I plan to visit the Schengen area for the first 2 weeks of May. My primary reason is to attend a conference in Croatia and then tourism in Italy. However, I would be in Croatia for 6 days and in Italy for 8 days.
My itinerary:
Dates | Country | #Days (as counted by the Croatian appointment officer) |
---|---|---|
30Apr - 5May | Croatia | 5 |
5May - 13May | Italy | 8 |
13May - 14May | Croatia | 1 |
I went for my visa appointment at the Croatian consulate and they denied the visa saying I am spending an extra day in Italy and I need to apply at the Italian consulate. I counted my itinerary as spending 7 days equally in two countries and hence applied at the Croatian embassy. I didn't think 1 day extra would make a big difference given my primary business reason was in Croatia.
Now, I have got a slot in the Italian embassy. But I wanted to make sure I met the right conditions to avoid a similar situation.
I tried mailing the Italian consulate by got no response. Hence posting here for any help/advice.
I have 2 questions:
Would I likely face any issues at the Italian consulate cause I am entering and leaving the Schengen area from Croatia? As Italy is not my port of first entry. I have read the documents stating that you apply at "the country of longest stay", but also lot of heresay on questioning by officers when it is not the country of first entry.
Should I apply for "tourism" or "business" short-term visa in the Italian application? Technically, its business in another country but tourism in Italy.
Also, any other steps I can take to give more clarity to my application so it has a better chance when I go to the Italian Consulate appointment?