Schengen Visas - Short Term/Long Term

SHORT STAY VISAS Short-stay visas are Schengen visas that allow the holder to move freely throughout the 25 countries in the Schengen Area for stays totaling a maximum of 90 days in each period of six months. This is the type of visa issued for tourism, business travel or family visits ; it is also issued so that you can come to France for a short training course, internship, conference, business meeting or be gainfully employed (in whatever way) for less than 3 months. This type of visa is also required for simply transiting through France. LONG STAY VISAS The long-stay visa is NOT a Schengen visa ; it is a national visa that entitles you, whatever the reason for your stay, to live in France for more than three months. The visa also entitles you to transit through another country in the Schengen Area on your way to France and to move freely throughout the Schengen Area for its entire period of validity. The main reasons for issuing this type of visa are study, work and family reunion. Specific documents, according to your reason, are required to support your visa application. If you are issued with this type of visa, you are required, on arrival in France, to register with the Office Français d'Immigration et d'Intégration (OFII) or, in some cases, to apply to the relevant prefecture for a residence permit.

From look at all the web sites, I think France might be the easiest to apply for long term stay. The Spanish site has as one of their many requirements .......If you wish to stay in Spain for three months or longer, you must get a criminal records check from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation before you apply for your Spanish visa........ And they will only accept the FBI and not your local sheriff.

@Frank - Thanks for doing the research! So, is it your conclusion that if you aren't planning to study, work, or reunite with family - you simply want to travel, or maybe live without working (on a pension, for instance) - that you're out of luck unless you're a citizen of an EU country?

I'm going to jump in and respond. The other day, I was talking to my postal carrier. He told me that in four years he plans to retire and move to France. I asked about visas and health care and he said he's researched it and as long as he doesn't seek work, France welcomes retirees and getting a residence permit isn't difficult. He will even get health care. I believe the secret is simple. He will receive income from his pension and pay the taxes in France. He also plans to buy a home and pay taxes on that as well. As long as you pay taxes, they're willing to give services. And a visa. It's working, I believe, that causes the problems. Can anyone else with actual experience confirm this?

I agree with Frank II explanation. France appears to have a policy to make longer stays easier. Their use of the phrases - family reunion, work, study - maybe be a language issue. When I used family reunion I think of a weekend party but French use of family reunion could be much broader as family returning to France to reunited with former family members and wanting to stay a while. It is very clear that some countries make it much easier to obtain a long stay visa than others. In fact one country had a prohibition of stays longer than 90 days. I think it was the Netherlands.

Thanks Frank! Now we at least have a thread to point (link) to. This really should be "sticky" on almost all the sections of this part of the website. As you indicated, it is becoming more of an "issue" and there are still a great number of people who are not even aware of the Schengen limits.

"Family reunion" sounds like the equivalent of a US relative visa. These are issued to the spouse, child, or parent of a US citizen or lawful permanent resident. It probably won't work as a basis if you just have a second cousin living in France.

Not sure that is relevant to the question. It is how the French was using "family reunion" in relation to a long term stay visa in France. I assume there were using it pretty loosely.

It is relevant because they are not using the term loosely. The term "family reunion" may be loose in English but the French is actually "family reunificiation": "Ce visa est délivré lorsque la durée du séjour est supérieure à trois mois. Les principaux motifs de délivrance de ce visa concernent le plus souvent les études, le travail et la réunification familiale. " That is from the France Diplomatie website. The French consulate website describes another type of long-stay visa, suitable for retirees, etc.: "You may apply for this visa long stay visa or "visitor visa" if you intend to settle in France (for example as a retiree) and live there more than 90 days. CAUTION : this visa DOES NOT allow you to work or enroll in courses or studies while in France, as there are already specific visas (profesionnal, studies) for these purposes. As a consequence, the proof of sufficient fundings and assets to support your stay in France without working for more than a year will be crucial to qualify for this visa. "If granted,the visa issued is a "Long Stay as Resident Card visa" valid for a maximum of one year. "The visa in your passport will also be your permanent resident card for France for the whole first year, provided that you register to the french office for immigration (OFII) within the first two months of your arrival." The French specifies this is a "Type D" visa for non-professional purpposes: "Visa de long séjour pour motif non professionnel (cas général). Le visa de long séjour (type "D") est exigé pour tout séjour sur le territoire français supérieur à 90 jours. Il est délivré par le consulat du pays dans lequel vous avez l'intention de résider." The requirements for registering locally differ from the work, study and family reunification long-stay visas.

Frank, I'd also like to compliment you on the research you've done on this topic. I agree that it should be a "sticky" so that others will have easy access to this information, hopefully before they start planning long stays in Europe. Frank II, "He will even get health care." It's fortunate that he's chosen the country that has the best health care system in the world (according to the WHO). I know from speaking with a number of Brit's now living in France that the premiums can be expensive, but the care is excellent. Cheers!

And thanks too to Lola for explaining that work, study, and "family reunion" are not the only reasons they give out the visa for long stays. Looking at the consulate website, it looks like the "non-professional" visas have a financial requirement that must be met (to prove you can afford to live there without working). Interesting that the French is so much more specific than the English translation on the same website. I guess if one is actually going to do this, it would be a good idea to know enough French to read the rules and instructions in their language.

There are many different types of visas available for living in France (beyond the 90 day Schengen visa limit). And what's available to Australians (ie a working holiday visa for those under a certain age) may not be available to Americans, and vice versa. Getting a visa with working priveleges is the hardest. Students (visit the Campus France website for more info) can work part time while here. Regular Americans need the sponsorship of a French company who have to justify why they are hiring a non-EU citizen. Spouses of French Nationals, and even EU citizens can get working priveleges, along with the spouses of foreigners on Researcher, Salarie en Mission, and Carte Competencies et Talents get working priveleges. All others are dependents and not able to work.

continued... Long-stay visiteur status can be obtained by meeting certain criteria outlined on the consulates websites. In general, you have to show sufficient income to cover your expenses, a place to stay, health insurance, and in some cases a return ticket back to your home country. You will also likely sign an affidavit that you won't work while there. Note: buying property in France does NOT give you the right to live there. This is a myth that has caused many people trouble. It does take time and money to get these visas (professional translations of documents and a roughly 300€ cost for the visa + travel to consulate if needed) The initial visa must be applied for in the home country. To retire in France you will need to meet the same requirements above. Frank II's mail carrier is mistaken in thinking he will get government health coverage. He will need to provide his own health insurance. My husband works in France and we are not eligible for gov't insurance (Carte Vitale). Paying taxes isn't what gives you that privelege, it's paying cotistations - paying in to the Social Security system. Even with private insurance, the overall costs should be much less than in the US, though.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed on this complex issue. I've bookmarked this thread to pass it on to others when we get this question again. It used to be we only got a couple of Schengen questions here per year. But in the last year or so, we seem to be getting a couple of Schengen questions per month. Maybe the Helpline is coming up higher on Google when people google Schengen. Apparently there are a number of N. Americans planning trips longer than 3 months, who are unaware of the Schengen restrictions/requirements. So I think we're doing some good out there!

According to the website of the French Consulate General in Washington, DC, if you wish to stay in France for more than 90 days, you must have a letter from an insurance company (a copy of the policy or insurance card will not do) stating that you are fully covered by health insurance for the entire period of your stay in France. You are also required to supply a complete financial package, with bank statements showing your daily balance of all accounts for the past 3 months. You must also have a copy of a property lease or property deed for the place where you will be staying. Additionally, you must apply at a French Consulate in person, and all documents you supply must have an acceptable French translation. My wife and I had seriously considered living in Normandy for a year, but we are both over age 65, and a health insurance policy for the two of us for one year would cost over $22K.

France is an interesting place regarding health care. It's excellent and subsidized by the government. To apply for a long term visa, you do need proof of health insurance. But that doesn't mean you need U.S. health insurance. I priced health insurance for France as a long term visitor. A fully reimbursable policy with a $100 deductible is about $1200--per year.That's about $100/month. I pay six times that here with a high deductible. (BTW, when I say fully reimbursable I mean that it pays 100% of costs after the deductible is reached. Other policies paying less than 100% are available for less.)

As usual the follow up postings kind drifted from the original posting. It was not intended to be a discussion of all the possible French visa but rather to show the need to obtain a visa somewhere if you want to spend more than 90 days in the Schengen zone.

Frank, if I want to spend 120 days in the Schengen zone, but want to spend it across 10 days in 12 countries, would a Visa from France truly suffice?

I am sorry but your question does not make any sense to me.

Possibly Julian meant to say" "want to spend it across 10 days in each of 12 countries". Would account for his 120 days.

Crash, "... Any thoughts?" The scary part? As far as I know illegally staying in Germany can, in theory, lead to a maximum sentence of one year in prison. Never heard of any case with prison sentence for only that though. Actually being a bona-fide tourist (i.e. not working, no criminal behavior, not establishing permanent residence, and so on) and overstaying a few days nothing really earth shattering will happen. Blacklisting for the Schengen area (5 years I believe) and Germany (indefinite) is likely, maybe an administrative fine of a couple hundred euro. But no immigration detention, no police escort to the plane, no prosecutor will open trial -- they have bigger fish to fry. But overstaying months, maybe repeatedly? Looking less like a traveler but more like a commuter? Maybe even showing "criminal energy" by actively evading detection? Working, without permit, without paying taxes, without mandatory social security contributions? That could result in detention and supervised expulsion, depending on the circumstances (forged/altered or destroyed/hidden documents? Lied to law enforcement officials? Made active moves to evade enforcement?). It will result in a criminal case. Still, most likely it will not be settled in a court trial, but with the German equivalent of a plea bargain, a "Strafbefehl."
In most cases I've heard of the sentences are criminal fines in the range of one to three monthly incomes.

In Julians case, difficulty could be encountered. Many countries may be reluctant to offer a visa when you really will not be in that country. The intent of the longer term visa is for those who need a longer stay in a locale for a reason.

Retirement relocation visas are a whole different league in the word of visas and entry. They mean you have to actually move there. As some said, retirement visas are easier in certain countries (Italy, France, Portugal) and extremely difficult to come by in others (Netherlands, Germany, Finland). I don't know of any scheme to allow you extended tourist visas in Schengen area. There used to be, on the era pre-Schengen, countries that would extend your tourist visa, sometimes up to 7 months, upon requirement and proof of funds. However, this had become too easy of a way for illegal workers from other developed countries to conceal employment (yeah, sometimes Americans come to work illegally in Europe and vice-versa) with visa extensions. Common cases were discharged military coming back to resettle in Europe and students staying long-term working on sub-par English schools and services (before English knowledge became widespread among native populations). On top of that, and even more important, most visa limits concerned only a country or a subset of countries, and not all EU (or former EC) countries considered time spent on neighboring countries on their applications, allowing easy "visa runs". But those days are long gone. So, as far as I know, there is just no easy way to say roaming in Europe for 6 months, one year, without some sort of attachment, like a long-term language course, and a "fixed" residence for that period. This is the kind of trip that is no longer possible.

Crash, Fines and deportation are consequences of overstaying the 90 days. They will not catch every person, but if they did catch your brother it would cause major problems.

Thank you very much for the info! In looking at his paperwork, he is using a 180 day multiple entry visa. It is marked 02 in the entry/exit box, I guess meaning he can enter and exit 2 times in the 180 days. But looking at the back, it clearly states that the total of days in the Schengen cannot add up to more than 90 days. We can now see if a German Passport Control Officer were to look at previous entry and exit stamps, they definitely could figure out he has overstayed multiple times. In looking at the application for a work visa online, I can now understand his reticence to go through with it. It is probably time for him to visit the German Embassy in Atlanta.

Crash, I think you may have apples and oranges. The Schengen Visa Waiver program is paperless for US citizens. You are looking at an actual paper multiple entry visa, a different thing. I can't see it, and I think your last comment is perhaps the best one - get thee to a Consulate. Is it possible that the Visa is printed on a generic form which happens to have Schengen rules on the back?