Combining Schengen Visa Waiver and national visa — with a twist
I’m in something of an unusual situation. At the end of the month, I’ll be traveling to Portugal, as a tourist, for about four weeks — before settling there for 6 months on a national visa.
Because the consulate has my passport for the national visa application, I requested a second valid passport, now in my possession.
My concern is that, because I will be entering with the second passport, without a visa, when I leave, I will appear to have overstayed the 90-Day schengen visa for American citizens.
Is this a potentially dangerous situation?
Thanks!
Best Answer
Is this a potentially dangerous situation?
Yes. The question is how great the potential for danger actually is, and I suspect it is quite small.
The Schengen codes say nothing to cause concern with your plan. They simply say that periods of stay authorized under a long-stay visa are not considered for the 90/180-day calculation relevant to short-stay visas.
But national laws are also relevant. If the Portuguese authorities are of the opinion that you must have an entry stamp on your D visa before your presence in Portugal can be considered "authorized" by that visa, there could be trouble.
The more general concern expressed in your question, that you might appear to have overstayed, is not particularly worrisome. If anyone ever looks at your movements in and out of the area, you can use both passports to establish when you entered and left. There's no requirement that an exit stamp be in the same passport as the entry stamp. In fact, if you leave after being in the Schengen area for over 90 days, you may need to show both passports, since one has the entry stamp and the other has your visa.
To avoid the problem, you can travel out of the Schengen area after you get the passport with the visa, but before you have been there for 90 days. When you leave, show the passport with the entry stamp, and when you return, show the passport with the visa.
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Can I apply for two visas for different countries at the same time?
Yes you can. No 2 countries share data with each other. Neither are they bothered about you applying visa at the same time. You can apply visa to N number of countries at the same time.Can I travel to multiple Schengen countries with single entry visa?
With one-entry visa you can travel the Schengen area only once. It is indicated in your visa as \u201c01\u201d. With two-entries or multi-entries you can respectively travel to the Schengen area twice or several times during the visa validity period. I HAVE A VALID LONG STAY VISA/ RESIDENCE PERMIT FOR A SCHENGEN AREA COUNTRY.Can I have 2 Schengen visas at the same time?
In theory, it is not possible for a person to hold two valid short stay visas covering the same period. I have a valid Schengen visa but it does not cover my next intended stay, what can I do? In this case, it is possible to file a visa application for another Schengen visa to cover the next intended stay entirely.Can I enter and or exit the Schengen Area visa a country other than the one for which I have a visa?
According to the Schengen rules, the Schengen visa is generally valid for all the countries in the Schengen area. Please note, however, that you always have to apply at the consulate of the country which is your primary destination (see FAQ no 5).THE SCHENGEN ZONE TRAVEL EXPLAINED - DIGITAL NOMAD TV
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