Visas

"May I stay in the whole of the E.C. more than that time as long as I leave each country before the 90 days are up, or is the E.C. treated as one country?" The answer to the above question is: No. Unfortunately, it's not 90 days per country, but rather it's 90 days total for a 25-country group that's sometimes called the "Schengen" area. For the details, such as which countries are included in the Schengen area (essentially, all European countries except the UK and Ireland) go to this prior discussion: http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/24928/cant-stay-in-schengen-zone-more-than-3-mos-in-6-mos-following-first-entry.html

I must be really stupid but cannot see in anyway how the above link addresses Mr Mateo question. In fact if you spend some time on that site you will see that they only address those travelers who are required to have an actual visa in hand. Click on the fifth subject -- Visa Exemptions -- on the left hand side and you will see that the US is listed as an exempt country for a visa requirement. This site is NOT addressing the automatic tourist visa that US citizens and others get. This is classic example of someone finding a little internet information, doesn't read it or understand it and posts as some great authority. Most of us know who used to do the same thing rather frequently and can only assume he has returned.

The link above will not solve your problem. There is a vast difference between an extended (long-stay) visa and a visa extension. The visa extension for Shengen applies to only humanitarian reasons or force majeure (essentially acts of god, acts of war, circumstances beyond your control or unforseen). Any extended/long-stay visa (or any visa that actually required pre-application) I've had was obtained prior to entry of some country, not by waltzing into an immigration authority and asking for it. The short answer is that it probably can't be done in your circumstances (you're not a student and you're not being sponsered for work of some kind) and you'll have to make two trips (separated to allow for the 90/180 rule). Is that same guy again? Mr Internet?

It is and though trying to hide under a french sound town in Idaho, he obviously did not understand the french phrase, force majeure or anything else that link.

'has been changed at least twice in the last hour or so.'....and it still doesn't help the OP and his bike trip. It's not the French that's confusing, it's the Spanish: 'majeure' is Spanish for 'woman', I think. The sad part is that we've got the whole weekend ahead until Webs comes back to work with the ax.

Ed, is correct. Need to give Mr Mateo some additional direction. The simple answer is that you will need to apply to one of the countries for an extended tourist visa of some type. I am sure some internet research will id the types of visa that are available and how to apply. When our son applied for a 6 month student visa to Spain we were required to show via bank records, insurance policies, etc. that he had sufficient responses to stay in Spain for the time period. It took some time but it was granted.

Mateo, there are extensive discussions on this topic with very detailed responses. Look in the files here on the traveler's helpline. Many of us who have responded before have children who have studied for years in Europe (as another writer notes, you need documentation), or have been nailed by overstaying the Schengen's 90 days in 180 days requirement (I paid 500 euros for my daughter overstaying her 90 day limit by 3 days in Switzerland). It can be complicated, but it's somewhat straightforward: 90 out of 180, no matter what countries you go in and out of within the zone; the 90 days doesn't reset if you leave the Schengen area (as in stay 90 days, then go to Morocco for a week, then reenter; it's still the same 180 day period).

One of the mistakes being made is that people are looking for extended Schengen visas. There really is no such thing. As a tourist, and has been noted, you are allowed to stay 90 days in any 180 day period. But what if you want to stay longer. Well, then you need an extended visa. And the only way to do that is to get one from an individual country. It only covers that country--not all of Schengen. So, lets for example, say your first entry point in Schengen, or the place you'll spend the most amount of time, is France. You could apply for an extended French tourist visa which would allow you to stay longer in France. The secret to travel around Schengen for more than 90 days would be this......enter Schengen in France and then spend the next 89 days in other Schengen countries. You would return to France when your extended visa kicks in. You could come and go in and out of France to non-Schengen countries for the length of that extended visa. Now, to get an extended visa, you'll need to apply, explain why you want the extended visa, and prove that you have the financial means to pay your expenses without working. They don't want you working while you're there.

'And don't trust any of the advice you get from a travel board' ..........including the post from which the quote is taken? And the advice given by the ever-changing links in the responder's first advice? And once again, the new link provides no answer to the question posed by the OP........just more junk from another internet site.......which restates the extension issue for force majeure, et al......the links are going in circles. If we can help the guy, really help him, we should do it......not just send him chasing links. Frank II's on the right track, but, personally, I've never heard of anybody staying longer except for sponsered employment or as a student - - before Schengen yes, since then, no.

We had this argument the last time you know who was on the board before he was banned: 1) The link he's posting is for people who need a Schengen visa.....not for people who are coming from a Visa waiver country. 2) The link is not from an official site. It is from a private company.

Back to the OP: You will need to apply for a long-stay visa to one of the countries you are planning to visit. You would be interested in the tourist visa. You will potentially need to show sufficient proof of income/savings to show that you can support yourself during your stay, as well as proof of insurance. You may also have to sign something stating that you won't work while you are there. Do you have a friend and/or family member currently living in a country you plan on visiting that you could use their address as your "residence" While you are there? That might facilitate the process. Visit the consulate websites of the countries you wish to visit to get more information. You'll also want to find out what the procedures are once you land in the country to have your visa validated. And to address one of the other comments made in this thread: Once you have an extended visa for one of the Schengen countries, you can freely travel throughout the Schengen zone without the 90 day rule. I know because I have a French visa. (Children need a different document, but that's not relevant here.)

Once you have an extended visa for one of the Schengen countries, you can freely travel throughout the Schengen zone without the 90 day rule. The Schengen Convention (as changed by the Regulation (EU) No 265/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 March 2010): "Article 21 1. Aliens who hold valid residence permits issued by one of the Member States may, on the basis of that permit and a valid travel document, move freely for up to three months in any six-month period within the territories of the other Member States, provided that they fulfil the entry conditions referred to in Article 5(1)(a), (c) and (e) of Regulation (EC) No 562/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 establishing a Community Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code) and are not on the national list of alerts of the Member State concerned. ... 2a. The right of free movement laid down in paragraph 1 shall also apply to aliens who hold a valid long-stay visa issued by one of the Member States as provided for in Article 18. " (my emphasis) There. Is. No. Long-term. Schengen. Visa.