Oct 11

Oct 11 How to Travel in Europe for Longer than 90 Days | Schengen Visa Country Rules

Did you know that as an American citizen, you're only allowed 90 days to travel without a visa in (most of) Europe? I learned this only once I got here and had to take a detour from the Schengen Zone.

Allow me to explain.

So far, I've been traveling in Europe for about five months. Some people asked me how this is possible since as mentioned above, I am allowed only 90 days of visa-free travel. The way to extend your time in Europe is to leave the Schengen Zone.

The 26 Schengen Zone Countries Are:

In any of the 26 countries listed above, you can spend up to 90 days within a 180-day period moving freely without a visa. This is also why your passport does not get stamped if you cross borders from one to another. How you choose to break up those 90 days is up to you.

I decided to break up the 90 days by leaving "the Zone" and visiting non-Schengen countries (Croatia and Bosnia and Hercegovina). When I left from Italy, I had already spent 47/90 days in Schengen countries. Although many people think that your days reset to 0/90 when you leave the Schengen Zone and re-enter a few days later, it's unfortunately not that easy.

Pausing the Schengen Zone Visa Clock

If you leave the Schengen Zone, the number of days you have when you return is the number you left off at. Since I left at 47 days and it was only for a seven-week period, I have 43 days remaining of visa-free travel. Only when I leave the Schengen Zone for three consecutive months then my visa will reset back to zero. Here are some countries you can visit if you want to pause or reset your visa that are not part of the Schengen Zone.

Non-Schengen Zone Countries (Part of the EU):

Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Ireland
Romania
United Kingdom

Non-Schengen Zone Countries (NOT Part of the EU):

Albania
Armenia
Belarus
Bosnia and Hercegovina
Gibraltar
Kosovo
Macedonia
Montenegro
Serbia
Turkey
Ukraine

Many travelers head to the Balkans while waiting for their visa to reset because it's still close to Central/Western Europe and it's a lot cheaper to travel in that region. Plus, it's not as touristy as Western Europe. If you plan to stay in Europe longer than 90 days, be sure to check out the visa restrictions of each of the Non-Schengen Countries you plan to visit. Each one is a bit different depending on your citizenship.

What Happens If You Overstay Your Visa?

There are a few things that could potentially happen:

You get fined in the country you're trying to exit.
It goes on your record which could make it harder to return to a Schengen country in the future.
You could get banned from all Schengen countries for 1-3 years.
Nothing. Some take the risk and get away with it, but I don't think this is a good option...

You can find out more about overstaying your Schengen Visa here. You can also learn more about the Schengen Zone here.

Have any questions about my experience with visiting the Schengen Zone countries? Send me a message and I'd be happy to help ansewr your questions!

xx,

- Steph