Open Ended Trip To Spain & Beyond

Since you can only spend 90 days within the Schengen zone countries, you might as well plan to spend your last 2-4 weeks outside the Schengen zone and depart from there: UK/Ireland, or Croatia and farther east. If returning to Seattle, London or Dublin are both easy departure points.

No one asked me, when I arrived in Spain in May, whether I had a return ticket or not. In any event, a return ticket doesn't have to be from the same city if it is booked as a multi-city ticket. So there is no need to have to leave from Spain just because you arrived there. Also, be sure that you understand the Schengen zone rules. In most of Europe you are limited to no more than 90 days in any 180 period. To stay four months you would have to plan carefully, so that you are out of the zone enough of the time that you don't exceed the limit.

Where did you read that Spain requires you to enter with a RT ticket? No one asked us when we went to SpIn last year.

When I flew into Barcelona last year no one asked me about my airline ticket either.

Sandra - You probably want to travel on a round trip/open jaw ticket just because one way tickets are so expensive. Taking into account the Schengen rules for your travel dates, you could book your ticket into Spain and out of London. We often book our return tickets out of London (or even round trip London if we find a deal) because we always don't know where we'll end up. There are so many cheap connections to other European destinations allowing us to be flexible with the itinerary and it's an easy non-stop flight home. The one thing we do is make sure our last night or two is in London so we don't have to worry about the connection. As with the last poster, the only time I have been asked when I'm returning home in all my travels is in London. But, I have never been asked to show my conntecting or return ticket. Having a ticket back home even from another European country would satisfy the requirement of a round trip ticket.

Much the same as other responses. Do you understand Schengen? ' Spain requires that I enter Spain with a R/T ticket' - nonsense.

Just to clarify, it is rare for an immigration official to ask for a return ticket. But it is possible if they suspect you do not plan to return. Typically, they ask why you are visiting, how long you are staying and where you are going. If your answers are suspicious, or you are flagged for some other reason, they may begin asking more detailed questions. As noted above, you need to be fully aware of the Schengen rules and countries so that you are in compliance, or you could wind up one of the few that is asked more questions...

You didn't mention whether or not you have bought your ticket. However, if you have not, you will likely find that unrestricted open-dated tickets are extremely expensive and the options for reasonably-priced one-way transatlantic tickets are also few. Usually when you are not sure of your return date, it is cheaper to make your best guess as to when you will return and buy a return ticket. If you do change your date, you will end up paying a change penalty (often $250) plus any increase in fare; however, this is still often cheaper than an unrestricted ticket. So odds are, your best bet will be to buy an open jaws ticket returning from the country you expect to visit last. As others have mentioned, you will need to make sure that you don't exceed 90 days in the Schengen area. I've only been asked once to show my return ticket on entry and it was when I was backpacking through Europe in my 20s.

By the way, the U.S. Embassy in Spain states the following: "American citizens can enter Spain or Andorra visa-free for periods of up to three months. Spanish government regulations may require a return or on-going ticket or proof of funds. " http://madrid.usembassy.gov/citizen-services/information-for-travelers/traveling-to-spain.html

The key word there is "may". As Douglas stated, they can ask you but usually don't unless something seems suspicious about any of your earlier answers. I was once asked for my ongoing ticket while passing through London because I was changing airports. But that was the only time that has ever happened, and it might have been because, when asked how long I would be in the UK, I responded, "As long as it takes to get to Stansted - I'm just transiting through".

There are a couple of separate issues here, both are important but distinct... 1. The 90 day limit on the Schengen area. Unless you have some special connection and/or you are able to get through all the necessary hoops to get some special kind of a visa that allows more than 90 days, this one is going to be difficult to get around. Yes, you can manage your time carefully by spending part of your trip outside the Schengen zone, but simply leaving it and coming back does not reset your 90 days. Sure, there's always a chance you might be able to quietly exceed your allowed stay, but you could easily be caught, and if you are, it would be an expensive problem. Ignore the details at your peril. 2. Having to show a return ticket. As others have pointed out, most of us are never asked for that, but a few of us have been and it's certainly possible that anyone might need to. My guess is that those who appear to be "typical" tourists - who look look they're only going to be there for a couple weeks are unlikely to be asked. And those who look like they might be ready to spend the next year touring hostels and bars across the continent (ie younger, with less money to spend) would be much more likely to have a few more questions asked. Given what the consequences could be of getting snagged for either of these, I'd definitely make sure I was prepared for both.