# From schengen visa to long stay visa, leave and re-enter schengen for stamp at border ?



## pierrelb1

English eblow
Bonjour,
Ma copine australienne est en europe avec un visa schengen de tourisme de 90 jours, et a un visa de long séjour "vacances-travail d'un an qui commence le mois prochain. Afin de démarrer son visa et d''avoir le tampon, elle doit apparement quitter schengen et revenir afin de passer au controle de passeport etc. Est-ce possible de faire cela en étant déjà en France, en demandant à l'aeroport de la faire passer à la douane ? Cela nous éviterai de payer inutilement un aller retour en Angleterre juste pour passer la douane.
Je vous remercie d'avance pour vos réponses.
Pierre

Hello, 
my girlfriend is australian and is currently in europe with a tourism schengen visa, and she already got her 1 year working holidays visa starting next month. When her visa starts, she thinks that she has to leave the schengen area to renter directly for her visa to be stamped at border control while entering france. Does she really have to pay for a round trip flight just to get her visa validated at the airport ? Or is there an easier way, maybe just showing up at the airport and asking for example ? 
Thank you for your answers.
Pierre


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## Bevdeforges

Basically, she will have to re-enter France from outside the Schengen area to have her visa validated (and establish her entry on the visa). But hey, nothing says she has to fly all the way back to Oz. Since Brexit, the UK is no longer in the EU, so she could easily make a day or weekend run up to London and do the immigration formalities on her return. No flight needed - take the Eurostar if she'd rather train it.

But a visa is a document that allows you to enter France. In most cases, it's the act of validating the visa on entry that turns it into a "residence permit" which allows you to stay in France.


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## pierrelb1

Thank you for your answer, we are gonna book a trip to London then


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