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I am a Indian passport holder who is currently living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

I am planning for our honeymoon (August 28 – September 14) with the family in Europe – Austria, Italy, and Spain. However, I came to know from the consulate websites that the documents required for an expatriate UAE residents, the residence permit should be valid for at least 3 months from the day of departure from the Schengen area. Since my residence visa would expire on December 8 (meaning I have a only 84 days!), I am planning to show a return ticket from Italy 6 days before my actually intended date of return.

My question is: can I apply for a 30 days visa even if the trip is only for 10 days? If so, would the visa's validity be a problem?

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Actually you don't apply for a specific date (length) on the visa, the length of the visa is determined by the country at which you apply.

Just to give you an example, I had a trip for 5 days, and was given a 30 day visa. My friend, who applied for a week's trip, was given a 3 year visa (we both applied at the same embassy, but for different purposes).

You just indicate the type and the intended length of your stay.

Your residency might be an issue depending on the supporting documents of your stay. Keep in mind that in the end, the main concern is illegal (undocumented) immigration into the area. If you can show sufficient ties back (for example, a letter from your employer confirming the days if your leave, length of employment, etc.) these go a long way.

The other reason they ask for residency validity is to ensure that you will be guaranteed return passage to the country of your departure (otherwise, they might have repatriate you back to the country of your citizenship; also why they ask for a minimum validity on your passport).

In short, the length of your visa is not solely determined by the length of your intended stay or your itinerary.

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