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I'm a citizen of Belarus, therefore requiring two different visas to enter Schengen area and the UK. My passport expires sometime soon - I know I can use a valid Schengen visa in a cancelled passport together with a current one, so I consider renewing the passport and keeping the old one. Then, I want to get a UK visa into my new passport. The intended travel itinerary is as follows:

Belarus -> Schengen area -> the UK -> Schengen area -> Belarus

My question is, may I run into problems going from Schengen to UK - i.e. does the UK check the visa of the state I arrive from, and if so, do they accept it if it's in a cancelled passport? Or, perhaps, any other caveats on other legs of my journey?

Thank you!

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  • The British themselves accept UK visas in old passports if it is the one issued immediately prior to your new passport. travel.stackexchange.com/questions/49187/…
    – Augustine of Hippo
    Aug 10 '18 at 15:06
  • Are you sure about being allowed using a Schengen visa in an expired passport? I have heard Schengen does not usually give visa beyond the validity of the passport.
    – Willeke ♦
    Aug 10 '18 at 16:00
  • @Willeke You are correct, they do not - visa must end 3 months before passport expiry. I meant to say "cancelled" - I'm changing mine like half a year before the actual date.
    – Mike Roll
    Aug 10 '18 at 16:55
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As far as the visa for the Schengen area is concerned, the UK is primarily interested in whether you will be able to complete your travels as intended. They will be far less concerned about whether your previous stay in the Schengen area was authorized than about whether you will be able to return there as planned.

In both cases, however, they are no more concerned about whether the visa is in a valid passport than are the authorities of Schengen countries. That is to say, if the visa is valid in the jurisdiction that issued it, the UK will consider it to be valid.

As long as you have both passports with you, and show them as needed, you should not expect any trouble related to the fact that your Schengen visa is in an expired passport or that it is in a different passport from your UK visa.

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