MEGA-GUIDE TO LEGALLY TRAVEL TO EUROPE FOR MORE THAN 90 DAYS
At MigraVisas, we’re sure you’ve wondered: How can you travel around Europe for more than 90 days without facing legal issues? What to do when exceeding a three-month stay in the Schengen Area? In other words, how can you make more trips to Europe without overstaying illegally? Continue reading to find step-by-step details on how to make your European trip as smooth as possible (within the law). Although let’s take it step by step (Rome wasn’t built in a day, and glory comes gradually). We recommend that the first thing is to ensure all your travel documents are in order. This way, you won’t have issues with immigration authorities and can travel legally with the freedom you deserve across the Schengen zone. Let’s start with basic, yet essential information for planning your trip to European lands (imagine all the places you’ll visit, including World Heritage sites).
Requirements to Enter Europe and Other Points to Consider
First, there are certain requirements for traveling to Europe as a tourist without a Schengen visa. You can find good information on this at the beginning of the article.
However, from late 2022, travelers from third countries who do not need a tourist visa will have to apply for an online permit to travel to Europe. Although this is not fully confirmed yet. So for now, don’t worry.
Regarding Latin America, citizens from the following countries can travel to Europe without a Schengen visa:
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Currently, the following Latin American nationalities need a visa to travel to the Schengen area for tourism: Belize, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
If you hold a passport from one of these visa-required countries, Germany has made it easier to manage the Schengen visa for them. See more details at this link to help you manage the Schengen visa for tourism or short stays. You need to specify your nationality and Germany as your destination.
The maximum time to travel within the Schengen zone without a visa is 90 days (not the same as 3 months) in any 180-day period. The 90 days are only for short stays: tourism, family or friend visits, short courses, seminars, or similar trips.
The 90 days (approximately three months) within the Schengen Area do not need to be consecutive, but they are cumulative within a 180-day period.
Things to Consider
Before traveling for more time across Europe without worrying about the visa, we recommend renewing your passport or getting a new one to have a longer validity. For example, if you decide to stay legally in Spain.
We will also be preparing a detailed article on how to stay legally in Spain. In the meantime, feel free to contact us to assess your case and offer alternatives that fit or adapt to your immigration needs.
Step-by-Step Guide to Traveling to Europe for More Than 90 Days
After covering some ‘formalities’ and knowing that a trip to Europe is not cheap, we imagine you want to make the most of it and stay as long as possible on the old continent.
Therefore, we’ll provide you with some tips to stay longer than 90 days without legal issues.
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But first, it’s good to understand two specific terms to exceed 90 days:
- What is the European Union and which countries are part of it?
- What is the Schengen Area and which countries are its members?
With these two questions (and answers), you’ll find it easier to understand the ‘trick’ or the so-called ‘open secret’ to stay more than 3 months in European territory.
Without exaggerating, you could stay legally for more than a year without cheating or breaking the rules.
What is the European Union and Which Countries Are Part of It?
The European Union is a unique economic and political association in the world, composed of 27 European countries covering much of the continent. Before January 31, 2020, there were 28 (with the UK’s effective exit).
- Germany
- Slovakia
- Hungary
- Netherlands
- Austria
- Slovenia
- Ireland
- Poland
- Belgium
- Spain
- Italy
- Portugal
- Bulgaria
- Estonia
- Latvia
- United Kingdom
- Cyprus
- Finland
- Lithuania
- Czech Republic
- Croatia
- France
- Luxembourg
- Romania
- Denmark
- Greece
- Malta
- Sweden
What is the Schengen Area and Which Countries Are Its Members?
This might be the answer you’re most interested in regarding the 90 days.
The Schengen Area, or the Schengen Agreement, is a treaty allowing free movement and circulation of people between its member countries. As of 2022, it includes 26 European countries. Remember, not all European countries are part of the Schengen Agreement (e.g., Ireland).
With these two answers, we can say you could travel up to 90 days in any Schengen country without needing a visa for each member state, as there are no visa controls at the borders of these nations due to the agreement.
However, the treaty allows member countries some freedom to impose border checks at any time, as some Schengen countries have done and may do in the future due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Therefore, when traveling, always keep your documents (especially your valid passport) handy.
Schengen Area Countries:
- Germany
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Poland
- Austria
- Finland
- Liechtenstein
- Portugal
- Belgium
- France
- Lithuania
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Greece
- Luxembourg
- Sweden
- Slovakia
- Hungary
- Malta
- Switzerland
- Slovenia
- Iceland
- Norway
- Spain
- Italy
- Netherlands
For updated information on Schengen countries, you can always check the official European Union website.
Now that you’ve read the previous sections, it’s time to plan and pack your bags to travel around Europe for more than 90 days. How exciting!
Sample Travel Itinerary Across Europe
Now that you know the theory, it’s time to put the concepts into practice with this sample itinerary, which can vary according to your needs and expectations. Remember, we can help with paperwork and arrangements.
This ‘itinerary’ for traveling in Europe includes days in countries both inside and outside the Schengen area:
- Enter the Schengen Area through any country, although it’s common to enter through Spain (Madrid or Barcelona: cities with direct flights from many parts of the world). At this stage, you have up to 90 days to enjoy all the places you dreamed of visiting.
- After 90 days in Schengen territory, you could travel to the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland), with a maximum of six (6) months for most Latin American tourists. Maybe it’s time to take a short, intensive English course or something similar?
- Good plan, right? Adding it up: 90 days in Schengen and 6 months outside (you’ve already spent around 9 months in Europe without being illegal). Sounds great!
Continuing… 4. After the UK, you could return to the Schengen Area if you’ve spent more than 3 months or 90 days in the UK. This way, you’ll have another 90 days in Schengen territory. Summing it up, you’ll have spent one (1) year in European territory (inside and outside the Schengen area). And we keep counting. 5. Now it’s time to leave the Schengen area again, and a good option is to visit Eastern European countries like Bulgaria, Albania, Romania, Serbia, Moldova, Bosnia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Ukraine, Croatia, and North Macedonia. In these countries, prices for almost everything are cheaper than in the more touristy parts of the continent, plus they offer incredible, lesser-known landscapes. 6. Next, consider traveling across Europe without changing continents to other countries still outside the Schengen area: Ireland, Cyprus, and the Principality of Andorra. 7. And so on: travel, exploring European destinations, while avoiding falling into illegality or being ‘without papers,’ which we do not recommend.
Reminder
Also, remember that this is merely a simulation, and you are always responsible, depending on your nationality, for checking the requirements and duration of stay as a tourist in countries outside the Schengen area. If you need personalized advice, contact us, and we’ll be happy to help with the paperwork throughout the process.
As you’ve seen in this ‘example itinerary,’ you could travel to Europe for more than 3 months, even exceeding one (1) year legally and without immigration issues.
Maybe it’s time for a sabbatical year in European lands? I wouldn’t think twice if I were you.
Other Options for Exiting the Schengen Area
Everyone says that the great thing about traveling around Europe is booking cheaper flights to visit the entire world if needed, thanks to the great offers and demand for tariffs.
Therefore, consider that you could also leave the Schengen area and change continents to re-enter later. You don’t need to travel thousands of kilometers, as Africa is relatively close. For example: Morocco, Egypt, Mauritius, South Africa. Perhaps travel to Turkey, located between Europe and Asia? Where many countries offer very affordable tours and cost of living.
Special Cases for Traveling to Europe for More Than 90 Days
We know that some travelers have stayed in Spain for more than 90 days and could travel around Europe as tourists illegally. However, as mentioned before, we