Information sheet on the main Schengen rules, why a ban can be imposed and how to limit a ban imposed by Germany March 2011 Every year the Embassy receives numerous calls and letters asking about how to lift a ban on entering the Schengen states. As for Germany this information sheet is intended as a guidance in the procedures necessary to lift a German ban. Ususally a ban is imposed on those travellers to the Schengen member states who received a Schengen visa issued by a member state which is not their main destination of the travel period or / and for those who overstayed the validity of the visa. The Schengen rules are unfortunately not simple to understand, nonetheless you should know about the main destination rule and validity of a Schengen visa. The main destination rule If you make your travel plans to the Schengen countries you have to define which Embassy is to issue the visa. If you intend to travel only to one Schengen country the embassy of this country has to issue the visa. You are than eligible to travel through any other Schengen country in transit to reach your main destination country. e.g. if you intend to travel to Portugal only, you have to get a Portuguese Schengen visa. The Portugese visa is also valid to travel on a transit itinerary through any other Schengen country (e.g. France, Spain, Germany etc.)to reach your final destination in Portugal. Please make sure you can present an onward flight ticket to your main destination if asked by immigration officers on arrival.
If your travel consists out of a tour of two or more Schengen countries the visa has to be issued by the member state you stay most of the time during your travel. e.g. you travel to Germany, France and Austria and you intend to stay most of the time of your travel in Austria, the Austrian Embassy will have to issue the visa. Germany 2 days France 7 days Austria 14 days (as main destination responsible to issue the Schengen visa) If your travel plans are equally divided between two Schengen countries the Embassy of your arrival country has to issue the visa Germany 7 days (German Embassy has to issue the visa) France 7 days Validity and period of stay The maximum stay permitted by the Schengen visa codex is 90 days per half year. You can find the relevant period of stay and the permitted days of stay on your visa as follows:
What are the reasons to be banned from future entry to the Schengen Member States The main reasons for bans are infractions to the Schengen visa codex or the national aliens laws and regulations, e.g. overstay of the indicated time period or days of stay permitted in the visa breach of the main destination rule as explained above criminal offences committed within one of the Schengen member states General information How to limit a ban for the Schengen countries imposed by Germany If the German Federal Police (immigration) or one of the local German aliens authorities imposes a ban to enter the Schengen area, your data will be stored in the Schengen Information System (SIS) to give notice to all Schengen member states that you were banned. The ban is regularly imposed indefinite, meaning the ban is not given a timeframe to expire. However, the ban can either be restricted to a certain time period or lifted depending on the date of the imposed ban. The German Federal Police therefore issues a protocol or deportation order which also includes the regulations and conditions of the ban. The case number is indicated as well as the proper way to lift the ban. In case you have no idea on who imposed the ban If you do not know which authority in Germany actually imposed the ban you are entitled to get this information free of charge from the German Central Register for Aliens in Cologne. You simply have to fill in the form enclosed in Annex 1, get it certified by the German Embassy in Riyadh and send it by mail (not through the Embassy) to Germany. However, for the certification the Embassy has to charge a fee. Please make sure your address is filled in correctly to obtain the register's letter. You will than have to follow the procedures as mentioned under the paragraph limitation to the ban. In case you got a protocol or deportation order If you received a deportation order, it includes instructions about the ban on re-entry. You have the right to apply for a limitation to the ban on entry as it is always set to run indefinitely. Limitation to the ban You have to do so in writing to the indicated Federal Police office at the airport you have been refused to enter or the authority mentioned in the letter of the Federal Register on Aliens. You can find a prepared letter to fill in your name and all relevant information in Annex II. You will have to tranfer a fee of 30.00 to the German Federal Bank as indicated in the deportation order or the letter of the Federal register on Aliens. Please include a copy of the transfer receipt of your bank in Saudi Arabia to facilitate the administrative procedures.
Annex 1 Bitte zurücksenden an das (Please return to the / Retournez, s.v.p., au / Devuélvalo por favor a) Bundesverwaltungsamt - Ausländerzentralregister - D-50728 Köln Antrag auf Erteilung einer Auskunft; (Application for Release of Information; / Demande de délivrance de renseignements ; /Solicitud de información;) Selbstauskunft nach 34 Gesetz über das Ausländerzentralregister (AZR-Gesetz) information pertaining to the applicant according to the Central Register of Aliens Law, subsection 34 (AZR-Gesetz, 34)/ Renseignements sur les personnes aux termes de l'article 34 de la loi relative au Registre Central des Etrangers ( 34 ARZ-Gesetz)/ Informacion a la persona registrada conforme al articulo 34 de la ley del Registro Central de Extranjeros (AZR-Gesetz) Ich bitte um Auskunft über die zu meiner Person im Ausländerzentralregister gespeicherten Daten. Hereby I request that information stored in the Central Register of Aliens pertaining to my person be released to me or my representative as defined below. Je vous prie de me communiquer des renseignements sur les donées me concernant mises en mémoire au Registre Central des Etrangers. Ruego se me informe sobre mis datos personales registrados en el Registro Central de Extranjeros. Angaben zu meiner Person / Personal data: / Données personnelles / Datos personales Familienname / Family Name / Nom de famille / Apellidos ggf. Geburtsname / Maiden Name/Premarital Name (where applicable) / Nom de jeune f'ille/de naissance (le cas échéant) Vorname / First name / Prénom / Nombre Geburtsdatum / Date of Birth / Date de naissance Fecha de nacimiento Geburtsort / Place of Birth / Lieu de naissance / Lugar de nacimiento Geschlecht / Sex / Sexe/ Sexo männlich / male / masculin / hombre weiblich / female / féminin / mujer Staatsangehörigkeit / Nationality/Citizenship / Nationalité / Nacionalidad Mir ist bekannt, dass eine Auskunft nur erteilt werden kann, wenn meine nachstehende Unterschrift von einem Notar oder einer Behörde des Herkunftsstaates oder einer deutschen Auslandsvertretung beglaubigt ist. I have been notified and acknowledge that infonnation will be released only if my signature below has been attested by a notary or otherwise certified by an appropriate authority of the country of origin or by a German consular service. Je comprends que ces renseignements ne peuvent être émis que si ma signature figurant ci-dessous est légalisée par un notaire ou par une autorité du pays d'origine ou par une représentation allemande à l' étranger. Estoy enterado(a) de que solo se me pueden facilitar información previa legalización de mi firma al pie de la presente por parte de un notario o una autoridad de mi pais de origen o por una oficina consular alemana. Die Auskunft soll mir an die folgende Anschrift zugestellt werden. Send the information to the address below / Envoyez-moi les renseignements à l'adresse suivante / Envieme por favor la informacion a mi direccion siguiente
Die Auskunft soll meinem/meiner Bevollmächtigten an die folgende Anschrift zugestellt werden Send the information to my authorised representative at the address below / Envoyez les renseignements à mon/ma mandataire à l'adresse suivante / Ruego envien la información a mi apoderado(a) a la siguiente dirección Anschrift (Name)Address / (Nom)Adresse / (Appelidos)Dirección Ort, Datum, Unterschrift / Place, Date, Signature signature Lieu, date, signature / Lugar, Fecha, Signatura Beglaubigungsvermerk / Authentication of Légalisation de la signature / Nota de legalización............ 3574.02.01
Annex II...... First name, Family name Place and date......... Address of the Federal Police office or aliens authority Concerning limitation to the ban on re-entry; case n..., dating... Dear Sirs, I would like to apply for a limitation to the ban on re-entry to the Schengen member states imposed on me. Please find enclosed a copy of the transfer receipt issued by my bank on... Kind regards... Signature