If you are planning to travel to the Schengen area for a variety of reasons, then it is best for you to know the different types of Schengen visa. Before proceeding to the specific kinds of Schengen visa, it may be more appropriate to have a brief overview of what a Schengen visa is.
A Schengen visa is a temporary travel permit given by any of the Schengen member countries that allows tourists to travel in and around the Schengen area within the prescribed time. Tourists who wish to travel to the Schengen area must submit pertinent documents to the embassy of the Schengen member country where tourists plan to stay longer.
Here are the requirements that you need to complete:
- Valid passport and copies of the front and back pages
- Current passport-sized photos with white background
- Completed Schengen Visa application form
- Proof of travel such as flight booking, travel itinerary, and hotel booking – You may get a Flight Booking for Visa and Hotel Reservation for Visa just for your visa application without having to pay for the airfare or hotel booking.
- Travel Insurance – It is better to acquire this from Schengen Travel Insurance, an affordable and reliable insurance company.
- Personal Coverage Letter
- Bank Documents
- For employed travellers, a No Objection Letter is highly recommended
Different Types of Schengen Visa:
There are currently 3 main types of Schengen visa granted by any of the Schengen member countries. Out of these three main types, the first type of Schengen visa is what you really need to familiarize yourselves with because this is most probably the visa that you will be applying for.
First Type: Uniform Schengen Visa (USV):
As mentioned above out of the three different kinds of Schengen visa, the USV is most likely what you will be applying for especially if you are travelling for leisure, commerce, or medical purposes. The USV is further divided into 2 different kinds: the A Visa and C Visa.
- The A Visa – The letter “A” stands for Airport Transit Visa. This type of visa gives permit to transit passengers who will have a short stopover in any of the international airports found within the Schengen area; however does not permit the transit passengers entry in the Schengen area. Travellers who must apply for the A visa are those who are travelling from a non-Schengen country to another non-Schengen country but require airline transfers within the Schengen area.
- The C Visa – The C visa is synonymous to a short-term permit. This type of visa allows travellers to enter and dwell in the Schengen area within a prescribed number of days. The duration of this short-term visa may be as brief 10 days or as long as 90 days. The C visa is further classified into 3 types:
- Single Entry Visa – This type of visa only allows travellers a one-time entry to the Schengen area. This means that any traveller may cross borders from one Schengen country to another Schengen country but is not allowed to re-enter if he/she exits the Schengen area. Single-Entry visa is most likely given to first time Schengen visa applicants who have not travelled to any country in Europe, North America, or Japan.
- Double Entry Visa – This type of visa allows travellers a two-time entry to the Schengen area within a prescribed period. This means that any traveller can travel to a Schengen country and then visit a non-Schengen country and finally return to a Schengen country.
- Multiple Entry Visa – This type of visa allows travellers limitless entry to the Schengen area within a prescribed period. This means that any traveller can enter, exit, and re-enter a Schengen country at any time within the duration of the visa. This type of visa is most likely given to visa applicants who have been previously granted a Schengen visa.
Second Type: Limited Territorial Travel Visa:
This second type of visa, the Limited Territorial Travel Visa, is granted to a traveller who is given limited entry permit to a specific Schengen member country. This means that the traveller will receive a visa that specifies which Schengen countries he/she can travel to. For example, if the visa specifies that the traveller can only travel to Italy, then it means that he/she cannot go to France, Greece, Spain, or any other Schengen country for that matter. Although Schengen member embassies more commonly grant the USV, embassies are still given the upper-hand in deciding whether a particular visa applicant does not need a USV and just need a limited permit for emergency purposes.
Third Type: National Visa:
Out of the 3 different types of Schengen visa, the National visa is the only visa granted to applicants who wish to travel to the Schengen area for work or education purposes. Another name for National visa is the “D” visa. This visa is given to students or employees who wish to study or work in the Schengen area but will go back to their country of origin after some period of time. The “D” visa may be given with a single-entry condition or a multiple-entry condition; this all depends on the length of stay and the purpose of stay of the applicant.
Different Types of Schengen Visa – Know what you need!
Now that you have a brief introduction of the three different types of Schengen visa and each type’s subcategories, if any, you can now decide which particular Schengen visa to apply for. Of course, you cannot dictate to the embassy to give you a double-entry or a multiple-entry visa but at least you now have an idea of which type of visa you will need and have an idea which type of visa will be granted to you.
Remember to comply with the embassy’s requirements and complete the necessary documents to have better chances of getting an approved stamp on your passport. Should you have more queries about the visa application process, you may contact us through our website or Facebook page.
Know what you need by familiarizing yourself to the different types of Schengen visa!
