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| *Travel Tips>>>General - Europe (Continental) Travel Tips |
Visa questions for travelling through Europe for one year.? |
Travel Info My son is traveling in Europe for a year. We thought the 90-day tourist limit was for each country; now we find it's for most countries of Europe combined! Questions: 1) Can the 90-day period be interrupted and then started up again? My son plans to go into a few countries for a few days each that are NOT part of the visa agreement. Will that time still count as part of his 90 days, or does the 90-day countdown stop during that time? 2) He'll be doing volunteer work for 4 months during the winter, soon after the 90-day period ends, in an EU country. Can he right away apply for a resident visa there, or something of the sort, that will take him through that period? 3) Once the resident visa has ended, can he then begin a 90-day tourist visa again, since 3 months have gone by? His plan is to continue travelling once his work-period is over. Also, if this IS possible, then in order to activate it, does he need to go to a non-EU country and back to have his passport stamped? Travel Tips Hi Janet, I'm a foreigner living and working in Europe for 5 years now, in 2 countries--one EU and Schengen, one Schengen but not EU. Let's start with the basic facts. US passport holders do not need to arrange any additional visas for tourist purposes of 90 days maximum in a 180 period in the Schengen Agreement border zone. You can NOT leave and come right back with a fresh 90 days--not anymore. It's 90 in/ 90 out. When he leaves the Schengen Agreement border countries, he needs to get his passport date-stamped. Those days out will not count against his 90 days in 180 limit (as long as he's not maxed out when he leaves). For example, lets' say he's in Germany, Italy, France, and Spain for 75 days combined. He leaves to Switzerland for 10 days. When he comes back, he's got 15 days before he must leave Schengen-land and stay out for 90 days before being able to re-enter as a tourist. The UK and Ireland are not part of Schengen border. US citizens get 180 days (out of 360) to play tourist in the UK. Ditto Ireland (Republic). However, UK and Ireland are quite strict when you enter, and every passenger is greeted with questioning to asess their intentions and means of support of staying longer than a normal tourist would stay. Switzerland, and most of the new EU countries in the east --such as Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania--and the Baltics, generally allow US passport holders 90 days each country to play tourist. Be aware that it is illegal to enter a country, or zone (ie, Schengen border) as a tourist without 1. proof of onward travel within the tourist allowed days, 2. proof of support, and 3. proof of insurance. The latter 2 are rarely enforced, unless one looks or smells like a vagabond hippy, and/or has more than 3 really big suitcases. Also, be advised that visas MUST be sorted out BEFORE arrival. If he is going to volunteer time/work, that can be construed as taking away gainful employment from a citizen during that time, and can be grounds for refusal to enter. Additionally, airlines are becoming more diligent to check for visas if someone is travelling one-way or for a long period, because they are partly liable if a passenger gets denied entry. With these basics, I hope he can work out a schedule that keeps him "legal" and therefore have less worries while he visits Europe. Others Huh? In my younger years I lived and worked illegally in Europe for nearly 2 years. The only visa I had was the entrance visa that was stamped on my Passport for whatever country I came back to when I hopped the hydrofoil or boat to Africa to just turn around and come back to Europe. Your son may want to think about coming back to the U.S. every 90 days just to pick up some things he can't get in Europe... it makes a nice break to come home for a few days before going back to Europe, but just an out and back trip of a couple of hours is all it takes. He probably doesn't have the financial resources to apply for Resident Alien status because that requires providing proof of an independent income of anywhere from $1000 to $2000 per month and getting a Permee d'sajour costs about $500 so it's cheaper to just leave the country or Europe every 90 days... and more fun too. When I lived in England, I used to join the rest of the illegal aliens on the Hydrofoil to France... just stayed on the Hydrofoil when it docked in France, then came back to Dover to get my Passport stamped. Oh, I just re-read my posting and realized someone might like to know what I did to support myself illegally. I played Piano in bars for the tips at night (usually did pretty well) and Guitar on a Street corner or in a Metro galleria during the day (also did rather well)... there were some days I made a couple of hundred dollars (USD equivalent) |
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