Travelling to non Schengen EU countries using a Schengen visa

tridev

tridev

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I got a 90 day multi entry schengen visa (SA passport) valid for a year.

I want to visit Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia. Has anyone entered those countries using a Schengen visa as they are not Schengen states?

Different websites give different information so I just want to confirm someone who has traveled to those countries.
 
A Schengen visa is just that.....a Schengen visa. It allows you entry into into Schengen countries only. You should have applied for a tourist visa that covers all of the EU countries.
 
tridev said:
I got a 90 day multi entry schengen visa (SA passport) valid for a year.

I want to visit Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia. Has anyone entered those countries using a Schengen visa as they are not Schengen states?

Different websites give different information so I just want to confirm someone who has traveled to those countries.
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Doesn't work for the countries you listed, but you could enter Andorra with that set up.
 
It's just so confusing

example here
http://ec.europa.eu/immigration/do-i-need-a-visa/do-i-need-a-short-stay-visa_en
if you hold a residence permit or a long-stay visa issued by a Schengen area country, you will have the same freedom of travel as a Schengen short-stay visa holder. If you have a Schengen visa and wish to visit any of the six EU countries which are outside the Schengen area (Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, the United Kingdom), you normally need to apply for a separate national visa for each country. However, holders of Schengen visas valid for multiple entries can enter Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania without an additional national visa.
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tridev said:
You mean separate Visas or one central visa?
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Visas are for a specific country.

EU Schengen visa is FOR EU COUNTRIES.

If you want to go to non-EU countries you'll need a visa for that country (seeing how it's NOT IN THE EU and the EU Schengen visa doesn't apply)

...not sure how this is hard to grasp frankly
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_the_Schengen_Area

The Schengen Area consists of 22 European Union member states and four non-members who are members of EFTA: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania are not yet part of the Schengen Area but, nonetheless, have a visa policy that is based on the Schengen acquis.[2]
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Holders of a visa or residence permit issued by a Schengen state, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus or Romania may also travel to Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania, without an additional visa, for a stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period (except nationals of Turkey and Azerbaijan traveling to Cyprus, who still need a Cypriot visa).[15][16][17][18] However, visas and residence permits issued by Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus or Romania are not valid for travel to the Schengen Area.
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http://www.mfa.bg/en/pages/109/index.html

On 25 January 2012 the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria adopted a decision according to which by the date of Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area, our country will unilaterally apply a visa-free system for holders of valid Schengen visas. They will have the right to enter and reside in the Republic of Bulgaria for a period of no more than three months in any six-month period from the date of the first entry, without needing to have a Bulgarian short-stay visa. The decision entered into force on 31.01.2012.
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HavocXphere said:
Visas are for a specific country.

EU Schengen visa is FOR EU COUNTRIES who are party to the Schengen Agreement.

If you want to go to non-EU countries or EU countries NOT in Schengen, you'll need a visa for that country (seeing how it's NOT IN THE EU and the EU Schengen visa doesn't apply)

...not sure how this is hard to grasp frankly
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Fixed that to be a little clearer;)
 
Serbia although not listed in the above links but the below link seems they also allow entry if you have a schengen visa

http://www.mfa.gov.rs/en/consular-affairs/entry-serbia/visa-regime

At its meeting of 30 October 2014, the Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted the Decision on visa free entry to the Republic of Serbia for holders of foreign passports having a valid Schengen, UK and other Member States' visa, or visa of the United States of America, and for holders of foreign passports having residence permit in the countries of the Schengen area, EU or the United States of America, which was published in the "Official Gazette of RS", No. 119 of 31 October 2014 and which will enter into force on 8 November 2014.
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As long as your Schengen is a multi-entry visa you will be fine, as a single entry would have been used when you initially entered the EU.
 
whatwhat said:
As usual you are wrong :crylaugh::crylaugh::crylaugh::crylaugh:

Schengen works for the places he wants to visit, as per their embassy.
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As usual you're acting like an idiot, no where in my post did I even refer to where the OP wanted to go, I simply corrected Havoc's point that Schengen applies for all EU countries.

You know.... the post I quoted and corrected...

How about you go and troll elsewhere?
 
I went through the non Schengen list of countries in the Europe, neighboring countries and former Soviet republics and for South Africans here is the list

Romania - Visa required or can enter with multi entry Schengen visa up to 90 days
Bulgaria -Visa required or can enter with multi entry Schengen visa up to 90 days
Serbia - Visa required or can enter with multi entry Schengen visa up to 90 days
Bosnia - Visa required or can enter with multi entry Schengen visa up to 30 days
Croatia - Visa required or can enter with multi entry Schengen visa up to 90 days
Albania - Visa required or can enter with Multi entry Schengen visa up to 90 days
Montenegro - Visa required or can enter with Multi entry Schengen visa up to 30 days
Kosovo - Visa required Can enter with Multi entry Schengen visa up to 15 days - https://aab-edu.net/en/about-aab/we...lication-requirements-procedures-guideliness/
Moldova - Visa required or can enter with Multi entry Schengen visa http://www.mfa.gov.md/entry-visas-moldova/foreign-need-visa/
Georgia - No visa required can stay up to a year
Turkey - Free 1 month e-visa online
Ukraine - Require visa from Ukraine embassy in SA
Russia - No visa up to 90 Days
Crimea- Currently part of Russia, was part of Ukraine
Kazakstan - Need visa from embassy in SA
Madedonia - Can stay up to 15 days with multi entry Schengen visa
Azerbaijan - Need visa from embassy in SA
Armenia - Can get visa at airport or apply e-visa http://www.mfa.am/en/visa/
Belarus - Need visa from embassy in SA. Namibians and 80 countries don't require
Tajikistan - e-Visa or Visa On Arrival
Turkmenistan - Visa required
Uzbekistan - Visa required
Kyrgyzstan - Can get visa at airport

So basically if you have a multi entry Schengen visa it gives you a lot of options as long as the total doesn't exceed 90 days for all the countries combined that you use the visa.
 
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With living here and being a member of expat forums I have learned quite a bit about travel in Europe. My wife is South African and I am Finnish.

She can travel to any Schengen member country with a Schengen visa but some non Schengen countries accept the visa. Some non Schengen countries will give her a short stay visa immediately at customs if she has not been flagged as a transgresor.

She cannot travel to the UK without a UK visa at all. She was refused entry twice but they relented after hours of argument. It also depends on the mood of the customs supervisor.
South Africans can enter Ireland without a visa.

Thankfully she has now acquired an Article 10 Residency Card in Portugal and can now visit any EU country without a visa as long as she accompanies me.
 
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marco said:
A Schengen visa is just that.....a Schengen visa. It allows you entry into into Schengen countries only. You should have applied for a tourist visa that covers all of the EU countries.
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HavocXphere said:
Not possible
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aleksandar said:
You will need visa for Serbia for sure.
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cr@zydude said:
Doesn't work for the countries you listed, but you could enter Andorra with that set up.
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HavocXphere said:
Visas are for a specific country.

EU Schengen visa is FOR EU COUNTRIES.

If you want to go to non-EU countries you'll need a visa for that country (seeing how it's NOT IN THE EU and the EU Schengen visa doesn't apply)

...not sure how this is hard to grasp frankly
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I got sent a PM of people asking me if I had issues so I decided to post just to clarify the false information posted here.

I travelled to Serbia,Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria last year using a multi-entry Schengen visa and had no problems entering those countries.
Schengen visa has to be multi-entry
Total stay must not exceed 90 days (EU and no EU countries that Schengen visa is required)

Before visiting a country remember to verify on a countries embassy website what the rules are and don't listen to members of this forum as from the above you can see how many were wrong.
 
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