Extended Schengen Visa?

If you are a college student, you should visit the study-abroad office. The folks there are probably more experienced answering questions like yours then readers of the RS forum, who tend to be a few years past college age :-)

You should also try google or your favorite search engine.

It's been a while since I've read the entire Schengen agreement, but based on memory and recent experience of my niece (for whom I co-ordinated the initial launch), your Austrian extended visa will be honored by all Schengen countries.

Shengen/Austrian visas cannot cover entry into other countries. Not knowing where you're going, you might not need any. Most countries, for US citizens on short stays, require nothing except maybe a passport stamp at the border. (Turkey stiffs you twenty bucks, Russia is a do-ahead process that's tedious.)

An Austrian student visa gives you the right to study in Austria for the time period stated on the visa. It has no effect on the 90 day Schengen rule. You still only get 90 days in the rest of Schengen.

The student visa is not a Schengen visa. It is an Austrian Visa.

We probably won't be visiting any non-Schengen countries besides the Czech Republic (and even that might be one after the Lisbon treaty?). The International Students Office at my university told me to contact the Austrian consulate and even it couldn't answer my Schengen zone question. The only reason for me to apply for an Austrian visa is so that I won't get deported when I try to visit other countries after the 90 visa-free period.

The national Austrian visa does not change your status in regards with the other Schengen states *). You can travel for 90 days in every 180 day period in the other Schengen states (article 20 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985).

*) Assuming that you're a citizen of a visa waiver state (e.g. the USA), otherwise your would be "upgraded" to visa waiver for the duration of the visa.

The Czech Republic is a member of the Schengen Treaty since 2004 and has implemented it fully since 2007.

You can visit most non-Schengen countries (notable exception Russia) without a visa, a US passport is all that's required. You really need to check for each country that you plan to visit.

I'm not qualified to give you an answer on the visa requirements. Will you fly into and home from Austria? That may make a difference since you will probably never present your passport when you cross borders inside of the Schengen zone.

"You can visit most non-Schengen countries (notable exception Russia) without a visa." (from above post)

Yes, but the Schengen countries include almost all of Europe (except the UK and Ireland); the Schengen countries are: Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Slovak Republic, and Slovenia.

I have two daughters who have gone to university in and live in Europe (Germany & Switzerland). You can stay in the country for which you have a student visa for the allotted time (it usually goes for a month or so after studies end). This does not in any way affect your 90/180 Schengen stay. You should not overstay the 90 day limit. My oldest daughter did by 3 days (they catch you when you finally leave) and was fined 500 Euros. They can also hassle you at exit, causing you to miss your plane and are forced to take the next plane at full fare. If they are really in a bad mood, they can disallow reentry into the Schengen region for up to 10 years. As the economies falter they are getting tighter and tighter on this (as workers from Eastern Europe and elsewhere push their luck, staying and working after their tourist visas expire).

An added extra. Make sure you have every required document, such as the letter from your college in Austria extending to you the offer to take their courses for a specified period. when you arrive. My oldest daughter lacked one document and it took her over five months of concerted effort to get that visa sorted out (she was going to college for 4 years in England).

After all of the facts posted here and a couple of hours on the phone with the consulates, I have decided to postpone my semester in Austria for one year and do the trip beforehand. This will allow me to study and travel in Europe at different times, all within 90 days and without visas. Thank you for all of your advice :)