3

My trip goes:

  • Me and my Family will depart from Ahmedabad
  • reach Paris (3N, 4D)
  • then leave Paris and enter Scotland (4N, 5D)
  • then back to London (3N, 4D).

My family will then fly back to India on 22nd July.

Then I plan to visit Amsterdam and then possibly Germany alone (only if my friend staying there is free and doesn't have a very important university exam, the dates are still not confirmed so I am not sure about that plan).

So my point is, I will have to apply from French consulate with my family and ask for a double/ multiple entry visa without showing my intentions of going to other Schengen country as it is not sure and I don't want to spoil the family plan already.

If I get a double entry visa and if my friend is free in that time then is it ok if I visit Amsterdam and Germany after London and then leave for India? My days may exceed 1/2 days more then the stay I had in Paris! Will there be any problem at the Amsterdam border or Frankfurt border?

And my temporary return plan is on 31st

1
  • Do you have a visa for the UK?
    – Traveller
    Apr 11, 2019 at 11:09

1 Answer 1

5

If you ask for a two-entry visa and additional days and don't explain why in your application, then there's a large chance you won't get it.

Furthermore there is no reason you would need to hide the further plans from the consulate. Disclosing those plans don't make any (legal or moral) obligation for you to actually take that part of the trip.

You should apply to the French consulate, describe your itinerary for the entire trip you have in mind, and enclose a free-form explanation saying something like:

France is the main destination for this trip, because that is the family vacation that brings me to Europe in the first place. [Reference other family members' applications here]. Even though the proposed stay in the Netherlands is longer, I'm going there alone as a personal extension to the trip for the purpose of [...fill in here ...], and I may yet decide to cancel that part.

Therefore, if you cannot issue a visa that covers the Netherlands part of my trip, please consider issuing a single-entry visa that covers only my family vacation to Paris.

With everything above board, there will be no question of deception or consulate shopping.

Remember that the "longest duration of stay" rule is only a fallback rule that applies if there is no other reason to consider any country your main destination. Here you have an impeccable reason why France is your main destination, so there is no reason to play games.

4
  • Thank you for your wonderful explanation sir. one Problem question I have is: I don't have the booking for the other part of the trip as of yet as it is not sure. Will this explanation only be ok to prove the point and genunity I have for the double entry visa? Apr 11, 2019 at 12:27
  • @Traveller25: There is no requirement in the Schengen rules that one must have travel already booked at the time of the visa application. All it says is that you must have the "means" to return to your country of residence, which also includes, say, being able to afford buying tickets at a later time. We see persistent anecdotal reports that clerical staff at outsourced visa application centers sometimes tell applicants that confirmed bookings must be present, but it doesn't seem like the people at consulates who actually decide applications systematically break the rules in that way. ... Apr 11, 2019 at 12:47
  • ... If your application contains bookings for the family vacation part, there is a pretty good practical chance that you can submit it and it will get in front of a decisionmaker who knows what the actual rules are. Apr 11, 2019 at 12:48
  • Also, With reference to the above post, I am applying for UK visa first. I have booked my Paris to Edinburgh ticket but since I had got a deal I booked my return ticket from Frankfurt to India. While my family have return ticket from London. so while applying for my UK visa, can I show them the Frankfurt to India return ticket in my itinerary? (coz I don't have the internal London to Frankfurt tickets booked yet) Apr 15, 2019 at 9:26

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .