My dodgy Colombian friend has a Schengen visa which is valid for 5 years. It is a multiple entry visa but it also says you are permitted 90 days in the Schengen zone.
Is this 90 days total in 5 years, or is it 90 days from the date of initial entry into the zone?
I have the following information:
The maximum length of stay in Europe for non European Union passport holders is determined by the Schengen accord and is currently limited to 90 days within any 180 day period. The important thing to note is that you may not leave the Schengen Visa area for a day and return to restart the 90 day clock. In other words, you must be absent from the Schengen area for at least 90 days in a 180 day period to be legal.
So if you friend has a multiple entry visa for 5 years, he can stay a maximum of approximately 5 * 180 days (Stay 90 days, be absent for 90 days, and that for 5 years).
It isn't allowed to stay longer but I heard that those rules are rarely enforced and penalized, but if you're friend looks really that dodgy it might be better to not risk it ;)
It means that for every 180 days given, 90 days to stay and 90 days are out in Schengen so if you have 5 years multiple entry then you can go back twice a year. you can have 10 times entry for 5 years. I have 1 year multiple visa and I'm allowed to enter 90 days in and 90 days out. I'm a Filipina anyway.
