Help with Visa Concerns in the EU

[mac19406]

Now that the European Union has the ‘freedom of movement’ policy in place, I am curious – I read the following in the Let’s Go Europe (2007 edition):

“The EU’s policy of freedom of movement means that border controls between the first 15 member states have been abolished, and visa policies have been harmonized.”

Since US residents do not need a visa for most countries for fewer than 90 days what about staying in the EU (but no single European country) for over 90 days?

My plan is to spend the next year riding my 1150GS Adv. around Western Europe. The most I would spend in any one country is approximately 60 days. But once 90 days have been reached in the EU will I have to leave and then return? Or, since I am moving from country to county (keeping under the 90 day limit) will I be ok to stay in Europe for a year?

Let me know!

Thanks

-Michael

[sunflowers]

You actually automatically get a Schengen Visa when you visit these countries and there is a time period limit - something like 6 months in a 12 month period.

I used to work a lot in Europe but based in the UK (which isn't part of the Schengen agreement which is why you have to show your passport when entering the UK).

And I have only once been questioned about the schengen visa time period when I was travelling on my NZ passport and that was in Norway as they are one of the more recent members and seem a bit more anal at customs.

But for all of the rest of them I wouldn't worry about it as I don't think they try and add up when you have been in and out of the country.

You can find more information at EuroVisa.info - What are the Schengen countries?

Cheers,
Annette

[mac19406]

Thank you for your reply, but I am still a little confused. As I enter and exit each country will I get a new 90 days to work with in the new country I am entering; or, will I be limited to 90 days total because the country is part of the Schengen group of countries?

Thanks again in advance for you help.

-Michael

[bobkat]

You get a total of 90 days (in a 6 month period) for all Schengen countries, not each country. After a total of 90 days you must leave the Schengen area or have a visa. We stayed about 140 days in the Schengen countries, flying into Portugal, riding through Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, France, and spent December and January in southern Spain and then flying back to the USA from Spain. No one asked us for a visa, but we never had trouble (accident, speeding, etc.) with the police either. We did rent a box at the post office and get a library card, but the passport was good enough for that.

Different countries have different rules about getting a visa, but when you get it for one country it is good for all the Schengen countries.

We're working with this right now. We planned to spend about 2 years touring Europe. We originally wanted to get our visa in Germany (must be gotten in Germany at the end of the 90 days, not your home country) but we were not in Germany at the end of our 90 days last year, we were in Spain, and the snow kept us out of Germany. We are home (USA) right now (for a reason not related to visa's) and we're working on getting a Spanish visa, which must be gotten in your home country, not in Spain! Our bike is still in Spain waiting for us.

The forms are available online with some searching. I don't have the links because I downloaded the forms (for Germany and then Spain) and kept them when I found them (they're in Adobe .pdf format). They were on official government web pages. Try typing "Schengen" and "(your country of choice)" into Google and see what happens.

From what I've read over the years (mostly on the HUBB), there is generally no problem overstaying your 90 days until you leave and want to re-enter. Nobody is walking around checking visa's on a daily basis, but passport control when you re-enter may look at the dates stamped earlier and deny re-entry. Others have had no problem getting back in. It probably depends on the mood of the guy at passport control. If one were to leave, maybe to eastern Europe, and re-enter, and leave, maybe to Morocco, and re-enter and leave, maybe to Greece, and re-enter, I'll bet it would confuse things, especially if one left and re-entered through different countries. There may be so many stamps as to keep anyone from figuring out the cumulative time in the Schengen area. We haven't tried it.

We hope to be back in Spain this summer to complete our tour, with a visa from Spain. If not we'll go to Germany as the 90 approaches and get one there. Europe is a fantastic place to tour. We've been in buildings that were considered "new" and they were built before the USA existed! The "old" one it replaced was probably built by the Romans!

[mac19406]

Bobkat,

You mentioned "We originally wanted to get our visa in Germany (must be gotten in Germany at the end of the 90 days, not your home country) but we were not in Germany at the end of our 90 days last year."

If I am reading this correctly a US Citizen can apply for an extended visa while in Germany? Is that correct?

If this is so do you have any further information regarding this (who do I contact, do you have a specific website I can use, ect.)?

If I can get an extended travel visa while in Europe this will solve all my difficulties.

Thanks.

-Michael

[hook]

Hey guys/gals, I'm a little confused. I lived in Europe for 8 years (before the EU was formed). When I arrived in London in 1985, my passport was stamped "Leave to enter for 6 months- employment prohibited." The Canadian I was with had a much more open-ended stamp placed in his passport. I was curious why, he said to me "it has something to do with the fact that WE didn't have a revolution!" Very funny- and fair. Anyway, no other country in Europe had a length of stay date on my passport...just the date I entered a specific country. Has this changed now? Will a 90 day deadline be stamped in my US passport? Any US travellers know about this? Thanks, Dave.

[bobkat]

mac19406: Yes, according to the German Consulate in San Francisco, CA they can only give a visa for 90 days, which you have anyway. If you want a longer visa you have to do it in Germany about 60 days in. They gave me a paper that says you must go to the nearest Auländerbehörde (Office of Foreign Affairs) to your place of residence. (You need a local address for any country's visa.) I can .pdf this page and send it to you if you give me your address, mine is whitedragon*at*bobkatsjaunt*dot*com. The web address I have for the forms is no longer working at http://germanembassylusaka.port5.com...formation.html.

hook: We've been to Europe twice in the last year, March 2006-Frankfurt Germany and Sept 2006-Lisbon Portugal and each time there was only a date stamp of entry. Neither time did they say anything or add any comments to the passport. I think it is up to you to know the law. As I said earlier it could be hard to catch you overstaying, particularly if you got a new/renewal passport without any stamps. They didn't record anything in a computer. The new US ones with RFI could do a recording automatically and may change this situation. The computer could check your dates of entry/leaving and flag the control officer of a problem.