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Do Schengen rules allow the issue of a single-entry visa from Spain with a from/to validity period sufficient for an itinerary Cuba > Frankfurt > Madrid > UK, returning UK > Frankfurt > Cuba (airside transit) approximately 6-8 weeks later, where the traveller would be spending say 3-4 nights in Spain on the outbound journey only?

If the answer is No, how can the itinerary be tweaked to avoid having to apply for a separate airside transit visa from Germany for the return trip?

Note: the traveller already has a UK visitor visa that would be valid until after the return via Frankfurt. In case it makes any difference, the outbound flight would be self-transfer in Frankfurt while the return trip would be connecting flights (one PNR).

Traveller
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2 Answers2

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The double-entry visa was created exactly for this situation: a trip to the UK – at the time a non-Schengen EU member – in the middle of a trip to the Schengen area. Whereas multiple-entry visas are supposed to be issued to trusted travellers who have demonstrated a need to visit the Schengen area frequently, there is no requirement of that nature in the regulations regarding double-entry visas. The double-entry visa is really a special type of single-entry visa issued for a specific trip and absolutely the right solution in this case.

That said, one tricky thing is to make sure the Spanish consulate understands the person really does need a visa covering the Frankfurt leg of the trip even though it's only airside transit. If the traveller is a Cuban citizen then the consular officer should be able to figure it out as even an airside transit requires a visa in both Germany and Spain so that it's clear that a spent single-entry visa would not be enough. But if the visa is only required because of self-transfer or some other reason, it would be easy to miss. In any case, you may want to spell all that out, e.g. with a cover letter.

Once that is clear, Spain has to choose whether they should issue a visa for the whole trip or not. They can issue whatever they feel like no matter what you checked on the form but there is no single-entry-plus-a-transit visa. If they do want to cover the whole trip, then they should issue a visa for two or more entries. If they don't want to, then they can issue a single-entry visa and force the traveller to apply for a separate German airside transit visa. But in my view they should have no qualms about issuing a double-entry visa.

Relaxed
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No, pretty much by definition you can't have a single-entry visa that's valid for two transits. And while many/most nationalities would not require a visa for an airside transit at Frankfurt, unfortunately Cuban nationals do.

The correct visa for your situation is thus a multiple-entry visa. If you qualify for a single-entry visa, you'll likely qualify for this too.

It would still be much more straightforward to fly Cuba-UK directly and avoid the need for a Schengen visa completely, but looks like the last direct flight between the two has just been axed.

lambshaanxy
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