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My wife and I would like to travel to Europe later this year. We live in the U.S.A. but she needs to obtain a Schengen Visa (short stay) as she is not a U.S. citizen (she's a permanent resident).

Our Itinerary looks like the following:

  1. Entry into Barcelona, Spain (3 days)
  2. Travel to Rome (4 days)
  3. Travel to Paris (4 days)
  4. Exit from Paris

I've read that when visiting multiple places, you should apply for the Schengen Visa of the place you spend the most time in. We spend equal time in Italy and France - so the question is, which of these two countries should she apply for?

JustAnotherCoder
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1 Answers1

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The rules are laid out in article 5 of the Schengen Visa Code:

  1. The Member State competent for examining and deciding on an application for a uniform visa shall be:

(a) the Member State whose territory constitutes the sole destination of the visit(s);

(b) if the visit includes more than one destination, the Member State whose territory constitutes the main destination of the visit(s) in terms of the length or purpose of stay; or

(c) if no main destination can be determined, the Member State whose external border the applicant intends to cross in order to enter the territory of the Member States.

Note that “main destination” is defined based on the length or the purpose of the visit. So, for example, if you are going to attend a wedding in Rome, it will be pretty clear that Italy is your main destination.

If no main destination can be determined, it's still not up to you, you have to apply to the country you will enter first.

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