Mistake on Visa? Please help.

Hi,

I just received my Schengen Visa yesterday and I'm afraid the Dutch embassy might have made a mistake. On my application I specifically requested a 17 day duration of stay and the confirmed travel itinerary I gave them is also for 17 days. However, on the Visa itself it only has 12 days. Can the Netherlands deny me entry for this? I read on your site that there is a 15 day grace period on top of the stated duration of stay. Does this also apply for the Netherlands? I've searched the French embassy's site and the site made it seem very clear that there is no such thing as a grace period. Please help. I'm very worried that I may be denied entry.

One more thing. On the lower left corner of my Visa it states "No Picture/ Sans foto." My friend's Schengen however, contains his picture printed in this area. Why is mine different?

Thanks for your help.

Hello,

The period of grace concerns the validity of the visa, not the number of days you are allowed to stay in the Schengen area. The validity of the visa is the period within which you have to spend those days.

The 15 days period of grace is standard (Common Consular Instructions, page 72), even though you haven't seen it on the French website.

If your itinerary exceeds the number of days you are allowed to stay in the Schengen area, you certainly have a problem, as, among other things, you may be refused entry by the border control authorities.

As to the picture, some consulates are equiped with this new technology, some arent' yet.

Regards.

Martin
MediaVisa.net
Schengen visa insurances at the best price

Hello,

Thank you for the prompt reply. I was able to return to the embassy and got my visa corrected. They issued me a new one with the correct duration of stay. Thanks for your help.