Q: My wife has a SA passport. In April she will travel to the Netherlands for four days. In August we are taking a 10-day river cruise starting in the Czech Republic and ending in Germany and travelling through Hungary and Austria. Can my wife apply for a multiple-entry Schengen visa valid for a year from the Dutch government and use it four months later for the trip starting in the Czech Republic as well? - R Moos
A: Usually one must apply for a Schengen visa for the country in which you will spend the most time, regardless of whether it is your port of entry into the Schengen area.
A multiple-entry visa should allow you entry to any country in the Schengen area without question.
I previously held a five-year multiple-entry Schengen visa for France but used it on a number of trips to other EU countries without hassles. However, the EU has tightened up its visa regime. Apply for the Dutch multiple-entry visa anyway. Meanwhile, you should seek clarity directly from the Czech embassy: the email address is consulate_pretoria@mzv.cz.
• We can help with your destination dilemmas, visa mysteries and itinerary ideas. E-mail us on travelmag@sundaytimes.co.za
