New passport: is it possible to transfer a valid visa from the old one to it and how to do it. Transferring a visa from an old passport to a new one

"Electronic magazine "ABC of Law", 10/16/2017

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A VALID SCHENGEN VISA
DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR OLD PASSPORT?

When submitting documents for a visa, please submit valid passport, issued less than ten years ago, containing at least two blank pages and the validity period of which, according to general rule, expires no earlier than three months after the expected date of departure from the territory of EU member states (Article 12 of the EU Visa Code).

However, in practice, a situation may arise when you have a valid Schengen visa in your inactive passport. To avoid going through the procedure of obtaining new visa There are two possible options.

1 . Transferring a visa to new passport

In this case, a visa will be pasted into the new passport with a validity period before the expiration of the visa in the old passport.

It is not always possible to transfer a Schengen visa from an old passport to a new one. The issue of transferring a visa is considered in each case separately by the consulate or diplomatic mission of the country that issued the visa.

To clarify the question about the possibility or impossibility of transferring a visa to new passport contact your consulate (diplomatic mission or Visa Center) country that issued the visa. In some countries, such as Germany, there is no practice of transferring a visa to a new passport. It is necessary to apply for a visa again with a complete package of documents and payment of the consular and service fees.

If a visa transfer is possible, a consular officer (visa center) will advise you on what documents you must submit and issue a special application form.

2 . Entry into the EU with two passports (invalid and new)

Some Schengen countries allow entry and travel within the country by valid visa in the old passport without transferring it to the new one. In this case, you must have both passports on hand: old and new. In order for you to be able to safely cross the border with two passports in hand, you must contact the authorized representation (consulate, diplomatic mission) of the country in advance before your trip and clarify this issue.

It happens that a person who often travels to foreign countries finds himself with two foreign certificates in hand. This can happen, for example, if a new document is drawn up due to the fact that quite a long time has passed since the moment the old one was drawn up. But what to do if the first document has “ended”, but there is still a mark in it that allows you to travel abroad? In this case, you need to decide the question of how to transfer the visa to a new passport.

Visa in invalid document

So, what should you do if you have a valid visa in your canceled passport and you are unable to reschedule your trip? As a rule, the likelihood of such a case is minimal.

When applying for a visa, immigration officials ensure that the passport meets the following requirements:

1. The paper was provided no later than five years ago (biometric – ten).
2. The validity period begins no less than three months after the end of the trip.
3. There are still two pages left.

But it still happens that such incidents occur. And sometimes it happens that the remaining pages are gone quickly. In this case, you need to seek help from a document that was adopted by the European Union back in 2011. This paper states that if there is not enough space for stamps, a person has the right to visit another state using two foreign passports.

Traveling with two passports

When the previous one has a valid visa, but the new one has only a blank page, then you should be released. You just need to explain everything to customs officers, referring to the standards of the above-mentioned document.

In most cases there are no problems. But there are countries whose entry has separate rules, so they are worth considering in more detail.

Latvia

The customs papers of this country state that visiting the state with two certificates is possible only as an exception.

But if this suddenly arises, then at the border they will not send you back home, but will help you transfer your visa to a new document as quickly as possible, without charging you for it.

Slovakia

You will be able to enter this country if your previous passport has not yet been cancelled. In such a situation, all the necessary stamps are placed on a special form, which you must always have with you until the end of the trip.

Ireland

They won’t just let you out: if the visa is valid, but the passport is running out, then you need to transfer the stamp to a valid ID. You will not be charged.

Bulgaria

If you travel to Bulgaria with a Schengen visa, then there will be no problems. But if you cross the border with a national, that is, Bulgarian, visa, then you will not be able to leave - you need to apply for a new visa.

Great Britain

English customs officers will only let you through if the personal data in both passports is identical. However, if you have changed your first or last name, you will not be able to travel on a visa. This applies to many European countries, but in England they are watching it especially closely.

Visa transfer

If you need to transfer a visa from an old passport to a new document, then this must be done without any special difficulties and as quickly as possible.

To begin with, you should contact special agents, but you can realistically carry out the transfer yourself. This is due to the fact that the issue is resolved quite simply, and the agents try to make the problem global so that you pay them for their help.

You need to go to the visa center or the embassy of the country where you intend to go. You need to come during reception hours, approach the employee and tell them about the current situation. As a rule, you need to spend no more than two hours to solve this issue. But you must have all the required documents with you.

Today, citizens of the CIS countries often face the following problem: old international passport became invalid, but it still contained valid visas, which cost a lot of effort and expense to obtain. The question of how to transfer a visa to a new passport becomes especially relevant when it comes to long-term multiple visas. In most cases it is possible to solve this problem, but, unfortunately, not always. Much will depend on the visa rules of a particular state.

A foreign passport that has become invalid can sometimes be left with the owner (in this case, the number is cut out of it with scissors and a “Cancelled” stamp is placed on each page, and on the last page - a stamp with the number of the new issued document). One of such cases is the presence of valid visas.

Situations where a valid visa remains in a canceled passport occur quite often, but each case must be considered specifically.

There are many reasons for canceling passports, including:

• expiration of their validity period;
• lack of free pages;
• mechanical damage or contamination, etc.

If previously the only solution to the problem was the cancellation of the entry permit and the procedure for obtaining a new one, now the situation has changed. In the case where the visa stamp is valid, but the passport has expired, you can try to transfer the visa to a new one if you wish, but most often it is practiced to use both documents - the newly received one and the expired one.

How to travel with two foreign passports

Traveling with two passports - with a canceled one, but with a valid visa, and with a new one, with blank pages - is a fairly common phenomenon in world practice. In the EU in 2011, the manual on the procedure for processing visa applications (II, 4.1.1) specifically stipulates the right to enter the Schengen area with two foreign passports.

Here, the only legal reason for issuing a new document is considered to be complete completion of the old one. Therefore, if your visa is valid but your passport is expiring, you should apply in advance for a new one to the relevant authorities. Changing your surname as a result of marriage entails the cancellation of your entry permit. In the USA and Canada, the rules are different - for example, a different transliteration of the surname is allowed, but the citizenship should not change.

There is no single view on the problem of entering a country with two passports in the world. Three positions can be distinguished:

• allow completely;
• allow with reservations;
• prohibit.

The first group includes most Schengen countries. If three conditions are met: the old passport has a valid visa, it is completely filled out and cancelled, and there is a new document - entry into the Schengen zone will be unhindered.

Germany even allows entry with one valid passport without blank pages, but with a valid permit. The first group includes countries such as the USA, Japan, Canada, Great Britain, and South Africa.

The second group includes:

• Bulgaria (allows border crossing with two Schengen passports, but open national visa is cancelled);
• Ireland (does not allow two passports);
• Latvia (allows such entry in the most extreme cases);
• Slovakia (requires the provision of an exclusively non-cancelled passport with a visa and the presence of a special additional form for affixing stamps).

The third group includes China, India and some other countries. They are of the view that cancellation of the document automatically revokes the entry permit. It is not possible to transfer it to another document. Such permission to cross the border must be applied for again.

How to transfer existing visas

Transferring a visa from an old passport to a new one is not a requirement in most states that allow entry with two foreign ID documents, and often it is simply not possible.

In Germany, such a transfer is not recognized - you must contact the consulate again and apply for permission. France, in the absence of blank pages in the international passport, accommodates those who wish to transfer the visa to a new document for free, but on the condition that the French visa is pasted into the old passport and there is a new passport. Of all the Schengen countries, only Ireland and Latvia require transferring the entry permit from the old document to the new one.

Validity periods visa permits during such a transfer they must be preserved, but if for technical reasons this turns out to be impossible, they are reduced.

The applicant must fill out an additional form, provide two photographs and old passport with a valid visa.

In the USA, such a transfer from an old document to a new one is not practiced. In Japan, on the contrary, you can, if you wish, apply to transfer a valid multiple visa from a canceled one to a new passport. Along with the application, you must provide old and new documents and their photocopies. In the UK, foreigners are also accommodated in this matter.

In order to get a comprehensive answer as to whether it is possible to transfer the entry permit to a new passport or whether this is not necessary, you should contact the consulate or embassy you are interested in directly.

When answering the question whether an old international passport is needed when applying for a visa, it should be emphasized that, firstly, without it, the transfer of a valid entry permit to a new foreign document cannot be carried out and, secondly, the visa history, which you can confirm with the old international passport, will help in opening new permits in a simplified manner.

We apply for a Schengen visa. How to do Schengen. How to get a visa to Europe: Video