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I hold a valid multiple entry Schengen visa issued by Spain, which has not been used so far to enter any Schengen country, Can I enter Romania based on such unused Schengen visa ?

Mark Mayo
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N.Agg
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1 Answers1

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According to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "the holders of Schengen visas with two or multiple entries, national visas or residence permits issued by Schengen Member States" can enter Romania without any additional visa.

They don't mention anything about there being any problem with you visiting Romania before any Schengen country on the visa. Since Romania is not a Schengen country, they let you in on the basis of the visa in the same way that they let in US citizens on the basis that they are US citizens, and thus don't need a visa. The only limitation that they mention is that your stay is limited to the duration of your Schengen visa. I recommend that you contact them or the Romanian embassy serving your home country to be sure about this.

Please note that:

For stays longer than 90 days visitors need to need to [sic] apply for a temporary residence permit (either before arriving into Romania or at least 30 days before the 90-day "no visa" stay expires).

(Source.)

Fiksdal
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  • The list is not needed, it's the same than that for the Schengen area itself (by law) and we know the OP does not qualify because he or she has a Schengen visa. – Relaxed Jun 07 '16 at 09:44
  • @Relaxed Thanks for pointing that out, didn't know it was the exact same list. – Fiksdal Jun 07 '16 at 09:50
  • In fact, Romania is in an odd situation, it has to apply most of the Schengen rules (the Schengen acquis) but is not part of the area. So the list is not only coincidentally the same, it has to track the changes made to the rules for the Schengen area. – Relaxed Jun 07 '16 at 10:44
  • @Relaxed I see. I was actually surprised, as I had previously thought that all EU members were also part of Schengen. – Fiksdal Jun 07 '16 at 10:50
  • That's right, they should be, with two exceptions. The UK and Ireland got an opt-out and don't have to become part of it. Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus are legally bound to join it but haven't done it so far. Cyprus is blocked by the situation of the island (in principle all of it belongs to the Republic of Cyprus and to the EU but the nothern half is not under its control). For the other three, the process has stalled, partly for political reasons and it's not really clear when it will happen. – Relaxed Jun 07 '16 at 11:06
  • That's the reason behind these strange rules: They have to apply the Schengen regulations and recognize Schengen visas... but can't issue them. – Relaxed Jun 07 '16 at 11:08
  • @Relaxed I see. Oh, well, that's politics, I guess. – Fiksdal Jun 07 '16 at 11:12
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    @Fiksdal : i posted the same query to the consulate email id given on the webpage of Romanian Ministry of Foreign affairs and email id on the Embassy of my country. I did not receive any reply so far. I guess, to play safe , i will carry print out of the webpage which states the facts you have mentioned. – N.Agg Jun 08 '16 at 06:30
  • @Martian27 These types of agencies can often be slow to respond. You might want to try calling them. – Fiksdal Jun 08 '16 at 07:46