After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Russians and citizens of other CIS countries seemed to find it easier to travel around Europe. They can travel abroad for various reasons. Someone goes to do business, someone goes on a business trip, someone wants to visit all kinds of exhibitions. They are going to study and be treated, to visit acquaintances, friends and close people. All these types of overseas trips are determined by a special type of entry permit. It is called a Schengen visa, which can be of various types. The validity period of a Schengen visa depends on its category.
The categories of these European entry permits are divided into four large groups. They are denoted by the Latin letters A, B, C and D. Each of them also has its own subcategories. The validity period of a Schengen visa is determined by both larger and smaller subspecies of these types. Let's consider them in order.
Category A and B visas have the shortest validity period. This is the so-called transit permission. It is issued if you need to get to any other country for which you do not need a Schengen visa. In what cases does this happen? This happens when, in order to enter there, you must cross the territory of a European country that is part of the Schengen Agreement (B). Or you have to make a transfer at the airport of such a state (A). This Schengen visa is valid for five days.
There are short-term entry permits. They are indicated by the letter C and the numbers 1, 2 or 3. The number one is given for single-entry visas. They are often called tourist. The validity period of a Schengen visa C1 is no more than thirty days. They also do not give the right several times during this month (or a shorter period) to leave the territory of the country (or
Schengen zone) and return there. The numbers two, three and four denote visas of this type, which make it possible to stay in the country for up to ninety days. In their validity period they contain the concept of “corridor”. This means that permission to enter this category with the number 2 allows the person who received it to enter the territory of the country or the entire zone, as well as leave it for six months. A visa with the number 3 gives the same privilege throughout the year, and with the "four" - from two to five years.
However, there is one “but”.
The validity period of a Schengen visa, both six-month, one-year and many-year, in fact allows you to stay in the zone of its application for no more than ninety days. In other words, you can come there several times and go home. But you have the right to stay in the country no more than three months in total with a C2 visa, no more than six with C3 and so on. Moreover, in the latter case, the
period of stay in
the Schengen zone should be 3 months in one half year and three in the second. With a multi-year visa - no more than ninety days every six months. In this case, you can travel to all countries of this zone.
Type D entry permits are called long-term. Still such visas are called national. Stay in this country is usually made for a year, but in other countries of the zone you can only be in transit, and not always. As for the circumstance such as the timing of obtaining a Schengen visa, the minimum term for which such a permit can be issued is five working days.