schengen visas - short/long term

http://www.axa-schengen.com/en/schengen-countries

If you get an extended visa, it should be for the country in which you will spend the most time, whether or not you fly directly into that country.

If you apply for a visa in a Schengen country, and enter in a different country, you have a few possible scenarios: 1) They count the day you entered into the Schengen zone as the date your visa started. You are then "on the clock" and need to start the paperwork as per the instructions on your visa. People have gotten in to problems with this in France (you have a limited amount of time to register that you've arrived) as they mistakenly think the first day they enter France starts the clock. 2) If the country your visa is from requires documentation of the date of your arrival, you will have to find a way to enter the country that gets you a stamp on your passport. This could mean leaving the Schengen zone and re-entering. 3) You could have trouble with the timing and the issuance of the visa. Some countries won't issue a visa until closer to your departure date. If you aren't planning on entering the country for a while, but are going to Europe soon, that could be a problem. (Which is close to #1 I suppose)

This is my experience with a short-term Schengen visa: When I was applying for my tourist visa (not lucky enough to be American like you lot :-P ), none of the countries I looked at allowed you to apply earlier than 3 months before your departure date. If you apply for and receive your visa prior to departure, there is no "clock", as your visa will need to be for a specific date and time period. For example, I was to enter on a specific day and leave on a specific day, not "enter whenever and leave after x amount of days". You are to get the visa for the country in which you will spend the most time (if you divide your time equally, apply in the country which which you plan to enter first). For example, I got the visa for Germany, but entered through Iceland and spent several days in other countries before actually entering Germany. Also, I cannot speak for all consulates, but I had a good experience dealing with the German consulate in San Francisco. Not only did they issue my visa very quickly, but they were actually very helpful every time I called them with a question. Perhaps you might want to contact the consulate/embassy for the country in which you plan to apply for a visa...rules do change frequently, and it may be more helpful than relying on internet advise.

similar to Anna. I found the German consulate very meticulous and strict about getting everything right. But also very helpful. But they are very stingy about the lenghth of your visa- no extra days

It's true -- they even called me at one point, to clarify whether I was co-habitating with anyone or actually single :-/

@Anna - Don't mean to be obtuse - but what did they need to know that for???

Well, I put myself down as "Single" on the application (since the alternative was "Married", which I am not), but also indicated that I would be traveling with my boyfriend...I guess they wanted to make sure we were not in some kind of meretricious relationship, not that I see how that would change things. shrug They are very meticulous when it comes to details, I guess.

It's very different with the French consulates in the US. Most won't let you call. They also issue you a temporary visa that has an expiration date (but does not call for you to enter on a specific date). Depending on visa type, you have a specific amount of time after entering the country (or Schengen zone, depending on the stamp on your passport) in which to register/continue the visa process.