Legal literacy for tourists: how to extend a Schengen visa?

In the life of an ordinary traveler or a businessman for various reasons there may be an unforeseen situation: his Schengen visa may expire when the person is in the Schengen area. What should be done in this situation, is it possible to extend the visa, what documents are required for this and which authorities to contact?

According to Article 33 (1) of the Visa Code of the European Union, the period of stay of a foreign national in the Schengen area can be extended by the authorities of the applicant. Grounds for this are a number of special circumstances, such as: force majeure circumstances, as a result of which at the time of visa expiry a foreign national cannot leave the territory of the Schengen area (natural or man-made disasters, diseases or injuries resulting from physical injuries).

To confirm the objective reasons for your forced stay in the Schengen area, you must take a certificate from the airport or hospital discharge, which will be written reasons for your delay, it will be the basis for a free procedure for the extension of the Schengen visa.

If a foreign national stayed in Schengen due to subjective reasons, according to Article 33 (2) of the EU Visa Code the validity of a Schengen visa may be extended by providing evidence of his forced stay in the Schengen area such as the death of a relative or a close relative, the birth of new family members or other reasons. In this case, the extension of the visa will be paid and amounts to 30 euros. To do this, you need to submit the following package of documents to the relevant authorities:

– заявление о продлении визы с подробным описанием причин для продления;

– загранпаспорт гражданина с шенгенской визой;

– документы, подтверждающие причины для продления визы (акты, справки или выписки);

The procedure for extending the stay of foreign nationals in Schengen countries is usually within the competence of the Department of Migration and Citizenship. The deadline for issuing the extended visa is determined by the relevant authority, but the issuance period is not more than ten days from the date of submission of documents. The extended Schengen visa is issued in the form of a visa stamp stamped by the competent authority.