The Schengen Visa: Things You Don’t Know but Should
We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
The Schengen Visa, while very handy for traveling across Europe without applying for multiple visas, can be a pain for those looking to stay in Europe long term. The majority of countries in Western and Northern Europe are part of the Schengen visa. Therefore it can be tricky to maximize the allotted 90 days available to you, and even more tricky to understand when these 90 days count and when they end. Take it from us, you do not want to screw these days up. While some countries may not pay attention to these dates others do and you don’t want to end up in interrogation at 2am.
So here are the thing you don’t know about the
S C H E N G E N V I S A
but should!
Not All Nationalities Need to Apply For the Schengen Visa
The nice thing about the Schengen visa is that not all nationalities need to apply for it. The visa will be granted automatically when you reach the border. This makes it easy for some people but also can make it difficult to know what the terms of the visa actually are. Because not all countries are automatically granted a visa please check before heading to a Schengen country.
Below you will find a list of countries currently allowed to travel around the Schengen countries without applying for a visa ahead of time.
*Please note that this can change at anytime so check the Schengen Visa website to double check.
The Schengen Visa Grants You Freedom of Movement Between 26 Countries
The best thing about the Schengen visa is that you have freedom of movement between 26 different countries. You don’t have to worry about going through passport control when you travel between these countries and it makes travel between them smooth and easy! The following 26 countries are:
The Schengen Visa is Calculated on a Rolling Basis
This is the trickiest part about figuring out your time in the Schengen countries; your visa is calculated on a rolling basis. This means that whenever your passport is checked they go back 180 days from the day they check it and calculate your 90 days from there. That means that if you have been traveling around Europe and been popping in and out of the Schengen countries you need to keep an accurate count of your days both in and out of the Schengen from everyday of your long term trip…. It’s a pain, I know, but better than being deported…
To Extend Time on Your Schengen Visa Keep an Accurate Count of Your Days
The best way to avoid being deported is to keep an accurate count of where you have been and how many days you have been in each country. It also helps to calculate back to 180 days before once you cross the 90 day threshold. Here is how we organized our days over our 11 month European trip.
While it was a headache to work backwards since we were well past 90 days when we started this calculation if you work from the beginning it shouldn’t be too difficult.
The Day You Enter and the Day You Leave Each Count as a Day in the Schengen.
This is one of the most important things to remember because it can widely skew your day count if you forget about them. Even if your passport is stamped at 11:59pm it counts as a day. If you have any doubt about what days count check your entrance and exit dates that are stamped into your passport.
The U.K. Is Not Always Happy About Being Used as a Place to “Extend” Your Schengen Visa
Just a heads up on this one. Alex and I were almost deported when we landed in the UK on day 90. If you are visiting the UK and are near the end of your 90 days I would refrain from saying that you are visiting the UK because your 90 days are almost up. Maybe mention the fact that you are more interested in seeing the Tower of London or Big Ben or to visit friends than say that you are looking to extend your 90 day Schengen visa…. Take it from us, it is not fun to spend almost 3 hours in the holding area of Stansted Airport waiting to see if you will be allowed into the UK. It is nerve racking to say the least especially after all the work I did to make sure we were within the bounds of the visa. Luckily we explained what we were doing in the UK, visiting friends and spending the holidays and that we had money and weren’t bums, and they let us in.
So there you have it; all the things you should know about the Schengen Visa and now do! If you are planning long term travel throughout Europe it definitely helps to know how the visa works especially since there is hardly any clear information on the internet. Hopefully this clears up this confusing visa situation and makes your travels around Europe waayyy easier!
Heading to Europe soon? Don’t forget to buy travel insurance! Sure you may not use it but its always good to have. We recommend World Nomads which we have been using for years and have always made us feel secure as we travel around the world!
Pin For Later
6 thoughts on “The Schengen Visa: Things You Don’t Know but Should”
Leave a Reply to Sarah (JetSetting Fools) Cancel reply
About Us
We are Ashley and Alex and we're foodies and boozies who eat, drink and live local. Our goal is to scour the globe looking for inside local tips, the best places to eat and the best places to drink with the locals.
We are also authors of a culinary guidebook, "Eat Local in Barcelona: A Guide to Catalan Cuisine." This guidebook is all about learning how, what and where to eat and drink local in Barcelona. Find out more in the link below!
Follow along with our adventures, so that you too can eat, drink and live local!
Follow us on Snapchat @PursuitAdventur or just snap a picture of our code!
Last year, when we were already booked for 62 days in the Schengen Zone, we finally read the small – but significant – detail regarding the 90 out of 180. Prior to that little bit of info, we thought we would be able to leave for a week and come right back. Our near snafu resulted in quite a bit of last-minute travel planning, but thankfully it all worked out in the end! Good post for those of us who skim the details 😉
Yes! The same thing happened to us because we didn’t realize it was a rolling 180 days… So we ended up taking 2 roundtrip ferries to Turkey within 3 days of each other! Thank goodness we did though, otherwise we probably would have been refused entrance to the UK!
Ashley, yes it is difficult to find accurate information and this was helpful.
Next year we are planning a 6 month trip on Busabout, with visits to 15 countries and 46 cities.
We are arriving via cruise in Barcelona. So, obvious thought (to me) is to apply for a Schengen Visa from Spain. However, via email the LA consulate has responded that we should apply to the country that we will be spending the most time. I don’t know where that will be yet.
My question is: since we will be staying within Schengen countries what do think the risk is of overstaying our allowed 90 days ? We would be prepared to come back to the states any time we ran into “trouble.”
Hello Bob,
If you have a US passport you do not need to apply for a Schengen Visa. The 90 days begins when you arrive in Spain. The risk really depends on the country, the day and the immigration officers. Personally, I wouldn’t risk it because if you are caught you can be banned from the Schengen for around 5 years (I believe) and not allowed to finish your trip. I would plan out your trip so that you put in buffer days in other countries outside the Schengen so you don’t run into that issue. It will take more work but it will allow you to plan out a trip where you don’t have to worry about the visa. I would look at visiting Croatia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Turkey, Ukraine and Romania as just a few countries not included in the Schengen Visa.
Hope that helps!
Cheers!
Hi Ashley,
My husband and I are retired and interested in spending 7 months in Spain. We want to make our base in Madrid but travel around the country as well as to Italy. Should we obtain a Schengen Visa?
What can we do to be able to stay in Spain for that length of time?
Thanks.
Nancy
Hello Nancy,
Are you from the US? At the moment you do not need to apply for a Schengen Visa, you get one automatically, although there has been talk about it changing. However, the visa is only for 3 months in a six month period. If you are interested in staying in Spain and the Schengen countries longer than three months you must apply for a different visa. I am not sure what visa would work best for you but I would check here for more information on that. I hope that helps!