Maxi-Pedia Forum

Schengen Visa => Schengen Visa Q&A => Topic started by: yearlyglot on June 29, 2010, 05:51:03 pm



Title: Does USA exemption cover multi-entry, or do I need to apply for visa?
Post by: yearlyglot on June 29, 2010, 05:51:03 pm
I am planning to travel to Lithuania in September, but now I have an opportunity to go to Spain in August.  I don't want to take the trip to Spain if it is going to cause trouble with my Lithuania trip, and I definitely don't have the luxury of 1-3 months to wait for approval of a multiple-entry visa beforehand.

So, my question is, is this type of travel covered by the USA exemption, or would I need to have a multi-entry visa?


Title: Re: Does USA exemption cover multi-entry, or do I need to apply for visa?
Post by: porsche on June 30, 2010, 02:54:46 pm
Can you specify what you mean by "USA exemption"? The Schengen visa requirement relates to your country of citizenship. In case you are required to have Schengen visa for Lithuania, you need the visa for Spain as well. If you travel from Spain to Lithuania through Schengen zone countries, and do not leave the Schengen zone, you do not need multiple-entry visa.


Title: Re: Does USA exemption cover multi-entry, or do I need to apply for visa?
Post by: yearlyglot on June 30, 2010, 03:36:16 pm
Can you specify what you mean by "USA exemption"? The Schengen visa requirement relates to your country of citizenship. In case you are required to have Schengen visa for Lithuania, you need the visa for Spain as well. If you travel from Spain to Lithuania through Schengen zone countries, and do not leave the Schengen zone, you do not need multiple-entry visa.

By USA Exemption, I mean that US citizens are granted "visa-free travel" throughout the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any consecutive 180-day period.  I just didn't know if that had to be done in a single, or if it could be spread across multiple entries within the given 90-day or 180-day period.

But I'm pretty sure I found my answer in the Fodor's forums. The answer I found is that number of entires does not matter. All that matters is that the number of days spent within the Schengen zone must add up to 90 or less over the course of any period of 180 days, meaning I can come and go as I please.


Title: Re: Does USA exemption cover multi-entry, or do I need to apply for visa?
Post by: danisara on July 01, 2010, 04:08:19 pm
I am sorry, your original question is a bit confusing. Your original question kind of implies that you probably have single-entry visa and need to know whether you would need multiple-entry visa when you change your plans, then later it looks like you do not need visa at all. So, let me clarify...

You are a USA citizen: You can come and leave the Schengen zone without Schengen visa as many times as you like (provided that you satisfy the 90 days condition which you satisfy if you travel in September/August). Note, having just the green card is not enough, you need to be a USA citizen (USA passport).

You are not a USA citizen: If your citizenship requires you to have Schengen visa to travel to the Schengen zone, then you would need it regardles if you travel to Lithuania or Spain. Then, having a single-entry or multiple-entry visa makes a big difference. Having a single-entry visa allows you to visit the Schengen zone just once. But, the "single-entry" parameter relates to the Schengen zone, not to individual states. That means, if you travel by air, you can visit both Spain and Lithuania with single-entry Schengen visa too. If you travel from Spain to Lithuania by car through Croatia, Turkey, Ukraine, etc., then you would need multiple-entry visa.

I hope that helps.