helpExtended touring in Europe

[marie]

I need some help in finding out what documents I need for a 4-5 month tour of Europe. What is the easiest country to get a visa from.

[RussellSeaton]

Everything may have changed considerably since I was in Europe in 1992 and 2000.  But a USA passport was all I needed for Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Czechslovakia, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain.  Visa?  Aren't visas required for third world countries with dictators?  Do modern first world countries require visas?

[DaveB]

The State Department can tell you what the current travel requirements are for any European country. I'm sure thay have a web site with loads of info.  

As  Russell noted, I've never needed anything but my US passport for anywhere in Western Europe or the UK.

I expect the regulations for any EEOC country will be the same and, these days that includes a fair part of formerly Eastern Europe too.  

[marie]

Thanks for your responses. I know I only need a passport for 90 days or less but I plan on being in the European countries for up to 5 months.

[RussellSeaton]

Maybe things have changed, but in the summer of 1992 I was in Europe for about 100 or so days.  Mid May to early September.  More than 90 obviously.  Are you sure 90 days has some significance other than it sounds like an important number?  And as mentioned, the various government websites would tell you the days you can stay limits.

[Blackhound]

I live in Europe (UK)and suggest you ouple check witj your state department.  If there is a 90 day rule, like when I visit the US, it is likely at worst to be 90 days per nation so you should be OK.
What are you planning?  Germany has a massive amount of cycle paths, the Alps and Pyrennees are wonderful and UK maybe flatter but has some steep and beautiful parts.
West coast of Ireland and Scotland should be in your itinerary but try and avoid the midge season in Scotland.

[leo]

Hi

  Yes, do check. But I believe the situation is this...

  Most countries of western Europe form what is known as the Schengen area. Schengen is a city where the nations signed a treaty to allow non-Europeans to travel freely. You can consider them as "Europe", although there's a good reason I've written that in quotes.

  When you get to "Europe", your passport will be stamped and you will be allowed 90 days. In which countries you pass them is up to you. Provided you leave "Europe" within 90 days, there is no problem. There are no border controls within "Europe".

  If you want to spend more than 90 days there, you will probably need a visa. Being European, I don't know how that's done, but your state department or the consul of the first country you plan to visit will. It is the first country that provides the visa but the conditions for its issue are standard across "Europe". There is nothing to choose and, indeed, you can't choose, so far as I know.

  Note: there are important exceptions to "Europe". Britain and Ireland aren't Schengen countries. When you go there, you will pass through all the normal controls and you will get 90 days. When you then go to France, Holland, Belgium and so on, which are all Schengen countries, you will pass through more controls and you will get a further 90 days in "Europe".

  What would happen if you overstayed your limit? Probably nothing much. But it is never kind to do abroad what you wouldn't care for foreigners to do in your own country, is it?

  You should be able to find a list of Schengen countries on the net.

léo

This message was edited by léo on 3-6-07 @ 11:25 PM

[marie]

Thanks Leo for your information. From what I have read and   understand, I believe I have a total of 90 days in the Schengen countries. If I spend 60 days in them and go to Ireland for 20 days days, when I return to the Shengen countries I will only have 30 days left in the Schengen countries. Unless I spend more than 90 days outside the Schengen countries. This is assuming that I only have a passport. Any thoughts?

[RussellSeaton]

Do check into this Schengen nonsense before wasting too much time and effort.  It seems to me this Schengen visa nonsense only applies to non european countries that are required to get a visa to visit almost any european country.  For non european countries that do not require a visa to visit european countries, this Schengen nonsense does not apply.

Check on the internet if any of the countries you plan to visit require USA citizens to have a visa.  Almost certainly they do not require USA citizens to have a visa.  Therefore this Schengen visa nonsense is just that for USA citizens.

If you are a citizen of Tibet for instance, a country that probably is required to get visas to visit any and all european countries, then getting this Schengen visa will allow you to most likely visit all of the european countries with just one visa.  You don't need a separate visa for every single european country.

Here is a Denmark website I found that illustrates the above.  http://www.workindenmark.dk/Visa_before  And as you can read, if you are from the USA, you don't need a visa of any kind.  But for those requiring a visa, the Schengen visa will work and allow you to visit other countries in Europe.


Visa
Nationals from many countries can enter Denmark without a visa  
Nationals from Nordic countries and EU/EEA countries can enter Denmark without a visa. Nationals from the following countries are also exempt from visa:

Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalem, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China (only people with passports issued by "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" and passports issued by "Região Administrativa Especial de Macao"), Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel,  Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Uruguay, U.S.A., The Vatican, Venezuela.

Nationals from all other countries need a visa.

[leo]

Marie...

  It's a shame to have Schengen dismissed as "nonsense"; it'd be even more a shame if what I hoped would be helpful advice was so dismissed.

  As I said before, your best bet would be to check with the consul of your first Schengen country to see if a visa is needed. I, a European, need a visit to visit the USA for more than 90 days (and I have one in my EU passport right now), so it wouldn't be surprising if you need one for continental Europe.

  I have just tried wading through the European Union legislation on the net for you, but it's indigestible and I gave up. There is a useful summary on Wikipedia, though; just search on "Schengen".

  I think the position still applies that you don't need a visa for fewer than 90 consecutive days. Nor do I need one for the US, for instance. Beyond 90 days, things change.

  Honestly, your best bet would be to call the consul and ask. They're the experts, after all.

  Good luck. I'll be interested to know how you get on.

léo
lanternerouge (at) ifrance (dot) com

[Alessa3322]

Time passed and I wonder what has changed since this post was created. What is the easiest country to get a visa from today?

[rayed]

Where are you going to travel? It is better if you get your visa to the arrival European country, that would be the easiest solution.
If you are planning to rent a car , make sure you also purchase all the vignettes https://vignettetoll.eu/ you gonna need. For Germany you don't need one for example and there is no speed limit on the highway, but that is the exception.

[HobbesOnTour]

What is the easiest country to get a visa from today?

I think you will find that the answer to that very much depends on the passport(s) you carry, your personal circumstances and possibly previous travel/visas.

Generally, Schengan area countries will allow up to 90 days out of any 180. Currently, there's an ad hoc system in place to track dates at borders but a fully centralised, computerised system is in the way.

As always for something like this, the proper authorities are the best placed to answer questions.

[BikeFreak]

and there is no speed limit on the highway, but that is the exception.

That is not correct. It is true there is no speed limit in certain sections of the "Autobahn". But these sections are not very long anymore. Most of the time there WILL be speed limits such as 130 kmh. There are so many cars on the Autobahns right now compared to 30 years ago that they had to introduce lots of speed limits for safety reasons.

[Mark Manley]

Time passed and I wonder what has changed since this post was created. What is the easiest country to get a visa from today?

Presuming you are a US passport holder and plan to come as a tourist there should be no easier or more difficult country to enter the Schengen region, you just need to satisfy the immigration officer at your port of entry.
If like the OP you want to spend more than 90 days you will need to leave the Schengen region and spend the rest of your time in non-Schengen countries such as the UK, Ireland and most of the Balkan countries for at least 90 days before returning.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/schengen.html