Have you heard of Schengen? Nope, me either. Now I've finally done my research and been educated as to just how frustrating the travel restrictions for long-term American adventurers can be.
So, what is Schengen? Well, it's a pact between 26 European countries that makes travel within the EU both less and more of a pain in the ass.
Less because it means you don't have to go through customs across borders within the designated countries. More because it restricts your ability to stay for the amount of time you really need to do proper exploring.
So, the rules:
My dear Americans, you are only allowed to spend 90 days within a 180 day period within the Schengen countries. Which means, in a six month period, three months have to be spent outside the Schengen area. Since I entered the Schengen area on December 2nd, until the end of May I am only allowed 90 days in the following countries:
Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Lichtenstein
Here's a map for you as well.
The good news: it doesn't have to be consecutive. So I could leave and come back as much as I want as long as I don't overstay my welcome. The other good news: there are quite a few countries that are not included that you wouldn't expect. Take the UK for example, they're outside of Schengen so theoretically you could spend 90 days there and 90 days in schengen and be totally fine. Croatia is also one of the lucky candidates, hence, why I'm here. I'm due to go to the Netherlands in the Spring for at least a couple weeks so I wanted to make sure I left myself plenty of extra time. Because the repercussions of staying too long in Schengen absolutely suck.
Included possible punishments:
Deportation
A big ugly red stamp in your passport labeling you an "illegal immigrant"
Travel restrictions for up to 5 years
Heavy fines (we're talking thousands of euros)
Basically, not worth it. All the sources I've talked to and researched say if you overstay by a week, you're probably ok, and if you leave from France, Greece, or Italy you're less likely to get caught. However, the best way to avoid consequences is to simply play by the rules. It's really not that hard. You can apply for a long-term visa in several countries if you want to study or work there, but in my case I simply don't have the patience or desire to put up with jumping through those kinds of hoops. Particularly since I have a pretty extensive travel list and no strict timeline. Airfare in Europe is cheap and I have no problem dawdling in the East for a while.
So, there you have it. Another tip; wherever you're going, look up visa requirements beforehand. Basically visas are just a ploy to take your money, but getting to a foreign country and then realizing you're not allowed to enter would not be fun. For example, I'm looking into visiting Istambul, and Turkey requires you to have a visa before you arrive, which you can apply for online. It takes five minutes and $20 and voila, you have a Turkish visa. Some countries make it far more challenging, so don't put it off if you know you want to visit somewhere specific.
Travel well!
~swan
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