Visa Validity and Permitted Stay: Key Differences
Sometimes travelers need a visa: the document allows entry into the country and regulates the time that can be spent in the territory.
Travelers often wonder how long their visa will be valid and how many days they will be able to stay abroad. And even more often, they identify the “validity period of the visa” and the “permitted period of stay” with each other. Therefore, it is important to find out how these concepts differ from each other.
“Visa Validity” – What is it?
Any tourist who has ever been abroad knows that the permit to enter any country is a kind of sticker, which puts in the passport of the Consulate of the visited territory. This sticker is strictly allotted time.
The validity period of the visa is the period of time during which the traveler can visit the country that issued the entry permit. This period is limited to the start and end dates. It should be understood that the day on which the visa begins to be valid and the day when it was issued are not identical concepts: an entry permit can be issued earlier than its validity period begins, but you can go on a trip from the first day of the document.
There are several types of entry permits. Some are allowed to enter the country once or twice. Their validity usually varies from 1 day to three months. There is also a so-called multi-visa, which allows multiple entry. It can operate from six months to 5 years. It should be noted that the consulate of the country issuing the visa can extend its validity for 15 days if it considers the visa holder to be reliable.
How long the visa will be valid depends on the request for an entry permit from the tourist and the decision of the visa department of the consulate of the country of visit. The consulate decides what the visa will be valid and how many times the traveler will be able to enter the country based on the information that the applicant will provide when requesting a visa. This includes: the purpose of the trip, the financial well-being of the traveler, the availability of housing for the duration of the trip, the guaranteed return of the tourist to his homeland, etc.
Visa approval is always based on the Visa Code and the rules of the country where it is requested. The issuance of a visa may be affected by what diplomatic relations are established between the traveler’s homeland and the country of visit. The better the relationship, the higher the likelihood of visa approval.
Some countries are more loyal to the issue of visas. For example, Finland and Estonia rarely refuse and sometimes even approve multi-visa. Other countries often approve only single or double entry, or even refuse entry altogether.
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What affects the duration of the visa?
The duration of the visa is determined by the diplomatic mission, based on several factors:
Visa history of the applicant: if he previously violated the rules when entering another country or on its territory, then obtaining a visa will be problematic;
• The more trips abroad the applicant has already made, the higher the likelihood of obtaining a visa immediately for a long period of time.
• Applicant with family and children, with a prestigious and highly paid profession at home, is likely to receive visa approval;
• The more complete the package of documents of the applicant and the higher the reliability of his information about himself, the higher the chances of obtaining a visa with a longer validity period.
If the applicant submits documents confirming his financial viability and guaranteeing return to his homeland after the end of the trip, the chances of approval will be higher. These can be documents for property (movable and immovable), bank account, income certificate, hotel checks and return tickets.
In addition, the traveler needs to check whether he has unpaid loans, fines, alimony or taxes.
What does “permitted stay” mean?
The permitted period of stay is the time that the traveler can stay in the territory of a foreign country while his entry permit is valid. Single and double entry visas allow staying in foreign territory for up to three months, multi-visa for up to six months.
For example, if the entry permit is valid for six months, the traveler can stay in foreign territory for three months while the visa is valid. You can enter the country at any time while the visa is valid, but you can stay there for no more than three months.
The validity of the visa may coincide with the permitted days of stay if the tourist has a single or double entry visa.
For multi-visa, the 180 days allowed can be used immediately or entered as many times as you like until the days of stay are fully used.
The length of stay of a tourist in the country is also determined by the diplomatic mission, based on the same factors as when approving a visa.
"Visa corridor"
The time period when a permitted number of days can be used.
If the visa has a stamp marked 90/30, it turns out that the right of entry is given for 90 days, and abroad the recipient can spend 30 of them. When the document allows a single entry, this section can be used once, and if the tourist leaves the country earlier, then it will be impossible to return and use the remaining days.
For a double-entry visa or multi-visa, the permitted days of stay can be divided into two or more times. Two-entry visa holders need to remember that they must use the permitted days within 90 days. When the visa expires, the number of entries and permitted days of stay that have not been used will lose their validity.
There are visas without a corridor. Most often, they are issued to travelers traveling abroad for the first time - in this case, the validity of the visa and the period of permitted stay will coincide.
Visas without a corridor are issued to those who go abroad to study or work. Then the number of days allowed will also coincide with the validity of the visa, that is, its holder will stay in the country without leaving until the visa becomes obsolete. It should be borne in mind that the visa holder will need to return home immediately after the expiry of the visa, because the allowed days of stay will also end.