The difference between short-term visa and ordinary visa

The previous article gave you a preliminary talk about the difference between short-term visas and long-term visas. Today, we will talk about it in detail.

Short-term visas, also known as unified Schengen visas, can flow between all Schengen countries in the European Union. The validity period is generally not more than 90 days, and it can be opened for 180 days for individual reasons-such as studying abroad.

A long-term visa, as its name implies, is a visa with a long validity period, usually one year. It can move freely between all Schengen countries in the European Union or be renewed locally.

Many students will ask when they see this. Then I studied abroad. Should I apply for long-term or short-term? It seems that there is no difference except the duration. Here, we will look at their differences.

The reasons for applying for signing the contract are different.

There are various reasons for applying for a short-term visa.

Most of them are temporary short-term activities, and the approval is relatively loose.

, you can apply for the following reasons:

travel

Go home and reunite with your family/relatives

cultural exchange

Learning research

go/be away on official business

Group invitation

But for these reasons,

According to different motives, the required materials are also different.

And for applicants who need to move between several Schengen countries, the embassy is likely to require accommodation and transportation certificates from different Schengen countries, and they need to cooperate with the corresponding medical insurance. There can be no profit-making activities, and the relative approval time is short, usually 15 working days.

There are also many reasons for applying for a long-term visa:

family reunion

Overseas employment or long-term assignment

investment immigration

Study and research abroad

Most of them are studying abroad and studying. A long-term study visa can provide proof of legal residence for studying abroad throughout the year, and can be extended and renewed in the Schengen country where it is located without multiple visas. They can be extended several times and are valid for one year. After entering the country, they can obtain temporary residence cards and travel to and from Schengen countries.

The application location is different.

The application place of short-term visa is BLS visa center, which has processing points in many provinces and cities across the country. It is relatively convenient to make an appointment online according to the place of permanent residence or household registration.

Long-term visas can only be sent to the Spanish consulate in China. There are only three cities at present: Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. It is approved jointly by the embassy and the immigration bureau, and generally takes about 1 month.

Different material requirements

The requirements of short-term visas for application materials will be slightly different according to different motives. For our most commonly used study visa, we should first look at the length of study time. The length of visa will basically meet the length of study, and the longest time will not exceed 180 days. Applicants are required to return to their home countries immediately after completing the activities, and provide valid proof of accommodation and overseas emergency medical insurance. The relevant application policies will change or tighten with the changes in the international situation.

Long-term visas are relatively fixed in materials and are not easy to change suddenly. The validity period is from 180 days to about one year, and overseas private medical insurance is needed to meet daily medical needs. Usually one year is given, and the stay time is sufficient. You can also travel in Schengen countries or stay for a short time with a residence card.

Duration and transportation requirements are different.

Generally speaking, short-term visas have a shorter stay. Although the batch is fast, it fits well with the length of study, and there is basically not much wealth, and

It is risky to travel to non-EU countries on short-term visas other than travel.

Because short-term visas to other EU countries are theoretically used for transit rather than stay. Especially for students who want to bury their heads in their studies, the validity period is often too short and has to be postponed many times.

The first time a long-term visa is issued is the effective entry time. You need to enter the destination country within the validity period of the visa, and then go to the local police station or immigration office to apply for a residence card. With a residence card, you can legally stay in Schengen countries for a short time. Moreover, this residence card is a valid overseas identity document, and it will be much more convenient to handle all kinds of things. You can renew it locally every year, and you don't need to re-sign it when you return home. More suitable for us