Visa & Schengen Questions - Long Term Travel in Europe

I have never applied for a long-stay Schengen visa; I dance around the limit every summer, but that's much easier to do when a trip is 4-1/2 months long rather than 12 months long. From the discussions on this forum, I have the impression that it's very difficult to get a long-stay visa when your plan is to travel around. I gather that a standard requirement (though who knows--there may be a country that's an exception) is presentation of a lease to cover the visa period. I don't know whether that can be less than 12 months. To me, the prospect of double lodging costs for much of a long trip is a major hang-up.

Other requirements reportedly involve proof of medical insurance and financial stability. I was told by a couple who jumped through the necessary hoops to get an Italian long-stay visa that it took three visits to the Italian consulate.

We do have a few people who post on the forum who have gotten Italian visas. Perhaps one of them will weigh in.

I have no information about when the countries you list might join the Schengen Zone beyond what I'm sure you've found by Googling yourself.

Other reasonably practical possibilities for non-Schengen time are Montenegro, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Turkey, Ukraine and (in North Africa) Morocco. I have been to all but Albania and Macedonia (though not recently to Morocco, Turkey or Bosnia-Hercegovina) and would happily revisit them. There is a lot to see outside western Europe; that includes Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria. I haven't been to Cyprus. Edited to add: I should also have listed Ireland as an additional non-Schengen possibility.

In terms of managing your time if your husband doesn't get a long-stay visa (or if your new passport takes longer than expected), it is critical to remember that both the arrival day and the departure day count toward your Schengen total. Therefore, if you leave the Zone on Day 90 (I wouldn't push it that far), you cannot return until Day 181. Do take care to allow for untimely illness (it happened to me around Day 85 one year), transportation strikes, etc.

One other thought: When you dig into what there is to see in one of Europe's larger countries via a comprehensive guidebook, it's easy to see that many months could be spent within the country's borders. So I wouldn't discard the idea of spending a year mostly in Germany. You could travel to other Schengen countries both before and after (if you have more than a year of free time), and you could take occasional long-weekend breaks during the visa year. That wouldn't have to be terribly costly if you planned the trips far ahead of time and took advantage of budget flights.

Cyprus is unlikely to join Schengen soon as a third of the country is occupied by Turkey. That complicates things.

Croatia is probably the next country to join Schengen, it is only a few political obstacles left. I don't know how easy it will be to solve them, but Croatia has had 2020 as a target for Schengen membership for a while and will probably try to make that happen.

For Bulgaria and Romania, I don't know.

For other countries in Europe, Ireland could also be an option. And a bit outside Europe, Israel is always worth a visit.

Could you rent a small apartment in Germany for 6-12 months then take multi-week "vacations" to other areas ??

All other complications aside, check taxation requirements in Germany if you choose to get a visa to stay there. Even if you are not in the country all of the time, if you claim residency and get the permit for residency (a visa only gets you in: you need a residency permit to stay just as we have with Green Cards in the US) you probably will owe taxes to Germany.

I base this on my experience in Italy. I know that Italy and the US have reciprocity so you don’t pay taxes twice, but you have to pay both countries if you owe any taxes, then sort it out in filing taxes to recover any duplication. This is true even if your taxable income is all in the US. It might not cost you more, but it will be a bureaucratic thing to deal with. FYI getting a visa for Italy was a bureaucratic challenge. I suspect the German experience would be less chaotic. I have been told by a friend that getting visas and residency permits in France was relatively easy.

You can go onto the German Embassy site and look at the requirements for a long term visa, but as you mentioned, the expectation is that you will have residence in Germany. That certainly does not prevent you from travelling, so if you could find a reasonable priced apartment, the idea of a "home base" has it's advantage. You certainly will have to show some financial stability (Pension income, savings, etc.) and likely proof of health insurance (Medicare will not cover you). Germany is also well positioned due to geography and airline connections for trips to all of Europe. For a 12 month trip, if you do seek out a 6 month stay Visa, make sure you understand how that would affect your ability to spend more than 6 months within the Schengen Zone.

As for the comment about taxes and needing a second "permit" like a Green Card; I would understand your Tax liabilities, but an extended stay Visa does not give you the right to work, and I am not even sure that having a German Passport automatically gives you the right to work, but it may automatically give you responsibility for any taxes owed. Also understand that by being essentially a German citizen, any legal entanglements you might get into will be subject to the EU/German legal system, your rights through the US Embassy are effectively waived.

I am not even sure that having a German Passport automatically gives you the right to work,

Yes it does. Having a German passport means you are both a German and an EU citizen. That gives you the legal right to live AND WORK with no restrictions in all EU countries. You do not need a visa.
An EU citizen has the right to bring their (non-EU) spouse with them to live in any European country (some small restrictions).
If you established residence in ANY EU country your husband can then get a residence visa in that country. A residence visa allows them to stay in that country only and to visit any other Schengen country for 90 days out of 180 (the usual limit), not longer. That limit is theoretical, not easy to enforce as there are no records of how long people are in each EU country.

There is also the tax issue. Generally if you are resident in a country for more than 6 months (limit may depend on tax year), then you are liable to pay income tax their. You then should be able to avoid tax in your former country for that period. You don't say where you are from, so I cannot comment on avoiding double-taxation.

would a long term visa (or passport) obligate you to pay into the local health insurance program? In any case, I would think health insurance for that period of time would be an important consideration.

would a long term visa (or passport) obligate you to pay into the local health insurance program?

Getting a passport is not the same as being a legal resident. You are not necessary a resident of the country on your passport (I am not). You are a resident of the country you spend most of your time in.
A long term visa allows you to become a resident if you are not a citizen (don't have that country's passport), with all that intails. There is no point in getting a long term visa if you don't want to stay in the country.

So yes, becoming a resident has all the pluses and minuses of living in a country:

• Being a member of the local health system.
• Paying taxes locally.
• Start paying for a local pension.
• Being covered by unemplyment benefit etc.
• Needing to get a local driving licence (can no longer use your old one + an IDP).
• Children needing to go to school
• Pay utility bills.
• etc. etc.
• And you become ineligiable for many things in your old country.

There is usually some sort of rules for when these all start, how long you have to live there for this to apply.

Plus, you need to change some things:

• Get a local bank account (so you can pay bills)
• Learn the language (or your life will be very restricted).

Being a member of the local health system.
...
Start paying for a local pension.
Being covered by unemplyment benefit etc.

At least in Germany you can only get access to the public health / unenployment insurance / pension system if you have a job and your employer pays his share (50%) of your contributions. Otherwise you will need a private health insurance (and are not protected in case of unemployment), and that will be the more expensive the older you are.

My husband and I have long term Italian visas. Our type of visa requires a 1 year signed and registered lease when application is submitted to consulate. In addition, Italy expects you to live as a resident and specifically states this visa is not a get around for extended travel in Europe.

The Schengen rules for other countries still apply (90 days of every 180 days). So even through we are legal residents of Italy (therefore EU), we could not legally travel other Schengen countries for 6 months in a row. Not sure how they would check......

We travel someplace on average once a month. But there is so much to see in Italy that 80% of our trips are here. And it’s great having a home base to return to. We are off to Rome, then Puglia, Adriatic Coast on Saturday, then back home around November 1.

If you have just recently realized that you may have dual citizenship, it's unlikely you'll have a passport in time for your planned trip next summer. I obtained my dual citizenship 2 years ago, and it took 2 full years from the time I submitted all of my documentation, for the documents to be reviewed and approved. Then it took an additional 4 months to get my passport. The citizenship rules have changed over the years so it is not a guarantee that you will get dual citizenship. For me, being born in 1954, I was able to obtain citizenship through my father since my parents had not naturalized prior to my birth. My younger sister who was born in 1964 after they became US citizens, was not able to qualify for dual citizenship.

I hope it works out for you!
Vanessa

Regarding the statement that UK isles are also non Schengen countries it was stated that Ireland was included. Would that be Northern Ireland only or also the Republic of Ireland, which is not part of the UK.

The Republic of Ireland [correction: Ireland] is non-Schengen, as is Northern Ireland as part of the UK.

Maybe worth clarifying that while the Republic of Ireland (Ireland) is an EU member and it uses the euro, it is not party to the Schengen Agreement, which many EU Countries are.

Ireland does (for now) have a Common Travel Agreement with the UK which can allow for movement across Ireland/UK borders without Passport control, but technically you could do up to 6 months in the UK and 90 days in Ireland on separate entries from outside the UK/Ireland, if you just move from one to the other, it can get complicated.

Based on information in another, very recent, thread, you get the 6 months in the UK only if you arrive in the UK rather than beginning your trip in Ireland.

If you established residence in ANY EU country your husband can then get a residence visa in that country.

Wrong. First the EU citizen must establish residence and then apply for a family reunion visa which may or may not be granted.

Ireland = Republic of Ireland
The Republic of Ireland is the name of a football team not a state. The name of the state is Ireland or Eire nothing else.

Thanks, Jim. I've fixed it. I've never been to Ireland or I would have known that.

Thank you all for the replies, ideas and input. I appreciate those who brought up some of the things we hadn't yet considered, such as the taxation process if we were to apply for the long term residency in Germany. All this has helped me see that we likely won't go through the hassle of applying for a residency visa and will instead navigate around the Schengen guidelines, crossing our fingers that Croatia, Bulgaria, and Romania may still remain viable options for a 90 day hiatus.

Regarding the dual citizenship process and the time that that process can take that some brought up, I have an appointment at the Consulate in 3 weeks. Crossing my fingers that all goes well and that's it's a speedy process (as I was led to believe it would be by the consulate staff). Regardless if it doesn't actually help us in our travels, it is still worth pursuing for other reasons.

Thanks again and happy travels to you all!

Well, it is a bit down to semantics. The Official designation is just Ireland, but Ireland is also the name of the island on which the Country sits, so often the designation "the Republic of Ireland" is used to specify the Country as opposed to the Island. "Republic" is more of a descriptor than part of the name, similar to indicating "the Republic of The United States of America", not incorrect, probably not as needed with the US, but maybe more so with Ireland due to the Island/Country confusion.

Of course some of this is political, many in Ireland (the Country) feel Ireland does, and should, include Northern Ireland, so just Ireland...no clarification between State and Island needed.

I'm glad you were able to make an appointment in person. That wasn't an option for me and I had to rely on "snail mail" to submit my paperwork. I agree that having dual citizenship has it's values other than the ability to travel.
Good Luck and happy travels!!
Vanessa

Pretty sure is the Republic of Ireland; Eire in Irish.
As in the 1948 Republic of Ireland Act, whereby the Free State ceased to exist, and 1949 saw the start of the Republic of Ireland. Most commonly called "Ireland," I agree.
But when people say "Ireland," not clear to all that they mean the state not part of the UK.

For heavens sake, the Irish Constitution define the name of the state not the British Parliament. And here it is:

ARTICLE 4

The name of the State is Éire, or, in the English language, Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland Act DID NOT change the name of the country, that is still Ireland and nothing else in english.

To quote wikipedia:

Notably, the Act did not change the official name of the state. It
merely provided the description for the State. The Constitution of
Ireland provides that Éire (or Ireland in English) is the official
name of the State and, if the Act had purported to change the name, it
would have been unconstitutional as it was not a constitutional
amendment. The distinction between a description and a name has
sometimes caused confusion. The Taoiseach, John A. Costello, who
introduced the Republic of Ireland Bill in the Oireachtas, explained
the difference in the following way:[10]

If I say that my name is Costello and that my description is that of
senior counsel, I think that will be clear to anybody who wants to
know. If the Senator [Helena Concannon] will look at Article 4 of the
Constitution she will find that the name of the State is Éire. Section
2 of this Bill declares that "this State shall be described as the
Republic of Ireland." Its name in Irish is Éire and in the English
language Ireland. Its description in the English language is "the
Republic of Ireland."

That’s probably a good decision to keep moving while being careful about days in and days outside of the Schengen.

There is a couple right now on the FB group Americans Retiring in France who had intended to stay in a home base and travel for a year. They have now realized that paying for both an apartment and travel at the same time is too expensive and are giving up the apartment. (Hope they are up-to-date on the 90-day rules as the focus on that site is often about getting visas and moving.)