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What are the Schengen Zone rules?

Travel Talk

Plakian started this discussion 15 years 11 months ago

I get quite a few non-Europeans who want to stay more than 90 days in a season and I cannot find a clear explanation. Is it:

a. 90 days in and then 90 days out before you can return? For example, stay for January and then coming back again in May is OK.
b. 90 days in a 6 month period. Using the above example a return would not be allowed until June or July depending upon whether the 6 months starts at the beginning or end of the January stay.

Also can the 90 days be split up? Using 30 days in January, come back in March for another 30 days and still have 30 days left for May.

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Josh Hostels

15 years

There's a long thread about it on travellerspoint.com forums but I haven't read the whole thing yet.

I think that it's 90 days in a 180 day period starting from time of first entry. But I don't know if the 90 days are counted from the day you enter or if they can mean any combination of 90 days within that 180 day period.

I think multiple entry is okay because I passed through Switzerland border control a couple of times (before they joined) and then reentered the Schengen Zone.

I'm trying to figure this out lately because I'm going to Europe 3 or 4 times this year (though I'm going to have a visa on the last visit).

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Tim

15 years

There are quite a few discussions about this on BUG's forums. Basically the gist of it is that you have 90 days within a six month period. These are not consecutive so you can spend 40 days in Schengen countries, then spend 20 days outside the Schengen zone (for example the UK) and then return to the Schengen zone for another 50 days. After you have used up this time in the Schengen zone, you need to leave for a few months and not return until at least six months after your original entry.

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Josh Hostels

15 years

Basically the gist of it is that you have 90 days within a six month period. These are not consecutive so you can spend 40 days in Schengen countries, then spend 20 days outside the Schengen zone (for example the UK) and then return to the Schengen zone for another 50 days. After you have used up this time in the Schengen zone, you need to leave for a few months and not return until at least six months after your original entry.

Thanks... that's what I was hoping.
If I enter Schengen in mid-March that should give me 90 days to use before mid-September.

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Tim

15 years

Yes that's right, as long as your re-entry date is after the six month (188 days?) period has finished.

In this case you'll need to wait out the time in the UK, Ireland, Andorra, Romania or Turkey or leave Europe altogether. The Schengen zone has expanded a lot since it first started, hopefully it won't expand too much more because there needs to be places in Europe outside the zone to hang out in while waiting to be allowed to re-enter.

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Josh Hostels

15 years

Yes that's right, as long as your re-entry date is after the six month (188 days?) period has finished.

Do you mean wait outside after I've used my 90 days?

My idea was 2 weeks at the end of March, and then back for 12 weeks during the summer (before September).

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Tim

15 years

Two weeks at the end of March and 12 weeks during summer is more than 90 days (98 days).

You'll need to spend a week less to make this work or perhaps spend more time in non-Schengen countries.

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Josh Hostels

15 years

Two weeks at the end of March and 12 weeks during summer is more than 90 days (98 days).

Sorry, I meant 10 weeks (bad math calculation). 2 weeks in March and then 2.5 months during the summer.

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Tim

15 years

In that case, it's not a problem.

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Uli

15 years

The official rule is: "You are allowed to stay 90 days per half year".

it means:
90 days in - 90 out - 90 in - 90 out... - the problem is: you get a visum, that is valid for 90 days. Then you have to wait three months to get a new visum, before you can return.

But:
There ist also the possibiliy to get a visum, which allows more than one visit: Then you get a visum, which gives you 90 days in ONE YEAR.
But you may come as often you want and when you want. The number of days in the Schengenzone must not exceed 90 days in the entire year.

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Tim

15 years

The official rule is: "You are allowed to stay 90 days per half year"..

That's right.

it means:
90 days in - 90 out - 90 in - 90 out... -

No that's completely wrong. The 90 days do not need to be used consecutively. You can come and go as long as you don't stay longer than 90 days within a six month period.

the problem is: you get a visum, that is valid for 90 days. Then you have to wait three months to get a new visum, before you can return.

Citizens of most developed countries don't need a visa to visit the Schengen zone, so that isn't an issue for us.

But:
There ist also the possibiliy to get a visum, which allows more than one visit: Then you get a visum, which gives you 90 days in ONE YEAR.
But you may come as often you want and when you want. The number of days in the Schengenzone must not exceed 90 days in the entire year.

I'm not sure about this but it doesn't sound right. In any case this wouldn't apply to citizens of countries with visa-free access to the Schengen zone.

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