What is a Schengen visa?

Schengen, the Schengen states, the Schengen visa, the Schengen agreement - who among us has not heard these concepts firmly entrenched in the lexicon of the Russian tourist community? But, regrettably, to think about the true meaning of the usual word combinations and find out what a Schengen visa is, only the upcoming trip abroad makes us. Meanwhile, the modern enlightened person should at least in general terms represent what is at stake.

The Schengen area was formed in 1985 as a result of the agreement of several European countries on the abolition of customs passport control. Near the town of Schengen (Duchy of Luxembourg), a treaty was signed, which became an alternative to the previously existing standard for the visa regime. Today, referring to the Schengen, often mean a visa or a group of countries where it is allowed to enter, and the Schengen visa itself is an opportunity for access and free movement without internal border controls over the 24 EU countries. Having a Schengen visa issued at the Italian Embassy, you can, for example, make a trip to Germany or France without bothering with excessive red-tape on request visas at the embassies of these countries.

But when talking about what a Schengen visa is, you should not forget about the existing restrictions. So, it should be requested at the embassy or consulate of the state where the main time is planned to stay, and it is preferable to enter the Schengen states through the country to whose embassy you were applying. It should also be remembered that, despite the open borders of the Schengen countries, selective inspections are possible at any of the border points.

There are different types of Schengen visas, but Russian citizens need a category C (tourist) for tourist or business trips. It can be of two types: single or multiple action. Such visas are subdivided into several subtypes. So, a single stay is allowed for up to 30 or up to 90 days, and permission for multiple entry is issued for 1 year or 5 years.

Having determined what a Schengen visa is, one should also present the period of its operation. A single entry visa allows you to stay in the country that issued it for the specified period. At the same time, it is possible to travel freely throughout the European Union. The current rules allow unimpeded movement within the Schengen area without entering the country, given the visa issued. But you should prepare for possible questions when crossing the borders and document the truthfulness of your history. For example, if you have a Finnish visa, it does not hurt to present your hotel reservation in Finland or the invitation of your Finnish friends. By receiving a multiple visa, you become the owner of the right to stay in Europe for up to 90 days, and you can use it every six months.

When applying to the consulate or embassy for a visa, it is recommended to remember that his employees by default perceive the future visitor of their country to be undesirable for entry. After all, knowing what a Schengen visa is and what advantages it gives to tourists, the consulate is thinking about the economic feasibility of such a trip for the country, as well as about the absence in the minds of a candidate for entry of any criminal overtones. Therefore, before you get a welcome visa, you have to prove the decency of your intentions and financial viability.

The requirements for a candidate for a Schengen are broadly unified for all countries, but in each embassy there can be different nuances. In such a situation, references and documents confirming the purity of your intentions can not be superfluous, and should not be based on a standard set of documents. In connection with the tightening of the procedure for issuing visas by the EU countries, the process of obtaining them can be affected by much - both the presentable appearance of the candidate, and his speech, and his behavior.