Multiple entry Schengen visa from India

[rahulgill]

Hi to all helpful people,

I am looking for a bit of an advise really.

My brother and his family are visiting us in the UK this summer, whilst he will be here, he is also thinking about applying for a Schengen visa to visit some European countries (mainly France, Belgium, Spain and Italy) from India.

He will be applying for a multiple entry visa from France embassy through VFS. He has already booked a flight ticket from UK to France and hotel booking. He hasn’t made any further booking yet.

I have a few questions, if someone can take time to answer these please:

- Does he need to produce complete itinerary for all countries that he has in mind or flight and hotel booking of France will be okay
- If he is granted with multiple entries, how many days would that be valid for, I mean is it based on the travel itinerary or flat for a month or two
- Does he need to first enter the country through which he was granted Schengen visa

Many thanks

[ywlgy]

Hi to all helpful people,

I am looking for a bit of an advise really.

My brother and his family are visiting us in the UK this summer, whilst he will be here, he is also thinking about applying for a Schengen visa to visit some European countries (mainly France, Belgium, Spain and Italy) from India.

He will be applying for a multiple entry visa from France embassy through VFS. He has already booked a flight ticket from UK to France and hotel booking. He hasn’t made any further booking yet.
This is only doable if France is his main destination where he will spend more days than others

I have a few questions, if someone can take time to answer these please:

- Does he need to produce complete itinerary for all countries that he has in mind or flight and hotel booking of France will be okay
Tickets entering and exiting Schengen zone, hotel reservations for all nights and a brief itinerary are needed
- If he is granted with multiple entries, how many days would that be valid for, I mean is it based on the travel itinerary or flat for a month or two
It will at least cover the proposed itinerary. Past visa history (US, UK, Europe) and abundant bank account balance can help to get longer validity.
- Does he need to first enter the country through which he was granted Schengen visa
Not necessary. But he needs to make sure France is the main destination, and it's best to stick with the original plan submitted

Many thanks

[rahulgill]

@ywlgy - Sorry I didn't get chance to thank you. Appreciate you took time to answer my queries.

[kamoe]

- Does he need to produce complete itinerary for all countries that he has in mind or flight and hotel booking of France will be okay
- If he is granted with multiple entries, how many days would that be valid for, I mean is it based on the travel itinerary or flat for a month or two

I have multiple experiences with French visas, and I can say that you can book a full itinerary with multiple visits and get a single entry visa valid for 4 days; and book a simple itinerary with one visit and get a multiple entry visa valid for 6 months.

At the end of the day what matters is how much money is in your bank account. There is a minimum daily amount (like 60 € a day or so?). They take your bank account balance and divide it by that amount. The result is the maximum number of days they can give you, capped at 6 months maximum for ordinary people (I know they issue 1 year visas, but again, that will only happens if you have sufficient funds).

- Does he need to first enter the country through which he was granted Schengen visa

As previous poster say, France needs to be the country he plans to spend the most time in, not necessarily the first one.