In order to enjoy hassle-free travel, it is important to read and understand your Schengen Visa Sticker correctly. This article outlines the ins and outs of the Schengen Visa Sticker and helps you understand its content in detail.
What Is a Schengen Visa Sticker?
A Schengen Visa sticker is the label that will be attached to your passport if you are granted a Schengen visa. It contains your personal information, states the country or countries you are allowed to enter, the duration of your permitted stay, and the number of times you are allowed to cross its borders to ensure compliance with immigration laws.
The visa sticker must be presented at the Schengen port of entry in the first Member State you enter. Applicants are required to have at least one blank page in their passports when applying for a Schengen Visa, so the visa sticker can be be attached to your passport/travel document. The Visa Sticker contains information in three languages: English, French, and German.
You will receive your visa sticker when you collect your passport/travel document from the embassy, consulate, or VAC (visa application center) where you applied for your Schengen visa.
Schengen Visa Number
The Schengen visa number, also known as the visa reference number or visa sticker number, is a unique identification number assigned to each Schengen visa. It is usually printed on the upper right corner of the visa sticker.
Countries You Can Visit
The VALID FOR section of the visa sticker lists the countries or areas you can visit. For example, if it says “ETATS SCHENGEN” or “SCHENGEN STATES”, this means that your visa is valid in all countries part of the Schengen Zone. If you have a uniform Schengen visa, that is what will be written on your visa sticker.
If you have a Limited Territorial Visa (LTV), this means that your visa permits you to enter only a specific country or countries part of the Schengen Zone. In this case, your visa sticker will display abbreviated names of the state or states which you are allowed to enter. For example, if your Schengen visa sticker lists the acronyms of the names of these countries, ‘F, FIN, GR, H, I, IS, L, LT’, that means you are only allowed to enter France, Finland, Greece, Hungary. Italy, Iceland, Luxembourg, and Lithuania.
On the other hand, if your Schengen visa sticker says ‘ETATS SCHENGEN (-NL), this means you are allowed to enter all Schengen countries except for, e.g., The Netherlands. The minus is placed before the Schengen Member State you are not permitted to enter.
Find the abbreviations for the Schengen states on the list below:
| Acronym: | Country: |
| AT | Austria |
| BE | Belgium |
| BG | Bulgaria |
| CH | Switzerland |
| CZ | Czech Republic |
| DE | Germany |
| DK | Denmark |
| ES | Spain |
| EE | Estonia |
| FR | France |
| FI | Finland |
| EL | Greece |
| HR | Croatia |
| HU | Hungary |
| IT | Italy |
| IS | Iceland |
| LU | Luxembourg |
| LT | Lithuania |
| LV | Latvia |
| MT | Malta |
| NO | Norway |
| NL | Netherlands |
| PT | Portugal |
| PL | Poland |
| RO | Romania |
| SE | Sweden |
| SK | Slovakia |
| SI | Slovenia |
The Validity of the Schengen Visa
One of the first things you will notice on your visa is the validity of your visa.
- From. This is the date you can officially enter the Schengen Area or the Schengen state.
- Until. This is the date that you must officially leave the Schengen Area or the Schengen State.
For example, if your visa says: Valid: “FROM 28 – 04 – 2023”, “UNTIL 28 – 09 – 2023”, your visa is valid from April 28th, 2023, until September 28th, 2023. You can enter on the 28th of April or any following day, but you cannot enter before this date. Likewise, you can leave the Schengen Zone before September 28th, but you must not leave after. Otherwise, you would have overstayed.
It is important that you carefully read this part of the visa sticker, as overstaying has serious consequences and reflects badly on your travel history. Moreover, you must be mindful of the 90/180-day rule at all times.
Number of Entries and Duration of Stay
The number of entries on your Schengen Visa Sticker is the number of times you can leave and re-enter the Schengen Area. This is because a Schengen Visa allows you to choose either a single-entry , double-entry , or multiple-entry visa . So, each visa allows a specific number of times for exit and entry to the Schengen Zone.
- One entry. If you have applied for a single entry Schengen visa, your visa sticker will say ‘01’. This means that you can only enter the Schengen Area once. After you officially leave, you are not allowed to enter again even if you have not stayed the maximum number of days the visa allows, which is 90 days.
- Two entries. If you have applied for a double entry visa, your visa sticker will say ‘02’. This means that you can enter the Schengen Area twice. For example, you may enter, leave, and enter once again. In total, you are allowed to enter two times.
- MULT (multiple entry). If you have applied for a multiple entry visa, your visa sticker will say ‘MULT’. This means that you can enter the Schengen Area as many times as you wish, as long as your visa is valid. However, you must not exceed the permitted duration of stay, which is 90 days every 6 months.
Visa Type
Depending on the purpose of your stay, you will be issued one of the three types of visa: Type “A”, Type “C”, and Type “D”. Visa type is labeled as “TYPE OF VISA”, “TYPE DE VISA,” and “VISA TYP” on the Schengen visa sticker. On your visa sticker, you will find one of the following:
- Label “A”. If you are simply transiting through or you must wait for a connecting flight in the international zone of an airport in a Schengen Member State, you will be issued a Type A transit visa. You are not permitted to enter any country in the Schengen Zone.
- Label “C”. If you wish to enter the Schengen Area for a short period of time, you will be issued a Type C Schengen visa . This visa allows you to stay or travel in the Schengen Member States for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The short-stay category, then, can be: single-entry, double-entry, or multiple-entry. You will find this next to ‘Number of Entries’ on the visa sticker.
- Label “D”. If you wish to enter the Schengen Area for a longer period of time, you will be issued a Type D visa. This visa allows you to enter or travel in the Schengen Member States for longer than 90 days (up to one year).
Details About the Visa Issuer & Date of Issuance
The country where your visa was issued will be displayed on your visa sticker. For example, if you have applied for a Schengen Visa in Abuja, your visa will say ISSUED IN: Abuja. The date when your visa was issued will show on your visa sticker as well.
Details About the Visa Holder
On the Schengen Visa Sticker, you will find your passport number. You can find this next to ‘NUMBER OF PASSPORT’, ‘NUMERO DE PASSEPORT’ and ‘NUMMER DES PASSES’.
Second, next to ‘SURNAME, NAME’, ‘NOM, PRENOM’, and ‘NAME, VORNAME’, you will find your name and surname.
Lastly, ‘REMARKS’, ‘REMARQUES’, and ‘BEMERKUNGEN’ is used by the issuing authority to write down any further information. Usually, your purpose of travel will be specified. For example, ‘Tourism’, ‘Family Visit’, etc.
The Schengen Visa Sticker is generally easy to read and understand if you pay attention to each section. Remember, you must be careful and check your visa sticker for any errors or incorrect information before you decide to travel.
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