How will replacing a passport affect obtaining a Schengen visa?

From September 14, 2015, a visa to the Schengen countries will be issued only to those Russians who submit all fingerprints at the consulate or visa center. This new product was not invented today, and not specifically for the residents of Russia. Fingerprinting for a Schengen visa has been “tested” on the inhabitants of the planet since 2011, and now it’s Russia’s turn.

Frequency of fingerprinting

It is enough to take fingerprints once every 5 years; the next time you apply for a visa, the consulate will simply request data from the general VIS database (visa information system), and it does not matter which consulate of the Schengen country the documents are submitted to. The database is the same for everyone, and it stores not only scanned papillary lines, but also a photograph, full name, place of residence, type of activity, nuances of your visa history, and so on.

If the international passport is new, but in the VIS database there are data from the old passport.

Many people are interested in the following question: if, after receiving a previous Schengen visa, the passport was replaced for ordinary reasons (expired, ran out of pages or the last name changed), what to do with the information in the VIS system? After all, the number of the old foreigner or the previous surname appears there.
There is no need to worry. The information in the visa information system will be updated when the citizen applies for the next visa.

Which country’s consulate should you submit documents to?

If your plans include visiting one country, documents should be submitted to its consulate. If you plan to move across several countries, you must submit documents to the consulate of the country of your main residence (where you will stay the longest). If you intend to make a European tour and allocate the same amount of time to each country for inspection, documents are submitted to the consulate of the state whose border you will cross when entering the Schengen zone. You need to be careful, because if upon departure the border guards discover that you have applied for a visa, say, to Hungary (the consulate of which is considered one of the most loyal), but have never visited this country, you can’t count on a new Schengen visa in the near future. Proof of stay in the country can include travel tickets, theater tickets, attraction tickets, and the like.

How much does a Schengen visa cost

? The visa fee has not increased due to the innovations and is still 35 euros; the price does not depend on the period for which the visa is issued. If a visa is issued urgently (in three days or less), the fee is paid double.

A foreign passport with a valid visa is not everything.

A visa does not grant automatic admission to the Schengen zone. Border guards may require the presentation of documents confirming solvency. A fingerprint verification procedure may be carried out to compare with the information in the database.