Upvote:2
The visa application dates are the dates of your planned departure and arrival. In the Schengen application form, there are a few fields similar:
Field 25, "Duration of stay". This is how long your plan to stay in the Schengen area; so if you are applying to Germany, plan to visit Germany for 3 days, then France for 2 days - you would put 5 here.
Field 30, "Date of arrival". This is when you will arrive at the border check-point (the immigration counter) or more practically speaking the airport where you will enter the Schengen zone.
Field 31, "Date of departure". This is when you plan on leaving the Schengen zone; it doesn't have to be from the country where you entered the zone. You could enter from Frankfurt, and then exit from Paris.