Schengen visa clarification: can I travel to other Schengen countries?

Question

I applied for a Schengen multiple entry visa but I got only one single entry with a period of stay of 21 days.

I'm traveling first to Austria; then I booked a flight to Paris, France. Is that possible or should I take only trains or vehicles to travel since my visa is only a single entry? Can I fly to other Schengen countries with a single entry visa?

Should I travel to the country that issued the visa? I'm going backpacking through Europe and I don't know my longest destination or my actual destinations, to be clearer.

Answer 1

Your mode of transportation doesn't matter. Taking a plane within the Schengen area does not count as a new entry, you often doesn't even have to show your passport when flying within Schengen (but that depends on the airline - and I believe you are required to carry some ID).

Answer 2

can I travel to other Schengen countries?

Yes

I'm traveling first to Austria; then I booked a flight to Paris, France. Is that possible or should I take only trains or vehicles to travel since my visa is only a single entry? Can I fly to other Schengen countries with a single entry visa?

Taking internal flights within the Schengen area is fine on a single entry visa but you need to avoid using flights with a stop/layover outside the area to travel between two locations in the area as once you leave the area you will not be able to re-enter.

Should I travel to the country that issued the visa? I'm going backpacking through Europe and I don't know my longest destination or my actual destinations, to be clearer.

You are supposed to apply for the visa to (in order of precedence)

• The country that is your main destination.
• If no main destination the country in which you will spend the most time
• If no country in which you will spend the most time the country where you will enter the area.

Once you have the Visa it is normally valid for all countries in the area (limited territorial validity visas exist but are rare), but lying on a visa application is grounds to annul a Visa. Sometimes people lie about their itineries to "consulate-shop". Therefore border control sometimes get suspicious when people turn up with a single-entry visa from a different country.

So you should be prepared to demonstrate that you applied to the correct consulate for your trip and that you did not lie to them about your itinerary.

Answer 3

I'm going backpacking through Europe and I don't know my longest destination or my actual destinations, to be clearer.

While I can co-relate to your spirit here but one thing you should never do is not ensuring the country which issued you the visa be not your actual destination.

I am not saying you can't get away with it (I know people who luckily did manage without any trouble) but this move is risky and presents following risk:

1. Possibility of being denied flight boarding
2. Possibility of being denied entry at border patrol
3. Possibility of being declared as risk for future visa
4. Possibility of being denied future visa during your next application

That being emphasised about "main destination" (and genuineness of intent to travel, like being backpacker with legal source of money) you can modify your itinerary, purpose of visit, add more countries, increase total time till it's under conditions stated in your visa issued. The visa issued has validity, max days, valid for number of countries, valid for number of entries kind of details to keep a tolerable check about everything else.

p.s.: whenever I have been questioned the only question I have ever been asked with judgement tone at VAC, Check In Counter, Border Patrol is are you going to spend max days in the country that issued you visa.