Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with schengen

Do I need to get a multiple entry visa for Spain/Andorra travel as a US citizen?

anarchivist — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:21:55 -0800

I'm going to Spain (Barcelona) for 10 days, and I'm a US citizen, which in my understanding grants me a de facto 90-day single entry Schengen visa. I've been thinking about going to Andorra, a non-Schengen country, which suggests to me that I would therefore require a multiple entry Visa. Preliminary research confirms this. Stupid question: do I need to do this before I leave? Can anyone else who has gone to Andorra from Spain attest to the strictness or laxity of the immigration controls?

Gotta get back.

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:40:57 -0800

I need to return to Poland, but I don't know if I can. Visa issues. I moved to Poland in April, because I wanted to learn the language and I had a good friend I wanted to visit. I'm a US citizen, so I didn't need a visa.

I stayed in Poland for four months. At the time, someone had told me if I leave Schengen before three months I could return and stay another three months. (I now understand this to be incorrect.) So I went to the Ukraine for a weekend and came back.

I flew back to the States last week to spend three weeks with my family. When I went through passport control in Zurich, the agent was furious, and said I had stayed too long. I told her I went to the Ukraine. She said I had no stamps of my time there - it was true.

It turns out that the border guards in the Ukraine neglected to stamp my passport, although I did have the exist and entry stamps from the Polish side of the border from that visit. The agent in Zurich called a higher-up and decided to let me continue on my journey, and said next time to make sure I've been stamped. I don't know if this has a permanent effect on my ability to enter Schengen again, or not.

Two months ago I bought a ticket to return to Poland from the States. I arrive on September 5th and fly out on December 15th, which is 101 days.

Only now have I realized that this is illegal, even if I hop over to Russia in November. I'm in a bit of a panic now, because I have a life in Poland - I have a girlfriend, close friends, and an apartment. When I arrive in Zurich again (I'm flying through the same airport again!) I worry that they will deport me, fine me, and maybe ban me from the Schengen zone.

I realize now that I should have gone for a visa while I was there; a residency, student, or some sort of visa. I am studying Polish, so it's possible I could attempt some kind of student visa.

Is there anything I can do? Is there an additional visa I can pay for? I want to be back there legally. I could wait a couple more months but I need to be back there as soon as possible, as my life is there. Do I have any options besides waiting?

I'm trying to contact the embassy but I thought I would ask the hivemind as well, since I'm starting to really get worried.

Schengen Visa Insurance

wigner3j — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:49:29 -0800

What online company should I use to purchase travel insurance that meets the Schengen visa requirements? We are traveling from Philadelphia to Germany for a week starting in early July. I just had a moment of panic when I remembered my wife doesn't have a US passport. Turns out she needs a Schengen visa so we are heading to NY tomorrow to apply at the German consulate. How about this insurance requirement for the Schengen visa? Can anyone suggest a reputable company to quickly provide this insurance and a letter providing proof? Is this generally covered by health insurance provided by employers? Finally, anyone know how long it takes to get one of these visas?

Breaking the law - euro style

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:00:43 -0800

I am a US citizen considering staying longer than 90 days (the length of a Schengen tourist visa) in the Netherlands. What will the consequences be? I will only be staying 5 weeks longer than 90 days, and when I asked IND (the Netherlands immigration office) they told me that in all likelihood I would never get caught. Has anyone else done this successfully (or, more importantly, unsuccessfully)? I have a short layover in London - could there be trouble from the UK (non-Schengen) officials, even if I make it out of the Netherlands with no problems?

Passports, please.

mdonley — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:40:20 -0800

What, exactly, does a Schengen-zone immigration officer at an airport see on his screen when he scans my machine-readable, has-entered-the-Schengen-zone-before non-Schengen passport? I'd love to see a screenshot, or just an explanation of the information available to the officer at first glance.

Ireland-->Spain. APIS required?

knapah — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 05:24:50 -0800

Do I need to provide my passport details for APIS (Advanced Passenger Information System) purposes when flying from Dublin, Ireland to Barcelona, Spain? I will be flying with Aer Lingus in August.

Am I correct in thinking that as Ireland is not part of the Schengen system that the info. must be supplied? If so, where do I supply the information? Check-in? There was no form in the Aer Lingus booking procedure.

Troubles in the Schengen Zone!

gergtreble — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 11:15:02 -0800

Is it possible to get a Schengen Visa or Spanish tourist visa in a day? My girlfriend has lost her Austrian ID card which is her Schengen visa. We are due to fly to the Canary Islands a week today. Do we have any hope? Theres My girlfriend is Kenyan. But she is Legitimized in Austria. The Austrian government issues her with an ID card that allows her to travel freely within the Schengen zone without needing a visa.

She lost her purse today. Her ID card was in it. She thinks it was left on the bus. We have a holiday in the Canary Islands booked for next Friday. Without that card she cant travel. I've given up hope of it being handed in and gone into "is there a fix?" mode.

She CAN get a new ID card issued. But it has to be done in Vienna. Her mum lives there, but isn't back in Vienna till Tuesday. So I'm guessing this route probably wont work, due to lack of time.

However. There is a Spanish Consulate in Manchester (We are in England BTW). Do you think it would be possible for her to turn up there on Monday or Tuesday and be issued with a Schengen Visa or Tourist visa for spain, within a day or so? I guess she will need the travel documents and everything so I would have to pull a sick day and meet her there. I think this is the best plan of attack.

Finally, anyone have experience of canceling a package holiday? Would I get any money back? Or can I kiss my £800 goodbye?

This is the first non-trivial emergency post I've made to metafilter. Im so glad I didn't waste my question this week.

Hope me out here!

Getting a Schengen visa

celine — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 14:37:19 -0800

In which one of the Schengen countries is it easier to get a Schengen visa? My Chinese flatmate wants to get a Schengen visa for his wife who's still in China and who wants to visit him (we're in London) and travel around Europe with him. He heard that getting a Schengen visa was easier in some countries than in others. Is that true? If it is, where is it easier to get one?