If you are going to Europe but have not booked any trip yet, and you are looking to get a longer Schengen visa, then our advice would be to plan your first journey to France as the French consulate normally issues multiple entry visas valid for 3 months or longer. The French visa is convenient because if you provide all the necessary documentation, your first visa may be issued for 3 or 6 months, your second – for one year, the third – for two years and all the rest for 2 years unless your circumstances change and you do not qualify anymore for a visa with such a long validity. After travelling to France you can use this visa to go to any other Schengen country.

You most probably will be granted a 6 month multi entry visa if you:

• Are married to a British/EU citizen
• Are on a working visa in the UK (Tier 1, Tier2, Tier3, Work Permit, HSMP, Working Holiday, Investor)
• Already had a French Schengen visa issued and used it to travel to France
• Have been working full time for the same company for at least 6 months
• You are providing annual multi trip travel insurance
• Your passport and UK visa are valid 3 months after your requested Schengen visa for France expiry date (E.g. if you wish to get a 6 month visa starting from 25 October 2010, both your passport and UK visa must be valid at least until 25 July 2011).

It could be one year visa if you meet the following requirements:

• You have had a 6 month French Schengen visa before and used it for France
• You are providing annual multi trip travel insurance
• Your passport and UK visa are both valid for at least 3 months after your requested Schengen visa for France expires (For example, if you are applying for a French Schengen visa on January 1, 2011, both your passport and UK visa must be valid until April 1, 2012 or beyond.)

You might be granted a shorter visa for France (valid for 1 or 2 months) if you:

• Hold Tier 4 visa for the UK (student visa)
• If you work part time
• If you recently changed your job, and have not received your first pay slip yet
• Your travel insurance should be valid for the duration of the visa validity you request and cover you for multi trips
• If your passport or UK visa is expiring within 6 months.

Please bear in mind that you would still need to provide all the relevant supporting documents which include application form, photos, employment letter, payslips, university letter (for students), bank statements, hotel booking, confirmed tickets, and travel insurance.

Each of these documents must satisfy the Embassy requirements; otherwise your application will be rejected. For example, your employment or university letter must not be older than 30 days, be an original, not a copy. Many people do not pay enough attention to photos and submit old pictures or ones that are not up to the required standards. This can put your application at risk too. Also, please make sure that your name is spelt correctly on all documentation you provide – sometimes there are spelling mistakes on tickets, insurance or hotel confirmation.

For more information on a Schengen visa check out Schengen visa guide.