Schengen? Er, help

[HinewaisMan]

Can someone please, please help me on this one – or point me the right direction to find the facts. Everyone we talk to, every website we look at seems to give different answers!

Schengen! A hot topic of conversation between many boats coming up the Red Sea this year - talk about the blind leading the blind - none of us had any idea what's going on.

We’re an Australian registered yacht, me with both UK and Aussie passports (so I’m OK), but the wife only has Aussie.

We understand that Schengen means she can only spend 90 days out of 180 in Schengen signatory countries but is that a single 90 day block or a total of 90 days taken in little bits (popping say, between Greece and Turkey) over a 180 day period?

And when does the clock start again – is it 180 days after the day you first visit a Schengen country, or after 180 days after your 90 days is up?

As you can imagine, this is putting a tad of a kybosh on our plans to sail up to the UK from Turkey next year until we finally understand what on earth is going on.

And what’s all this bo*&^cks about E-boarders about?

Ta P

 

[Moonshiners]

Forget about E-Boarders, just don't worry about it for now, even if it is in place when you plan to come here it will only be a case of filling in a form online.
Sorry Can't help with Schengen thingy, could guess but that's no help....

 

[bitman]

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cmsUpload/catalogue20EN.pdf

 

[Twister_Ken]

Dunno, but the Oz cricket team seem to have been here for ever.

 

[HinewaisMan]

Bitman!

Many thanks. But any idea where in the 53 pages full of phrases like "This article of the Schengen Convention has been supplemented by Directive 2001/51/EC of 28 June 2001 – L 187, 10.7.2001, p. 45." I might find the answer

Twister Ken

They'll probably end up applying for asylum - too dangerous to go back to Oz without the Ashes.

 

[bitman]

this is the official EU web site http://www.consilium.europa.eu/showPage.aspx?lang=EN&id=1

you will need to spend some time searching through the docments http://www.consilium.europa.eu/App/Search/searchMeta.aspx?id=1&lang=EN&searchterm=schengen but use the search option.

 

[lenseman]

This site seems to speak English as it is supposed to be spoken.

http://www.skillclear.co.uk/schengen.asp

http://www.skillclear.co.uk/index2.asp

You could also try:

http://www.theschengenoffice.com/explained/schengen_visa.html

Plenty to read on your journey up the Red Sea.

 

[HinewaisMan]

Oh dear! Still haven't got an clear answer - it's a bit like Groundhog Day - there seems to be so much conflicting info around that keeps popping up

Bitman - thanks for the other links - will do some wading tonight

Lenseman - thanks as well - we're, Thank God, long out of the Red Sea now, actually now moored off a little bar in Turkey with a nice strong wifi - but even more confused now with your links - the http://www.skillclear.co.uk/schengen.asp link says "Normally you will be allowed 90 days in any 1 calendar year to travel around schengen countries like this." - Hmm, 1 calender year, not 180 days as I thought.

But it does seem to suggest we should be applying for a Schengen Visa for Jean rather than just getting the old Passport stamped when we arrive.

Anyway, thanks Guys

Peter

 

[lenseman]

Hello Peter - try here and just work your way through the boxes:

http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/doineedvisa/


This is the definitive government web site and if they don't know . . . . . ?

 

[PeterGibbs]

of us had any idea what's going on.

We’re an Australian registered yacht, me with both UK and Aussie passports (so I’m OK), but the wife only has Aussie.


Ta P

Your joint situation will determine your outcome - if presented correctly at a competent EU border. As a married couple - you have evidence with you? - and based on your UK passport, you should be able to get an unlimited visa for your wife. I know of no provision that would force her to leave at 90 days if accompanied by a EU passport holding husband.

I am not certain you can get this visa at any border, so suggest you make for the British consulate in the first EU country you enter. Do not be tempted to wing it - get a nice fat visa for her and sleep sound!

A second consideration is the boat itself - assuming it is not EU registered with VAT paid, there will be a period - 12/18 months of grace, after which you will be liable to tax unless you have made provision. The boat's tax standing has nothing to do with your passport. Take advice if you plan to stay more than 12 months.

PWG

 

[jimbaerselman]

Schengen Stuff

The Cruising Association has some very concise infornation about all this on its web site, available to members only. It's their 'Going Foreign' advice.

You say you have a UK passport. Is this an EU style UK passport saying you have right of residence in UK? If so, you personally can travel anywhere in the EU (includes Schengen) without worrying. However, if you stay longer than 90 days in any one country, you should register there as a resident. This latter requiremet is not effectively policed, since border stamps are not made on EU passports when travelling between EU countries, so don't worry about it.

It is possible, but not certain, that your wife may have the same privilege if she travels with you. Unfortunately, interpretations of this possibility differ between different Schengen countries, so you can't rely on this.

However, neither of you will have difficulty presenting yourselves at an EU/Schengen border with an Australian passport. You will automatically be given a visa valid for 90 cumulative days in any 180 days. Make sure your exits are stamped if you don't use up your 90 days and you plan to re-enter. You can apply for a new visa 180 days after your first entry.

It is possible for either or both of you to apply for longer stay visas and a temporary residence permit in (say) UK, but this must be done at a UK embassy before presenting yourselves at an EU border. Impossible for most itinerant yachtsmen!

My thanks to the Cruising Association for permission to reproduce the bits of this info which come from their member's web site. More info about them on www.cruising.org.uk/ .
Membership fee for Ozzies is around £60 - £80 pa; could be worth it.

 

[goboatingnow]

it has been stated above, but to answer your original question as an Aussie your wife will on arrival in a schlengen country a 90 days visa ( as a passport stamp). you can leave and renter within that time as much as you like upto a total of 90 days within the 180. after 90 days within the 180 you have to leave until after the visa length ( 180 days) expires, so if you use the 90 up over the 180 days you can get another immediately, if you use the 90 days in one go you have to leave for 90 days.

As you hold a UK passport, and you wife is an aussie, you can enter the Area and then your wife applies through her embassy for a resident permit. this is outside the schengen agreement and is country specific ( basically she can reside in an EU country but is still subject to schengen travel restrictions in going to other schengen countries, I think this is from memory)

 

[Boreades]

Anecdotal evidence:

We had some Oz friends, husband * wife, who came over last year. He has UK+Oz passports, but she only has Oz.

Entry to UK: No problem.

Touring round various European countries for more than 90 days: No problem, apart from delay because of ill health in Praque.

Coming back to UK: Uh-oh, very sad faces at customs & immigration. "he" OK, "she" in trouble. 15 mins of explaining. Fortunately they had the tickest for the return flight to Oz with them, and were able to persued the officials that it was an honest mistake, not intentional, and at 70 yrs old they weren't likely to be illegal immigrants and going to ground somewhere in the UK. Let-off with a stern talking-to.

 

[rtchina]

joke

this whole thing is a joke. It was a grat pity that after 5 month in the eu your wife lost her passport and had to get a new one, and a fresh schengen stamp.

 

[lenseman]

Can someone please, please help me on this one – or point me the right direction to find the facts.

Returning to your question, you might find the following from HM Revenue and Customs illuminating?

Section 4, Section 5 and Section 6 all contain useful info.

Section 2.2 answers your query regarding Schengen Treaty.

Further information which might help can be found within this link:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/britishcitizenship/

I hope these documents help?

 

[David_Jersey]

The folks on the forum at Thaivisa.com cover the Schengen stuff for non eu nationals. very helpful, well they were a couple of years back

 

[multihullsailor6]

HinewaisMan,

I am a South African with a SA passport but have permanent residency in Germany, a signatory country to the Schengen agreement. I can thus travel without bother within the Schengen area - I have not tested how long I can stay in individual countries but would think 90 days before we start crossing the line of temporary / permanent residency.

Be aware that not all countries within the EU are members of the Schengen agreement, can be very embarressing and inconvenient so check the latest country list.

Do not just show up with your wife at any EU border with the idea "we'll take it from here" especially not in SE Europe, sort it out first at an appropriate embassy - Greek embassy if Greece is going to be your first EU port of call. Turkey for example now requires South Africans to apply for a tourist visa in our home country, i.e. SA!

Good luck