Amid a situation in which the European Union is about to announce the closure of all its internal and external borders to prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus, many foreign travellers have been stranded in the Schengen Area, with their visas and visa-free stay about to expire.

Travel restrictions, cancelled flights and closed borders of most of the Schengen Countries will affect the number of such travellers to increase in the following days.

The European Commission has explained that Schengen visa holders currently in the Schengen Area, can extend their visas, as the EU visa rules provide them with the right of stay extension due to force majeure.

In an exchange of emails with SchengenVisaInfo.com, a spokesperson of the European Commission confirmed that those stranded in the Schengen Area, unable of leaving

“For short-stay Schengen visa holders present in the Schengen area, and who cannot leave at the expiry of their short-stay visa, the visa may be extended up to a maximum stay of 90 days in any 180-day period,” the spokesperson said.

She also pointed out that persons who at the expiry of their visa have already stayed 90 days in any 180-day period should be issued a national long-stay visa or a residence permit covering the prolonged stay, in the country in which they have been stranded.

“More generally, as regards, third-country nationals who are stranded in the EU and as a result overstay their short-stay or long-stay visa or their residence permit, or who stay beyond the authorized visa-free maximum period of stay, a border guard can always make an exception if properly documented,” the spokesperson said.

The EU Commission announced yesterday that it is planning to close all Schengen and EU borders, as a preventative measure for the Coronavirus.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed to the heads of state and governments to introduce temporary restrictions on non-essential travel to the EU, which would be in place for an initial period of 30 days, and prolonged as necessary.

Whereas today, SchengenVisaInfo.com reported that 21 out of the total 26 Schengen Member States have already introduced borders and banned entry for foreigners. Only five countries in the Schengen Area – Belgium, Iceland, Sweden, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg – have not announced any move regarding border closure.