Your Schengen visa has been approved—what do the details on the sticker actually mean? Before booking the final stages of your journey, check the visa in your passport. Its dates, number of entries and permitted days of stay can each limit your travel, even if the visa looks valid for a longer period.
This guide explains the main fields on a short-stay Schengen visa sticker and the checks a Thai traveller should make before departure.
Unsure what your visa permits?
Tell our Pattaya team your planned travel dates and countries. We can help you understand what to check on the sticker before you travel.
1. “Valid for” — where you can travel
A visa marked “Schengen States” is generally valid throughout the Schengen Area. Some visas have limited territorial validity; if the sticker lists particular countries or exclusions, do not assume it permits travel to every Schengen country.
The Schengen Area currently has 29 countries. The UK and Ireland are outside it, so a Schengen visa does not, by itself, grant entry to either country.
2. “From” and “Until” — the validity period
These dates show the period in which the visa may be used. You cannot use the visa before its “From” date, and you must leave before the permission ends. Check the exact dates shown on your own sticker.
Validity is not the same as permitted stay. A visa might be valid for several months but allow only a much shorter visit within those dates.
3. “Duration of stay” — your permitted days
This field shows the maximum number of days authorised by that visa. If it says 30, do not assume you can stay for 90 days simply because a short-stay Schengen visa can generally permit up to 90 days in a 180-day period.
You must satisfy both the duration printed on the sticker and the wider 90-days-in-any-180-days rule, taking previous Schengen visits into account. The European Commission provides a short-stay calculator to help check the latter.
4. “Number of entries” — can you leave and return?
- 1: generally one entry into the Schengen Area.
- 2: generally up to two entries while the visa is valid.
- MULT: multiple entries during the visa’s validity, subject to the authorised stay and 90/180-day rule.
Travelling between two Schengen countries does not normally use another entry. Leaving Schengen for the UK, Ireland or another non-Schengen country and then returning does. Check this field carefully if your itinerary crosses out of the Area.
5. “Type of visa” — which permission was issued?
A Type C visa is a short-stay visa. A Type A visa is for airport transit and does not, by itself, allow entry into the Schengen Area. A Type D visa is a national long-stay visa, with rules linked to the issuing country. This guide focuses on Type C short-stay visas.
6. Personal and passport details
Check that your name and passport number match your current passport. Review the issue date and any remarks as well. If you spot a mistake, contact the issuing authority or its authorised visa centre promptly rather than travelling with information you know is incorrect.
Example: a visa valid for three months
Suppose your visa says:
- From: 1 October
- Until: 31 December
- Duration of stay: 30 days
- Number of entries: 1
You have a window from 1 October to 31 December in which to make your trip, but the authorised stay is 30 days, not the full three months. If you leave the Schengen Area after using your single entry, you generally cannot return on that same visa.
Check the sticker before finalising travel
Compare the sticker with your flights, accommodation and route, especially if you will visit several countries. Our guide to travelling and applying for European visas from Thailand covers the wider planning steps.
The European Commission’s Schengen visa guidance explains single-entry and multiple-entry visas. If there is any uncertainty about a restriction on your particular sticker, check with the issuing authority before travel.
Thai Visa Express Thailand is an independent overseas visa consultancy. Border authorities decide whether a traveller meets entry conditions; a visa does not guarantee admission.