0

I have been granted 11 days of stay in the Schengen area. I have booked my flight on the 11th day, but I have long layover in Amsterdam. I will be crossing midnight during my layover causing it to be the 12th day during transit at the airport. Will this be an issue at the immigration?

PS I'm travelling from Iceland to India with a layover at Amsterdam. It's the KLM airlines (both the connections).

Added in an edit: Suggestions on what to do, without cancellation the flight and booking another (financial constraints).

Improve this question
6
  • 1
    What was your original itinerary when you made the original visa application?
    – Mark Johnson
    Commented Sep 16 at 14:45
  • I had made a different flight reservation reaching early.
    – Adharshna Arsmi
    Commented Sep 16 at 16:35
  • 1
    Will you be arriving in Amsterdam early enough to be able to make it through passport control before midnight?
    – phoog
    Commented Sep 16 at 17:06
  • There's a good chance you will not be allowed to enter the Schengen Area in the first place if the border officer actually checks.
    – jcaron
    Commented Sep 17 at 7:19
  • 3
    @AdharshnaArsmi I don’t quite understand your comment about your flight booking. Are you saying your flight is not the same as submitted in your original itinerary? If so, why did you change it to one that puts you in this position?
    – Traveller
    Commented Sep 17 at 7:29

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

Amsterdam airport has a large international transit area, even a hotel IIRC. There is no reason to linger on the departure / Schengen side, you can easily go through the passport check shortly after landing from Iceland and wait on the other side.

Improve this answer
6
  • 1
    While OP could possible go through exit passport control on the 11th day, they will not really have left the Schengen Area on that day. There have been a lot of similar questions previously, and I don't think there is a clear consensus that this kind of "trick" really works in all cases. In this specific situation, there's actually a risk OP will not be allowed to enter Schengen in the first place as their booked return flight leaves too late.
    – jcaron
    Commented Sep 17 at 7:22
  • @jcaron Yes, the main risk is on entry and in general I am quite skeptical of the trick. I certainly don't think it works in all or most cases but given how Schiphol is operating and since the OP would also be entering through the same airport, I am not too concerned about this one. That's also why I thought it was worth posting an answer about this one specific case.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Sep 17 at 7:39
  • 1
    Re: Not leaving the Schengen area, I am not sure what you mean and how that's relevant. Obviously the whole airport is in the Schengen area and so is the airspace one or two hours south-east of Schiphol, yet (most) people are allowed to transit without a visa between non-Schengen destinations and nobody thinks you should leave early to make sure that you are completely outside the Schengen area before the end of validity of your visa…
    – Relaxed
    Commented Sep 17 at 7:43
  • There have been long discussions on another question about when exactly one is considered to have left the Schengen Area in such a situation: when they go through passport control, when the plane is scheduled to depart, when it actually does, etc. Don't remember the conclusion but I believe it wasn't quite clear cut with arguments on both sides.
    – jcaron
    Commented Sep 17 at 8:10
  • 1
    @jcaron considering that presence is figured on the basis of passport stamps, i.e., border crossings, I can't imagine what reasoning anyone would put forth to support the proposition that the plane has to depart before midnight or that it must leave Schengen airspace before midnight.
    – phoog
    Commented Sep 17 at 8:18
0

For readers with the same general problem, but no convenient airside stay:

If outside circumstances like a delayed flight "force" an overstay, contact the authorities before the visa expires. If the visa has not expired, it can be extended. (The traveler would still be expected to take reasonable steps to leave on time. This answer is most applicable when you are already in the Schengen area and the flight out gets canceled on short notice.)

Improve this answer
2
  • 2
    This doesn't seem to apply to OP's situation, it's not the result of a delay or cancellation.
    – jcaron
    Commented Sep 17 at 7:20
  • @jcaron, yes. But Travel SE has a pretty high search engine ranking and I wanted that important note for the keywords "delay" and "overstay" in.
    – o.m.
    Commented Sep 17 at 16:37

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