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I’m already in the Schengen zone as I type this. My entry stamp has the date 26th December 2018 on it and my return flight out of the schengen zone is on the 9th February.

My Visa validity is 21st December, 2018 to 19th February 2019 but the ‘duration of stay’ field says 45. My question is, given my travel dates, am I overstaying? According to this link I’m right on the dot with my dates (exact 45 days) but it does NOT include the 26th itself. How long am I allowed to stay granted I enter Schengen zone on the 26th December?

EDIT: I have a multiple entry visa.

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    The 26th counts, so you'll have a 1 day overstay if you don't leave on the 8th or leave Schengen for a day or two (do you have a multientry visa?).
    – mkennedy
    Jan 13, 2019 at 0:13
  • Yes, it is a multiple entry visa (edited post to reflect that). Is this a huge problem? This is my second Schengen visa, so I have a good history. Could I be possibly red flagged for this?
    – sbrk
    Jan 13, 2019 at 0:20
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    Yes you can -- the limits on the visa are not there just for fun. Some countries' border guards are more likely to take a strict approach to this than others, but there is nowhere in the area you can be guaranteed that they will turn a blind eye to an overstay, and it would generally be foolish to run the risk anywhere.
    – hmakholm left over Monica
    Jan 13, 2019 at 0:39
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    With a multiple stay visa, wouldn’t the best approach be three days in the nearest non-Schengen country to which the OP can go with minimal effort?
    – Andrew Lazarus
    Jan 13, 2019 at 1:23

2 Answers 2

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For the Schengen visa they count every day you have been within the zone as a day, even when you have been in just a few minutes.

So with your plans you would overstay by one day. And while you are not guarantied to get problems later it is rather likely that you get a mark in your passport or may have to face extra questions when getting into the Schengen zone again.

Better to change your return flight or spend some time outside the Schengen zone. With a multiple entry visa is it possible to do just that.

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Maybe an easier way to think about duration of stay: If you enter 26 Dec, and leave 27 Dec, you have spent 2 days.

Even if hypothetically it was 23:59 on 26 Dec and you left 2 minutes after at 00:01 on 27 Dec.

Options:

  • Change your flights to 8 Feb or earlier
  • Leave schengen area temporarily (remember to be out of schengen for at least a full day, i.e. midnight to midnight)
  • Hope for leniency from border guards when leaving (but also allow for potential hassling for future visits)
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