Difference between Visa Validity and Duration of Stay

Posted date: 08 Apr 2021

The validity of your single-entry visa or double-entry visa depends on the embassy, aside from a multiple-entry visa that allows you to stay in the Schengen region for a maximum of 90 days over a span of 180 days. The Embassy shall designate the number of days for which you are allowed to remain in each of the Schengen countries, as well as the first day on which you are allowed to reach Schengen and the last day on which you are allowed to stay. This is the point that many individuals get confused because they do not know that there is a distinction between the validity of the visa and the length of stay on a visa.

Stay duration-is the maximum number of days that you are allowed to stay in the Schengen region. "Even though you enter just a few minutes before midnight, the first day you enter Schengen is counted as" Day 1 In comparison, the day you leave Schengen is counted as the "Last Day," even though it is just a few minutes after midnight. On the other hand, visa validity is the time during which you can use your visa to enter and stay in the Schengen country.

For example, the length of your visa stay is 10 days, while your visa is valid from 1 January to 20 January. In this case, within this span, you can join the Schengen Zone at any time. This means that you will enter on 3 January and leave on 12 January. On the other hand, if you join on 15 January, despite not having spent the amount of days that you were allowed to remain, you would still have to leave on 20 January.

If, on the other hand, you have a double-entry visa with a visa valid from 1 January to 1 March and a 10-day stay, you can reach the Schengen Region twice during that time. During both journeys, you are still not allowed to stay for more than 10 days. If you stay 7 days during the first trip, then you will stay three days at the most during the second trip. If you take only one trip and spend 10 days in each of the Member States, despite the fact that your visa is still valid, you are not entitled to enter the country. If you have a three-year multiple entry visa, which becomes valid on January 15, 2018, then you will be able to enter and exit the Schengen region anytime you want until January 15, 2021, as per a multiple entry visa. You should not forget that for each 180 day cycle, there is a rule of 90 days.   

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GSP Admin