Mediterranean Visa for Aussies - Help !

[Serendipity129]

Hi all, wife and I (Karin and Scott) are picking up our new Fountain Pajot Mahe Evolution in La Rochelle France in mid March and sailing back after a stint in the Mediterranean- via US east coast, Carribean, Panama, and South Pacific.

Desperately need some sage advice on the best approach to European Visas for an Australian Citizen, know a bit about Schengen visa but am a little trouble by the 90 cumulative days in 180 day rule. One month shake down cruising near La Rochelle doesn't leave much time to get around the rest of the Med.

Any advice in relation to best approach and best/most useful and appropriate visa - we envisage spending 6 to 14 months in Mediterranean including Tukey, Croatia etc. Info hard to come by appreciate all assistance.

If any one is interested it's hull #129 build completion date 26 Jan 2011.

[edsailing]

I think you will find that Australians do not need a schengen visa

Nationals NOT Requiring a Schengen Visa

Members of the European Union, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea and the USA.

see Noonsite: Regional Agreements

and

Noonsite: The European Union (Customs, Immigration, VAT)

[swagman]

Hi Karin / Scott,
Congrats on the new boat - hope you have lots of fun with her. I think you'll find you have 18 months on a regular EU visa and if you wish to stay longer I believe you could slip over to Turkey ( where you can get I believe it was, a 6 month visa ) and then back to the EU and do it all again. However suspect with Australia beckoning that 18 months will allow you to really experience enough of the med before you head for the Atlantic and all points west.......
Good luck with the trip home.
JOHN

[Serendipity129]

Many thanks John, any pointers to a starting point for application for such visa.

As mentioned I have only found offers for a schengan visa and this allows for only a cumulative 90 days in Europe over 180 day period. As Aussies we dont need to apply for schengan visa as it's issued automatically on arrival but limits stay somewhat.

Thanks, and looking forward to some great times ahead. appreciate the assistance

[goboatingnow]

Hi Karin / Scott,
Congrats on the new boat - hope you have lots of fun with her. I think you'll find you have 18 months on a regular EU visa and if you wish to stay longer I believe you could slip over to Turkey ( where you can get I believe it was, a 6 month visa ) and then back to the EU and do it all again. However suspect with Australia beckoning that 18 months will allow you to really experience enough of the med before you head for the Atlantic and all points west.......
Good luck with the trip home.

18 months is a VAT relief for the boat, it has nothing to do with the crew.

Unfortunately Serendipity129 you are quite right in your interpretation, 90 days in 180 cumlative across all Schengen Area countries, Youd dont need to apply for a visa in advance but the visa is applied on first entry ( rather like the US visa Wavier scheme). There is no longer visa for normal tourists, every other visa is (a) country specific or (b) study or work related. 90 days in 180 it is. ( This will not change until the US moves as the schnegen was partly a response to US policy.)


the UK and Ireland are outside the Schengen area and will give you up to 6 months entry independent of time spent in the schengen area, though in practice they normally stamp only 3 months unless you have a good reason. So you can stay a bit longer if you factor in these countries. Note you cannot "reset " the schengen area immigration situation by a quick trip outside the area. Once you have used up the 90 days ( they dont have to be consecutive) you then can only return until another 90 days has elasped.

Now , a bit on the dark side. If you intend to visit and leave the Schengen area by boat, rather then using airports, then you could "overstay" your welcome so to speak, since there is no passport checks going from country to country, none can really tell until you leave via an airport. But of course this is against the law and youre milage may vary. It used to be far less strict then this, but like everything post 9/11 etc .....


Dave

[MarkJ]

Davids post is correct.
I was in the Med last year and just left in November from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean.

The "Dark Side" stuff, however, may NOT work! Entering by sea your passport is stamped with a drawing of a small boat; arrive by plane and its a small plane. These Europeans may eat smelly cheeze but that don't mean they're dumb!

The tricks to use is excellent planning and clearing out for each voyage. This means coast hopping is totally out... So leaving La Rochelle you could clear out there and then do a long passage to Nice in France which is as upwind as you can get (stopping in Gibralter is ONLY by a marina as the anchorage is in EU. Girbalter is not Shengan)... do France and north Italy then clear out and sail to Greece and clear in again.... Its a pain but it works.

The one brighter point, but can't be garanteed is the Canary Islands in Las Palmas gave me extra time as my visa was running out. It turned out to be more than 1 month. They can't srew up the cruisers there as the ARC and cruisers are too central to their economy! All done without extra stamps or a formal request (I had typed one out and translated it to spanish!)

If you work out the number of days you accure for each week you have cleared out you may be able to make your 3 months extend for quite a while.


Mark

[boatman61]

Now there's a canny man... you may be in their waters but until you clear in again your not using time on land... sea time does not count...
its the stuff in the Red bottles... gives his brain wings.... n it aint Red Bull...LOL

[goboatingnow]

Now there's a canny man... you may be in their waters but until you clear in again your not using time on land... sea time does not count...

Actually it does, teh border is the EU territorial limit, its just the actual men in blue coats live on the land.

What MarkK was saying is to stay within the 90 days you have to forgo coast hopping , but in practice, unless you can prove other wise if you are in a Schengen country when your original entry time runs out, you have to provide the proof that you were on the high seas, Merely getting exit stamps in itself does not prove that you left the Schengen area.

Dave

[multihullsailor6]

Karin and Scott,

You don't mention how far in the Med you want to go but if the 90 Schengen days are counting, beginning of course when you arrive in France or any other "Schengen country" to take delivery, there is always Gibraltar, Morocco and Tunisia to off-set the time. Just make sure you keep all your harbour receipts to prove a point, especially those from non-Schengen countries.
I as a South African am planning to stay some time in Tunisia this spring / summer with my cat.

[nonam]

MarkJ was there any place in the med where officials came to you to check your papers?Obviously they check your papers when you go to them but did anyone check you as you cruised about?

[goboatingnow]

Obviously they check your papers when you go to them but did anyone check you as you cruised about?

its the med, youre having a giraffe mate..

You don't mention how far in the Med you want to go but if the 90 Schengen days are counting, beginning of course when you arrive in France or any other "Schengen country" to take delivery, there is always Gibraltar, Morocco and Tunisia to off-set the time. Just make sure you keep all your harbour receipts to prove a point, especially those from non-Schengen countries.

yes indeed, I talked to an immigration official re this on behalf of some american cousins, Generally if you go to an non-schengen country they will disallow the time from departure from the schengen area to the arrival again into the schengen area. However if you just tootle around at sea, they can decide to either allow or disallow it depending on their view.



Dave

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by nonam

MarkJ was there any place in the med where officials came to you to check your papers?Obviously they check your papers when you go to them but did anyone check you as you cruised about?

No theres been nowhere in the Med where I have been checked after entry.
In the Canary Islands a Customs boat routinely did the anchorage and went through all papers... I forget if I was actually expired when they came on board or not, but in any event I had been to the immigration Police before it expired so I had a fall back.

The difficulty with playing with the rules is that the reprecussions can be immense.... Have you heard of a red PAROLE stamp in a passport?
A couple of people here had that added in the US Virgin islands. I think that sort of thing could really affect ones whole cruise as a'black spot' on the computer of a Western country may well be shared with all other countries.

So about all we heard was people saying: "Oh, no one bothers, no one cares, just stay as long as you like..." etc.... but if poop hits the wind generator the fallout could be a real bugger.

Its very difficult to get the real story and it would be good to get it sorted before leaving home by getting full visas...... but unlike the USA multiple entry visa, you need dates!

[goboatingnow]

Its very difficult to get the real story and it would be good to get it sorted before leaving home by getting full visas...... but unlike the USA multiple entry visa, you need dates!

Not sure what visas youre talking about Mark, but to clear up the Schengen visa issue

If you are from the countries on the list that does not require a Schengen visa, then you do not need to apply in advance for such a visa, in fact I beleive you cant do so. When you first arrive in the EU Schengen Aera, the Visa is applied into your passport ( as mark says with the little boat and plane symbols).

All people on the Schengen Visa wavier are by default given the "multiple entry tourist visa", hence you can come and go on any dates as long as you dont exceed the 90 days in 180 cumlative across all the schengen countries. Being on a "visa wavier" still means you are subject to the conditions of a Schengen Visa, This is a point often overlooked or not understood by US visitors.

If you leave the area and come back the time outside the Area, is deducted from the 90 days, ( Once you can prove you went somewhere else).

For Nationals of countries that require Schengen Visas in advance, you must apply to a Schengen area consulate IN YOUR HOME COUNTRY, usually its the consulate of the first country you intend to visit in the Schengen area, ie your first port of call. You cannot apply for a Schengen Visa in a third party country. Visa can take up to 6 months to procure. The visa is either a single entry or multiple entry type. Single entry meaning a 90 day period consectutively, or multiple entry as described above. The Visa is normally valid for one year, but any valid period can actually be provided.

Contary to much Internet rumor, there is no extended time, type of tourist visa available in the Schengen Area, Spain has traditionally extended such visas on a local national level( If you are a white , anglo saxon type anyway) , which is why Mark could get an extension, such an extension is not a Schengen visa extension and does not apply to other Schengen area countries. Most other countries will not extend your stay and Spain is under pressure to conform. So it remains to be seen what happens. ( The Canaries seen to be particulary lenient on cruisers).

PS mark Ive sailed all over the Canaries, never seen all immigration or customs enforcement, maybe its a recent thing, the African things has reached massive proportions there at the moment.

Dave

[Takamoana]

We experienced the same problems after collecting our Lipari in La Rochelle in July last year. Even if you can get a long stay visa for one country, it still restricts you to 90 days in 180 for the rest of the schengen countries. To add an extra degree of difficulty, you cannot apply for a long stay visa from outside your home country. We are wintering in the UK which is not a Schengen member.

[Dragon Lady]

Have you approached FP to support a long term visa aplication, we have Aussie staff working as production inspectors in the EU for up to a year.
I believe it's expensive but may be an option.