Extended tourist stay in Europe...VISA details

My understanding is that an extended stay visa allows one to extend their stay in the visa host country beyond the standard 90 day tourist limit. That would mean you cannot visit the rest of the Schengen countries beyond the 90 day limit. And few if any countries will provide an extended visa if you aren't going to actually stay in their country more than 90 days. But I could be wrong and we always HIGHLY recommend that people with such questions get their answers from the various embassies. Visa's can be a complicated endeavor fraught with legal issues and each country has its own rules. While some of us can offer hints and suggestions, you need to rely on actual statements from the various embassies and our own State Department.

Sally,

My information is the same as Douglas posted. You can apply for an extended stay Visa in one of the Schengen countries (France seems to be popular), which would allow you to stay in that country beyond the 90 day limit. However that does not allow you to exceed the 90 day limit when visiting other Schengen countries.

One method you might consider is to stay in the Schengen countries for 90 days, and then move to the U.K. for six months (but you would have to stay IN the U.K. during that time and NOT return to the continent). That should be perfectly legal.

Good luck and happy travels!

Can anyone tell me which of the countries might be easiest to get a
tourist VISA: Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal,
France...open to others as well? Once I get a tourist Visa, let's say
for Austria, am I at liberty to visit the other countries as well
during that time period?

First of all there is no tourist visa that can be extended beyond the 90 you are normally granted as a US tourist. What you may be able to get is a short term residence permit for one of the Schengen countries, however you need to understand that if granted such a permit, you will be subject to local law when it comes to social security, medical cover, driver's licence, taxation and so on. As a resident, unlike a tourist, you will be allowed to take as many trips within the Schengen are as you wish, subject to minimum residence period in the host country.

One thing you should also keep in mind is that these type of permits are not very popular with landlords, so you can expect to pay more that the going rate in most places you might consider renting.

So in considering possible host nations you should at least check out what the requirements are for:
- Amount of cash required to support yourself
- Minium continuos residence period
- Social security obligations
- health care requirements
- Taxation issues
- Ability to obtain a rental property

An extended-stay visa gives you the right to stay in that country for the visa limit.

There are no restrictions to movement among/between the Schengen states

I had one for Spain, but France would have been just as easy. It took me less than an hour to fill out the forms and get some junk notarized.

I probably spent most of the time in Spain and made my initial entry t here. Rephrasing, I probably spent more time in Spain than any other nation, but certainly not the majority of the year - - perhaps a couple of months. I exited and entered Spain numerous times and exited and entered other Schengen nations numerous times as well.

Were I notionally in violation of Schengen at some point, I'd assume the Spainish visa prevailed since nothing was ever said. A wild guess is that there were at least a couple dozen Schengen border entries during the period and maybe only three or four with Spain as the initial arrival nation.

Importantly, I never established a residence anywhere, just moved around and went back and forth being a tourist. I'd think there'd be a problem if you had a visa for one nation and tried to go live in another.

Sally,

In order to provide further clarification, you may find it helpful to read the "Stays in excess of 90 Days" section of THIS WEBSITE.

A few pertinent sections which stood out....

• For stays in the Schengen Area as a whole which exceed 90 days, a third-country national will need to hold either a long-stay visa for a period no longer than a year, or a residence permit for longer periods.
• The holder of a long-stay visa or a residence permit is entitled to move freely within other states which comprise the Schengen Area for a period of up to three months in any half-year.

(bold emphasis added).

Cheers!

As others have noted, you really are looking to get a residency visa for some period of time. That will require you to work with one country, fulfill their requirements, which usually means showing a means of support (Pension, savings, etc....not seeking work) evidence of medical coverage, and some plan of where you will stay, plus any other things they throw in (proof of no criminal history has been mentioned). As to what countries might be the best to work with, try looking up ex-pat sites, they might discuss the ins and outs more than here. As general observation, retired people with assets have it easier than younger people. Once you have the visa, travel is pretty much unrestricted within the Schengen zone...though the expectation is that most of your time will be spent in the host country.

Now, this also needs to be said. Living in Europe is a completely different ballgame from visiting. Without going into all the inumerable details, one of the biggest differences is payment. As a tourist, you mainly interact with hotels, restaurants, museums and shops that are happy and prepared to accept your cash or magnetic swipe credit card payments. All in English. As a temporary resident, however, you will likely at some point need to pay for the services of some kind of contractor or other professional. Don't expect them to speak English, and you can guarantee your invoice will be in the local language. You often read on this website that traveler's checks are worthless in Europe. Very true, but I would expand that to includeso all forms of paper checks. Often, your only payment option is electronic transfer. Easy enough... if you have a European bank account. Otherwise, you would need to go through the cumbersome process of calling your bank and arranging the transfer, making sure you have the IBAN, BIC, and full address of the receiving bank. Everytime you need to pay someone, you would need to repeat this process.

I write this not to be discouraging, but to open your eyes to the reality. Think about all the services you rely on everyday at home- internet, mobile telephone, electricty, water, garbage disposal, medical care, post, house cleaning, laundry, etc. As a visitor, you pay the hotel to take care of most of these things for you, and you can take the rational gamble that you can probably get through your vacation without needing to see a doctor. When you're here on an extended stay, you need to arrange all those things for yourself... AND be able to pay for them in a method to which you may not be accustomed.

Just some things to think about...

Don't be discouraged. If Ed did it, it can be done.

As Tom pointed, without discouraging anyone, I think people considering extended residence should just be aware of these details. Most continental European countries have requirements such as some form of civic registration that in turn requires proof of a legally appropriate residence whose means vary according to each country. Throw in more regulated rental markets and you have a rather cumbersome process of getting all done to register and so one.

Moreover, though this vary from country to country, the friendliness of public officials in providing English-language services to you is very different if you are a tourist or a resident (Benelux and Scandinavia get is a bit easier than elsewhere). There are forms to sign (all in the local language), public/government websites to look up into etc. Utility companies may not have an English staff to assist through the needed procedures.

This is why, for instance, short-term exchange students or expats pay a considerable premium (compared to what locals would otherwise pay) for comparable accommodations so that some specialized real estate agency helps take care of these issues - at a profit for them of course.

For money, you could maintain your domestic bank accounts and get cash from an ATM. Some businesses might accept PayPal.

"Some businesses might accept PayPal." I have NEVER seen any off-line business in Europe offer Paypal as a method of payment.