Today, it is very often possible to face a situation when the old travel passport has already exhausted its legitimacy, and the visa affixed in it still allows you to travel abroad. It is known that obtaining a visa permit is a difficult and cumbersome process. For those who do not want to part with a visa, once obtained with difficulty, it will be useful to know how to transfer a visa to a new passport.
How long is a foreign passport valid for different countries
The migration legislation of different countries of the world obliges travelers to enter abroad on the basis of a foreign passport, which must be valid at the time of crossing the border. Moreover, many states require that the document contain a temporary corridor that allows the trip to be extended in case of an unforeseen situation.
Our article "Visa countries" will allow you to understand the peculiarities of the visa regime in different countries.
In some countries, this interval must be at least three to six months after leaving the country, and somewhere it is enough for the passport to be valid at the time of entry. These requirements apply to both visa areas and visa-free areas. What conditions will need to be met should be checked with the consulate of the country of visit.
In order not to be mistaken with the deadlines and not to become a violator of migration legislation, carefully study what should be the effect of a passport for different countries.
Is it possible to use a valid visa in an invalid passport in the EU and Schengen
According to Art. 12 of the EU Visa Code of Laws, in order to request a visa stamp, the applicant must provide his passport, which must meet the following requirements:
- Must remain valid for another three months after the owner leaves European territory.
- Have at least two blank pages.
- Issued no more than 10 years ago.
It is assumed that these conditions should exclude the possibility of the presence of a valid visa stamp in an invalid passport. But in practice, situations when there is a visa in the old passport and there is a new passport are not uncommon. And although European legislation does not exclude the possibility of crossing the border with two passports, it should be remembered that the final decision remains with the border service of the country where you intend to travel.
So, for example, problems do not arise if from the entire Schengen area the destination is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Malta, Lithuania, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Finland, Slovenia , Estonia, Sweden.
You can get to Latvia with two foreign passports only if the canceled document runs out of pages, but you have a valid Schengen visa. The Consulate of Ireland will ask you to reschedule your visa stamp in advance. It will be possible to visit Slovakia only on the condition that the passport in which the place for visas has run out has not lost its validity.
How to transfer a visa stamp to a new passport
Before proceeding with the transfer of a visa, it is necessary to issue a new exit passport. In 2021, Russians have the opportunity to order one of two types of forms:
- old - paper;
- new - biometric with a chip card.
The difference lies in the number of pages, the expiration date and the way the information is recorded.
Before going to the migration service, carefully study the article on how to make a new passport.
To transfer a visa from an old passport to a new one, you must contact the consulate of the country that opened it. The period of validity of the permit must be preserved without fail. However, there are cases when it is simply impossible to do this technically. Then the validity of the visa is reduced.
At the consulate, you need to fill out a new application form and present two photos. The question of whether an old passport is needed when applying for a visa should not even arise: of course, it is impossible to transfer a visa without it.
If the passport is canceled and the visa is still valid
An expired foreign passport does not allow foreign travel. This means that you have to take care of the design of the new document. In this case, the old passport is withdrawn.
In some situations, you can keep it with you: then a number is cut out of it, and a small stamp is put on each page with the note “canceled”.
One of the reasons for this option is the presence of a still valid visa in the passport.
In general, there may be several reasons for invalidating a passport:
- the end of the validity period;
- lack of blank pages;
- mechanical damage to the document.
If earlier the only possible solution was to request a new visa, today a valid visa in a canceled passport does not exclude travel with two documents - an old passport with a visa permit and a new clean one. Only in some cases will you be asked to transfer the visa sticker to a valid passport.
Travel on the basis of two documents is provided for in the "Guidelines for processing visa applications", which was adopted by the European powers. It says that if the visa is valid and the passport expires, then the traveler has the right to issue a new passport and cross the border on the basis of two identity cards.
This applies to both the Schengen countries and the USA, Canada and the UK.
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How to correctly enter with two passports
In world practice, traveling with two passports at once is not a new and familiar phenomenon. However, many states stipulate that the only legitimate reason for using a new passport without a visa as an identity card is the complete filling of the old one. For this reason, if you see that the moment is close, it is better not to postpone this question on the back burner.
If you are planning a trip with two passports, your personal data in both must match. The main thing is that citizenship is indicated the same.
The immigration authorities of some countries, such as Canada and the United States, allow some differences in transliteration.
There is no single norm in this case. Each country can make one of three decisions:
- fully allow entry with two identity cards;
- prohibit;
- allow, but with some caveats.
The first group includes most of the countries of the Schengen area, but subject to three conditions:
- the visa in the old passport is still valid;
- the old passport has no blank pages and has been canceled;
- a new document is available.
In this case, you will be able to get into Schengen without obstacles. The same conditions are put forward by Japan, Canada, South Africa, and the United States.
The third group allows travel with some of the reservations mentioned above (Ireland, Bulgaria, Latvia, Slovakia). And a complete ban on two passports is imposed by India and China. In the opinion of these states, the cancellation of the passport also invalidates the visa, therefore, you will have to apply for an entry permit again.
Summing up
Planning a trip abroad should begin with checking the exit passport. A mandatory requirement for this document is its validity period.If the passport contains an open visa, but for various reasons it itself is already considered canceled, it is necessary to order a new foreign visa. Most states allow entry into their territory on the basis of two documents at once. But there are exceptional cases when you still have to attend to the issue of transferring a visa. Whether it is necessary to fulfill this requirement or not, check with the consulate of the country that issued you permission to cross the border.
