What is a Schengen Visa?
The Schengen visa is honored by the following European countries currently: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. The Schengen visa, permits entry/stay in the above countries. Travelers should apply for a visa for the country in which they intend to stay the longest (the main destination) and or is their first port of entry.
Schengen visa is an official document added to your passport allowing you to enter and travel throughout the Schengen Zone for a specified amount of time and for a specified purpose. Countries in the Schengen Zone include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
Since 26th March 1995, a new type of visa – the Schengen Visa – has been introduced by the following member-states of the European Union who are signatories of the Schengen Agreement: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden. The Schengen visa issued by an Embassy or Consulate of the above countries allows the holder to move freely in all of these countries within the validity of the visa. You must ask a visa for multiple entries. It’s usually valide for period of 1, 3 monthhs or more. In order to apply you need to go to the embassy of one of the Schengen country. More information here: http://www.eurovisa.info/.
TOP A Schengen visa is a short term visa, which entitles the holder to an accumulated stay up to 90 days per half year within the Schengen countries for tourist and business purposes only. The holder of a Schengen visa is not entitled to take up any kind of employment or studies. Schengen visa cannot be transformed into a study visa after arrival in Germany! Border controls within the Schengen countries have disappeared; there are no or few stops and checks. This means that internal air, road and train travel are handled as domestic trips.
The Schengen visa gets its name from a small town in Luxembourg where a treaty was signed in 1995 to end internal border checkpoints and controls. The following European countries currently honor this visa: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. With a Schengen visa, you may enter one country and travel freely throughout the Schengen zone. It applies only to nationalities who would normally be required to obtain a visa prior to traveling to those countries. (For example, this would typically NOT apply to U.S. citizens.) Travelers should apply for a visa for the country in which he/she intends to stay the longest (the main destination). If the traveler does not have a main destination, he/she should apply for a visa for the country which is the first point of entry.
