The first thing a person who collects their passport from the visa centre usually does is rejoice, and the second is to put the passport in their bag. Yet that is exactly the best moment to check the visa, because if there is a mistake, putting it right on the spot is free and quick. A mistake discovered at the border is already your problem. Below I have written the five lines to check once you have the visa.
Check your visa: five lines
| Given name and surname | Letter for letter the same as the Latin spelling in the passport |
| Period of validity | From which date to which date |
| Number of entries | One, two or multiple |
| Duration of stay | The number of days, separate from the period of validity |
| Passport number | The number on the visa must match the passport’s number |
Two of these five lines come out wrong most often: the spelling of the name and the passport number. The reason is simple: both are copied by hand. Checking the visa takes a minute, and if you see a mistake go back to the centre at once, because a correction is usually not counted as a new application.
Do not confuse validity with duration of stay
There are two separate notions of date on a visa, and this is the part most often misunderstood. The period of validity is the window in which the visa works, while the duration of stay is how many days you can stay within that window. A thirty-day window can carry permission for fifteen days.
Flying before the start date is not possible, not even a day before. Compare your ticket date with the visa’s first day, because the consulate sometimes issues a visa that starts later than you asked. In that case the ticket has to be changed.
Read more: Visa validity and duration of stay: reading the visa correctly and the 90-day count
The steps after you check your visa
Photograph the visa and keep it in the cloud, and print one copy. If the passport is lost or damaged, that copy makes the process considerably easier. Keep the insurance policy and the hotel booking in the same folder.
Do not forget one point: the visa sticker must not be damaged. Getting the passport wet, writing over the sticker or bending the page can make the visa invalid. To organise the travel preparation in this order, getting professional support with arranging the trip is a practical solution.
What to do if you find a mistake
Finding the mistake before you leave the centre is the best case, so open the passport and look at it right there. If you have left, telephone at once and give the receipt number. A technical mistake, a misspelt letter for instance, is usually corrected by the consulate free of charge.
But if the duration or the number of entries is less than you expected, that is not a mistake but the consul’s decision, and it is not corrected. In that case either fit the route to the decision or make a new application. Official information on the Schengen visa rules is given on the European Commission site.
In brief
Open the passport before you leave the centre and read the five lines: the name, the dates, the number of entries, the duration of stay, the passport number. Compare the ticket date with the visa’s first day, keep a copy in the cloud, protect the sticker. To check your documents together, fill in the application form.
Note: correction rules vary by consulate, so contact the centre as soon as you find a mistake.
