Everyone who has visited Europe at least once wants to return there again and again, see the beauty and charms of ancient cities, and immerse themselves in the history and culture of every European city. As we know, almost all countries belonging to the European Union are members of the Schengen Agreement; accordingly, they are united not only by a visa-free regime, but also by a visa code, according to which foreign citizens are admitted.

Those who travel frequently know that almost every year there are some changes in the code, new visa rules for entry into the Schengen zone are introduced. And citizens who rarely travel or have never had a Schengen visa are unlikely to know about the rules of October 18, 2013, as well as the innovations adopted in 2014 and in force since January 29, 2017. In addition, there are other requirements, such as the “main country rule” or the informal “first entry rule into Schengen”. So, let's look at everything in order.

Changes to the code from 2013

According to the innovations of October 18, the principle of counting days of stay in the Schengen zone was changed. Thus, before the adoption of these rules, a tourist could stay in the country with a Schengen visa for 90 days for six months. Then after acceptance, the days of stay are counted completely differently. How? Let's find out further.

Now the number of days will be counted for the entire year. That is, 90 days are allowed to stay not for half a year, but for a year. For example, if the visa validity period is one year from 1.04. 2017 to April 1, 2015, and you have three trips planned for this year, then the total number of days of stay should not exceed 90 days. If you spent the whole summer in the Schengen zone, and then plan a ski trip in November-December, then this will be impossible. Alas, these are the new rules!

Days are counted even for a Schengen visa whose period has expired, if it applies to the current year.

This affects not only those who spend a lot of time abroad and need to constantly count days, but also those who rarely travel, because they will also have to wait in all the queues when going through passport control, because this is a rather lengthy and scrupulous procedure.

Airlines find themselves in an equally awkward position as a result of these changes. Why? It’s simple, now the airline must return a tourist to his homeland at his own expense if he is in the visa country illegally or without the right to do so. Accordingly, all checks now take much longer, because you need to check all the stamps set by customs officers, and they are not always clearly visible, etc. These were the introductions dated October 18, 2013.

Innovations for 2017

For everyone wishing to visit the Schengen zone, new rules are now in force, according to which every traveler must leave fingerprints upon entry. For this purpose, a unified register of fingerprints has been specially created. They will only be valid for five years, after which they will need to be withdrawn again. As for the biometric passport, fingerprinting will need to be done separately.

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When filling out the application form for the first time to create biometric data and enter it into the unified visa registry (VIS), the applicant must come in person; subsequent applications can be made online. The use of biometric data will be protected from unauthorized access and misuse. In addition, such a data processing system will allow you to control and prevent unreasonable refusals to obtain a visa.

Starting April 1, 2017, it will be necessary to submit fingerprints of all 10 fingers. Which will provoke a sharp decrease in the number of travelers to Europe.

Despite such seemingly pessimistic changes, there are also positive changes. Schengen countries will now be able to issue visas for a short period of time - 15 days - for major sporting or cultural events. But these visas will only be valid in the country where the event will take place.

These changes will be introduced gradually, all countries will be connected to the system in order of priority, each country will be informed in advance about the connection date.

Traditional rules

There are also already established Schengen rules that all Schengen visa holders must adhere to. So there is a “main country” rule, many mistakenly consider it a mandatory “first entry” rule, which is far from true. Let us consider in more detail the mandatory requirements for obtaining a Schengen visa

  • The first visa rules: if the applicant wishes to visit several countries during his trip, then he must apply for a visa through the consulate of the country that is the main one. What does it mean? The main one is the country in which the time spent in which occupies the maximum share of your trip. If for some reason it is not possible to determine the main country, then we contact the consulate of the state where we find ourselves upon our first entry. In this case, you need to submit documents that confirm your stay in each country, or you can write them in the invitation.
  • During the trip, it is mandatory for the traveler to have all the documents that confirm his visit: purpose, method of travel, funds.

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There is a huge likelihood that if you apply for a visa through the consulate of a country that is not your main one, you may not be allowed into the country of your main destination.

  • As for the first entry, you need to be extremely careful. Despite the fact that the rule is informal, much fewer complaints arise if the main country, the country whose consulate issued the visas, and the first one you visited are the same state. If it so happens that you had to enter from the other side, then save all receipts, tickets, documents from the hotel in order to confirm the correct use of the visa.
  • If you receive a new visa at the time the previous one is valid, then the new consulate has the right to demand that the previous visa be canceled at the consulate that issued it or cancel it independently upon application from the traveler.
  • A Schengen visa can be used as a transit document through other Schengen countries in order to reach your destination country.

So we have looked at the basic visa rules for entry and stay in the Schengen zone, following which you can have a great trip, vacation, business trip and other events.


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