Oh, there are too many articles on the internet about the first entry rule. Some say it's a myth, others prove it exists, because once an acquaintance of theirs was turned back at the border for not following this rule. We decided to figure out what this rule is and what it's all about. We had to dig through the articles of the Visa Code, and we found something.

The rule does not exist

The thing is, the first entry rule is not officially written anywhere, but it stems from the rules for requesting a visa in the Visa Code (Article 5, Part 1, points “b” and “c”), which state:

“The Member State competent for examining and deciding on an application

1. The Member State competent for examining and deciding on an application for a uniform visa shall be:

a) the Member State whose territory constitutes the sole destination of the visit(s);

b) if the visit includes more than one destination, the Member State whose territory constitutes the main destination of the visit(s) in terms of the length or purpose of stay, or

c) if the main destination cannot be determined, the Member State whose external border the applicant intends to cross in order to enter the territory of the Member States.” (c)

Amendments have been made to the Visa Code — including this article, so it is considered valid until February 2, 2020.

The following applies. There are two completely different grounds for obtaining a visa if you are planning a Eurotrip: visa issuance based on the main country of stay and visa issuance based on the country through which you enter the Schengen area.

Let's look at examples

Yes, it's complicated, so here are examples for each case.

Point “b”: