Dear editors,
A question about a Schengen visa. My girlfriend has a visa that is valid for 1 year and she is coming to the Netherlands for 2 months next week, so she has 1 month left. Can I have her come over again for 1 month at Christmas? For example from December 10th to January 5th and then from April 7th to July 5th?
Your reaction please,
Yours faithfully,
Herman
Dear Herman,
This depends on the number of entries indicated on the visa sticker. If there is the number 1 (which according to the rules is not usual if the visa is valid for more than 3 months), this means that the visa will expire after the first entry (for you in July). If it says MULTI then it is a multiple entry visa and someone can enter and leave the Schengen area infinitely as long as the 'valid until' date has not passed.
She is also not allowed to stay longer than the number of days allocated per entry. In the case of a visa of longer duration, the number of days granted is normally the maximum of 90 days.
Of course you have to take into account the fact that someone can only stay here for 90 days in any period of 180 days. For example, 90 days to here, 90 days to stay away, but you can also divide it differently, in ways such as 1 month here, 1 month away, 1 month here, etc. The exact calculation is explained in more detail in the Schengen Visa file: www.thailandblog.nl/wp-content/uploads/Schengenvisum-dossier-januari-2015-complete.pdf
In it I write the following: How long can you stay in the Schengen area?
The maximum length of stay per trip is stated on the visa sticker under 'days'. This is the number of days that someone is allowed to stay in the Schengen area. Of course, a visa can only be used within the specified period of validity, which may not be exceeded either! NB! The maximum length of stay within the Schengen area is 90 days (consecutive or in several parts) over any period of 180 'rolling' days. See 'visa multiple entry' for details. With a visa with 1 entry, you must be careful not to confuse the number of days specified with the 'valid from ... to ...' rule stated on the visa. For example, a visa can be issued for 30 days but be valid from January 1 to February 15. Then you can stay for a maximum of 30 days within a period of one and a half months. The embassy gives an extra period of validity of 15 days as standard, which gives you some leeway when planning your trip. Keep a close eye on the number of days and the validity period of the visa! Never exceed the maximum terms, then you are in overstay and therefore illegal in the country!
I have a multiple entry visa, what does this mean?
The number of entries is marked MULTI on the visa sticker. This is a multiple entry visa. A multiple entry visa (MEV) allows you to enter the Schengen area several times within the validity of the visa. Such a visa is usually valid for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 5 years. You can then easily travel between Thailand and the Schengen area without having to go to the embassy for a new visa for each separate trip. NB! The maximum stay is 90 days in any period of 180 'rolling' days. This basically means that you look back 180 days on every day in the Schengen area and you are not allowed to exceed the limit of 90 days of stay. The next day you look back 180 days to see if you have already reached your maximum and so on. This period of 180 days rolls/rolls over every day. The easiest is of course to stay 90 days on (within Schengen) and 90 days off (outside Schengen), but you can divide the days of your stay as you wish. There is a calculation tool on the website of the European Union where you can check whether you have exceeded your limit
If you get a headache from calculating, there is a handy calculation tool: ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/border-crossing/schengen_calculator_en.html
Unfortunately you do not indicate how long she will be here this summer, I will assume July 5 to September 5 for the sake of simplicity.
In your case, you fill in this tool as follows:
– “Date of entry/control:” 07/04/17
– In the column below, first line, first field 05/07/16, second field 05/09/16 (= 63 days).
– In the line below, first field 10/12/16 and in the second field 05/01/17 (=27 days).
– Then click on 'calculate' and the screen will show “Start of 90 days period: 08/01/17. Start of 180 days period: 10/10/16. The stay may be authorized for up to: 90 day(s)” This means that she could stay for 7 days from April 90. But of course never longer than the validity of the visa. If it is valid until July 5, 2017, she must have left no later than July 4, 2017.
Of course there are more options, just play with the tool. How long can she stay from 10th December if she is here from 5th July to 5th September? Date of control 10/12/16. And in the column we again enter 05/07/16 and 05/09/16. If you click on 'calculate', the tool will indicate that she should be allowed to stay for 10 days from 90 December.
In short, take the visa at hand and go through the following steps:
- Look at the number of entries. If she only has 1 entry, the visa will be used up as soon as she leaves here again. If it says MULTI, you're in the right place.
- Look at the number of days, she may never exceed the number of days specified per trip.
- Play with compiling the number of days of stay (but never more than 90 days in any 180-day period). Use the calculator for this.
- Please note that you are never present in the Schengen area before or after the 'valid from' and 'valid until' dates.
Wishing you lots of fun together.
Regards,
Rob V