The Limited Territorial Validity (LTV) visa is a special type of visa that restricts the holder’s travel to a specific Schengen member state. Unlike the Uniform Schengen Visa, which allows for movement between multiple countries within the Schengen area, the LTV visa permits the traveler to stay only in the country that issued the visa.
For example, if France grants you an LTV visa, you are allowed to remain in France but cannot travel or transit through any other Schengen countries. This restriction makes the LTV visa a unique exception in the realm of European travel.
Typically, LTV visas are issued in exceptional cases. These may arise due to international obligations or humanitarian reasons, where granting broader travel permissions would not be appropriate or feasible. Therefore, this visa type serves specific, often urgent purposes while limiting the traveler's movements to one designated country.