet you near the consulate or service center, preliminarily take a queue, conduct an operational briefing on the interview and will be with you during the entire time of filing. (the service is provided for almost all countries from the list, it is included in the cost of the visa, but it will take your time)
• Let's give Your documents to the consulate without your presence. (the service is included in the price and allows you to reduce your time spent on obtaining a visa to a minimum)
• Get from the consulate your documents. (the service is included in the cost of the visa)
• We will deliver Your documents and passport to any place convenient for you within the Moscow Ring Road. (departure of the courier is paid separately)
• Let's issue medical insurance policy for traveling abroad. (the service is not included in the cost of the visa and is paid separately)
• Let's help You choose and purchase an air ticket and a hotel. (service paid separately)

We draw your attention to, it is impossible to foresee all the nuances of your trips (although we have tried to do this), therefore: if you did not find the country or visa you need on our website, do not hesitate,call!

Our managers are always happy to help you, and we can offer you the best solution!

And now some useful information:

Before you start applying for a visa, you need to establish what kind of document you need to obtain to enter a particular country. It seems that everything is simple: a tourist, business and visitor visa, but in fact there are many more types.

Here are some of them:

• Transit visa- usually valid for three days or less. It is suitable for crossing the territory of the country during the journey to the final destination.

• Tourist visa - issued for a limited period of travel for the purpose of recreation, which does not allow business enterprises.

• Business or business visa - issued for conducting commercial affairs in the territory of another country.

• Temporary work visa - issued for those who wish to work in another country. It is more difficult to get it than a business one, but it lasts longer.

• student visa - allows the holder to study at a college or university in the host country.

• Visas for free work - suitable for those who like to travel; usually intended for young people who may take on temporary work while traveling in a foreign country.

• Diplomatic or official visa - issued to holders of a diplomatic passport.

• Visa on arrival - received immediately before entering the country, for example, at the airport or at the border.

• Spouse visa - issued to the spouse of a resident or citizen of the country so that the family can settle there.

• wedding visa - given for a limited period before the wedding, based on a confirmed relationship with the citizens of the host country.

• Visa immigrant - given to those who wish to immigrate; it is usually given for one trip, and in the future the immigrant must obtain a resident certificate, which will already allow him to enter the territory of the host country an unlimited number of times.

• Multivisa (multiple entry visa) - an official mark in the passport, which gives permission for multiple entry into the state, travel or exit from it. It makes it possible to repeatedly visit the country from 30 days to one year and at the same time not waste time on processing and collecting travel documents. More often it is given when applying for a business visa or if there is property abroad. The maximum period for which it is issued is one year. If a multiple-entry visa for one year is opened, then the total number of days a citizen stays within a given state should not exceed 90 days. This means that you can repeatedly cross the border, but so that the number of days spent in it does not exceed 90.

Schengen visa
Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Finland, France, Sweden, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Malta, Switzerland - The 25 countries that make up the Schengen area.

All citizens of countries with a mandatory visa regime (Russia, all CIS countries) when entering the territory of the Schengen countries must have a Schengen visa. It gives the right to enter and stay in the Schengen area for a short time (no more than 90 days within six months), within the specified time, it should be obtained at the embassy and consulate of the main host country.

• Category A. - Airport transit. Issued to those who make an air flight in transit through a country of the Schengen group. It implies permission to stay in the transit territory of the airport zone of the participating country, but does not give the right to move within the country.
• Category B. - transit , which gives its owner the right to pass one, two or, as an exception, several times through the territory of one of the member states of the Schengen Agreement on the way to a third state, and the duration of the transit stay cannot exceed five days.
• Category C. - Tourist, valid for one or more entries, and the duration of an uninterrupted stay or the total duration of several stays, starting from the moment of the first entry, cannot exceed three months within half a year.
• Category D. - National for a stay exceeding 3 months. Being national, they are issued by each state in accordance with its national legislation. Such a visa gives its holder the right to travel through the territory of other states of the Schengen group in order to enter the territory of the state that issued the visa. The transit time cannot exceed 5 days.
• Category C+D. Combining the features of the 2 previous categories. Such a visa is issued by one of the Schengen states for a long-term stay, however, it allows its holders to freely move around all member countries of the Schengen Agreement.

Possessing Schengen visa one of the countries participating in the agreement, you can travel to all these countries without issuing visas for each of them separately.

We will provide professional services for the issuance of any type of visas to all countries participating in the Schengen agreement.
Our specialists will take care of the full scope of work. Extensive experience of practical work in this direction, well-established schemes and mechanisms will help to find a way out of any situation.

Explanation of the visa (see picture):

• 1- Visa number.
• 2- "Valid for" - "Valid for". The Schengen area is written in this heading in the language of the issuing country. In the event of a visa restriction, when it is not valid for all countries of the Schengen zone, a minus sign is placed in brackets and the code of the country where the visa is not valid is written. Or codes of countries where this Schengen visa will be allowed are prescribed.
• Next to the vague watermarks (under the visa number) is the country code. For different countries there are the following codes:
• AUT - Austria, BEL - Belgium, HUN - Hungary, DEU - Germany, GRC - Greece, DNK - Denmark, ISL - Iceland, ESP - Spain, ITA - Italy, LVA - Latvia, LTU - Lithuania, LUX - Luxembourg, MLT - Malta, NLD - Netherlands, NOR - Norway, POL - Poland, PRT - Portugal, SVK - Slovakia, SVN - Slovenia, FRA - France, FIN - Finland, CZE - Czech Republic, CHE - Switzerland, SNE - Sweden, EST - Estonia .
• 3- "From... - start date- entry from what date is allowed.
• 4- "Until" - the last day of the permitted stay, when it is necessary to leave the country before midnight.
• 5- "Type of visa". There are different types of visas: A - transit, C - for a short stay (up to 90 days), D - for a long stay.
• 6- "Number of entries" - "Number of entries". In the case of a single / double visit to the country, the number 1 or 2 is put. In the case of multiple permissions, the mark "MULTI" is put.
• 7- "Duration of stay" - "Term of stay". This heading indicates the number of allowed days of stay in the period for fixed dates, which are written in the headings "From...Until....". The maximum possible number of days of stay on a short-stay visa is 90 days.
• 8- "Number of passport" - "Passport number".
• 9- "Surname, Name" - "Surname, Name of the traveler".
• 10- "Remarks" - "Remarks / Notes" - indicates the purpose of the visit.
• 11- Country code under the heading of automated reading of information for consular and customs services, repeating the coding of countries in paragraph 2.

All visa stamps must be printed, without corrections and blots. Although there are exceptions - individual circumstances or technical malfunctions of embassy printers or other significant reasons.

The visa stamp is affixed with the seal of the Consular Service and certified by an employee of the Embassy.

Do not forget to check all your personal data in the issued visa!

Attention all applicants!

We draw your attention to new rules for counting days of stay in the territory of the Schengen countries , entered into force on October 18, 2013.

The legality of your stay in the Schengen area can be checked on any day of your stay there (including when crossing the border) by counting the number of days of stay in the Schengen area in the 180-day period preceding the current date.

When planning your future trip, you need to:

• Count back 180 days (not 6 months!) from each day of your planned stay in the Schengen area.
• Calculate from the entry/exit stamps in the passport(s) the number of days spent in the Schengen area for each 180-day period received.
• Check if the sums received during the calculation do not exceed 90 days in each 180-day period. If they exceed, you need to adjust your plans and make a new calculation.

For a more accurate calculation, you can use the information from the European Commission, including the length of stay calculator, by clicking on the link:
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/border-crossing/index_en.htm

Attention travelers!

A visa is not a guarantee of access to the Schengen countries. The final decision lies with the immigration officer at the border.

In addition to a valid passport with a visa (except for privileged citizens), every foreigner must be able to provide the following documents to an immigration officer:

Regarding his/her stay in the country:

• For tourism: hotel reservation, documents from a travel agency
• For a professional visit: a letter from an employer, an invitation from a company or organization.
• Proof of health insurance, which covers all types of expenses, including a doctor, hospital stays and social assistance.

Concerning his/her livelihood:

• Economic guarantees: certificate of employment indicating the position and salary
• Financial condition: 60€ per day of stay per person, proof can be a credit card accompanied by a summary of the bank account (a summary of the statement obtained via the Internet will not be considered), traveller's checks or cash with a certificate of purchase of currency)

Guarantees to leave the country

• Air ticket (round trip)

If you are a happy owner of a Schengen visa or are just planning to get it, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with how to read a permit to enter European countries and what these letters and numbers on a visa that are incomprehensible to an inexperienced traveler mean. Our article will try to help you with this.

Explanation of the visa (see picture):

1. Visa number.

2. "Valid for" - "Valid for". The Schengen area is written in this section in the language of the state issuing the visa. In case of visa restrictions, when the visa is not valid for all countries of the Schengen zone, a minus sign is placed in brackets and the code of the country where the visa is not valid is written. Or codes of countries where this Schengen visa will be allowed are prescribed.

Next to the vague watermarks (under the visa number) is the country code. For different countries there are the following codes:

AUT - Austria, BEL - Belgium, HUN - Hungary, DEU - Germany, GRC - Greece, DNK - Denmark, ISL - Iceland, ESP - Spain, ITA - Italy, LVA - Latvia, LTU - Lithuania, LUX - Luxembourg, MLT - Malta, NLD - Netherlands, NOR - Norway, POL - Poland, PRT - Portugal, SVK - Slovakia, SVN - Slovenia, FRA - France, FIN - Finland, CZE - Czech Republic, CHE - Switzerland, SNE - Sweden, EST - Estonia .

3. "From... - visa start date - entry from what date is allowed.

4. "Until" - the last day of the permitted stay, when it is necessary to leave the country before midnight.

5. "Type of visa" - "Type of visa". There are different types of visas: A - transit visa, C - visa for a short stay (up to 90 days), D - visa for a long stay.

6. "Number of entries" - "Number of entries". In the case of a single / double visit to the country, the number 1 or 2 is put. In the case of multiple permissions, the mark "MULTI" is put.

7. "Duration of stay" - "Term of stay". This heading indicates the number of allowed days of stay in the visa period for fixed dates, which are written in the headings "From...Until....". The maximum possible number of days of stay on a short-stay visa is 90 days.

8. "Number of passport" - "Passport number".

9. "Surname, Name" - "Surname, Name of the traveler".

10. "Remarks" - "Remarks / Notes" - indicates the purpose of the visit.

11. Country coding in the heading of automated reading of information for consular and customs services, repeating the coding of countries in paragraph 2.

All visa stamps must be printed, without corrections and blots. Although there are exceptions - individual circumstances or technical malfunctions of embassy printers or other significant reasons.

The visa stamp is affixed with the seal of the Consular Service and certified by an employee of the Embassy.

Do not forget to check all your personal data in the issued visa!