Which consulate you apply to
You do not get to choose freely. You apply to the country where you will spend the most
nights. If the nights are split evenly between two or more countries, you apply to the
country you will enter first.
Applying at the wrong consulate is one of the most common technical grounds for
rejection, and it is entirely avoidable. It is worth confirming before you book flights
or accommodation, because the answer can change what you should book.
The 90/180 rule
A short-stay Schengen visa allows up to 90 days of presence in any rolling 180-day
period across the whole area — not 90 days per country. The window moves with you:
on any given day, count backwards 180 days and the days you were present must total 90
or fewer.
If you travel to Europe frequently, this arithmetic matters more than the visa sticker
does, and miscounting it can affect future applications. We work it out with you.
What a visit visa is for
Tourism, visiting family and friends, business meetings, conferences and short cultural
or medical visits. It does not permit work or study, and it does not lead to residence.
An application that reads like relocation rather than a visit is the other common reason
files fail.
