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chuckr · 16-05-2017, 23:36

Had a Canadian boat come into Kusadasi and we were talking yesterday - he got kicked out of Greece as he was going to use ferry to Turkey and back and was told by customs that he had been in EU 99 days and if he left he probably would not be allowed back in and he needed to leave - he left -

Not sure what island but someplace in Greece they did check - he did not have a lot of stamps in his passport so it was very easy to tell -

dlymn · 16-05-2017, 23:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Schengen is no problem because we stay periodically in countries like Croatia, Montenegro and Albania (please read my post more carefully) which are OUTSIDE of Schengen. There are also other legal ways.

Nobody here is neglecting to "wear a seatbelt," everything is very legal. You picked a bad example trying to make your point... whatever it was.

And to think we've only just met. In Aus, we call this SOL.
Your post does not explain that you stayed in Schengen zones for less than three months. It's ambiguity suggests that for someone new to sailing, they should not worry about Schengen, when it turns out that you are actually saying that it's important to get out of the SZ before the three months is up and go to a non SZ. Getting to the countries you write about might be a bit of a stretch for a newbie starting from Barcelona. Where did you leave our boat at the end of the five months? Albania? Croatia? On the hard? How much?

Kenomac · 17-05-2017, 00:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlymn

And to think we've only just met. In Aus, we call this SOL.
Your post does not explain that you stayed in Schengen zones for less than three months. It's ambiguity suggests that for someone new to sailing, they should not worry about Schengen, when it turns out that you are actually saying that it's important to get out of the SZ before the three months is up and go to a non SZ. Getting to the countries you write about might be a bit of a stretch for a newbie starting from Barcelona. Where did you leave our boat at the end of the five months? Albania? Croatia? On the hard? How much?

We'll begin again... It's nice to meet you.

For the first four Med cruising seasons, we used a "customs bond" scheme where the boat was placed on the hard in both Spain and in Italy and sealed by a government customs official. During that time, only Spanish or Italian workers are allowed on the boat to perform service, the boat is locked with seals and cannot be moved and we need to be gone as in out of the country. This way the boat can remain in the VAT zone for extended periods of time and not be subject to VAT. Now here in the Adriatic, we just go to Montenegro each season for a stay. Presently, the boat stays in the water in Italy for the winter at a very nice shipyard up a river in fresh water.

For Schengen, I was the only one of us (my wife and I) who had an issue because I stay for six months continuous. This was also easily solved by staying in beautiful countries such as Croatia, Montenegro and Albania for a couple of months at a time which are outside the Schengen area, but conveniently located right in the middle of the Med. There are also other ways to legally work around Schengen, another is to have multiple passports if you're a citizen of two countries, and yet another is to spend most of one's time at sea in anchorages. Time at sea is not counted. And another way is to apply for a long term tourist visa in Spain or Italy or own some property in an EU country. My friend took that route by purchasing a condo in Spain.

Kenomac · 17-05-2017, 00:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckr

Had a Canadian boat come into Kusadasi and we were talking yesterday - he got kicked out of Greece as he was going to use ferry to Turkey and back and was told by customs that he had been in EU 99 days and if he left he probably would not be allowed back in and he needed to leave - he left -

Not sure what island but someplace in Greece they did check - he did not have a lot of stamps in his passport so it was very easy to tell -

I have a bookful of stamps, and of all places to have trouble, the Swiss immigration official in Zurich, gave me some trouble two years ago. Resolved when I was able to produce a plane boarding pass to back up my claim because an official in Italy had accidentally stamped me "in" instead of "out."

Now I always check the direction of the stamp and hang onto my boarding passes.

dlymn · 17-05-2017, 04:38

Great to get your informative reply, Kenomac. We sail for up to 3 months and have now "retired" to sailing around the Ionian Islands. We keep the boat on the hard in Plataria on the Greek mainland opposite Corfu. Very reasonably priced. There are also ways to manage Greek taxes as well. We are getting to know the Ionian but I don't think we'll ever tire of sailing here. We found the Golfe de Leon to be limited to almost all commercial mooring. We didn't trust our anchoring skills at the time. The wind was volatile and seemed to be always on our nose. Sailing to a destination in a given time seems to cause this. The land based touring was excellent. In a few years time we plan to do the whole trip again but by train (except for Greece, no inter country train services)

sailorcherry · 17-05-2017, 21:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckr

The issue in Turkey is the upcoming vote in April to change the constitution and what they could mean - we know some Dutch folks here who have been told by their embassy to maintain a low profile and we are beginning to feel a lot of anti American feeling here - if the vote passes it may get a lot worse - so you just need to be aware and watch the politics

Chuckr,
Well two months later and the referendum is all said and done. How are you feeling? What has, if anything, changed around you? Or your own cruising plans too?

chuckr · 17-05-2017, 23:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenomac

I have a bookful of stamps, and of all places to have trouble, the Swiss immigration official in Zurich, gave me some trouble two years ago. Resolved when I was able to produce a plane boarding pass to back up my claim because an official in Italy had accidentally stamped me "in" instead of "out."

Now I always check the direction of the stamp and hang onto my boarding passes.

you are so correct - one of the things we always do after checking in or out is to try and find the stamp and make sure it is correct - sometimes it takes a while as they seem to select pages at random - and sometimes the stamps are lite that they can barely be seen

ObracJ · 26-05-2017, 02:01

This thread has turned out to be Gold! in regards to all the info. Thanks everyone for chipping in. There are so many things I didn't know, especially all the ins and outs of the Schengen!

chuckr · 26-05-2017, 04:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenomac

I have a bookful of stamps, and of all places to have trouble, the Swiss immigration official in Zurich, gave me some trouble two years ago. Resolved when I was able to produce a plane boarding pass to back up my claim because an official in Italy had accidentally stamped me "in" instead of "out."

Now I always check the direction of the stamp and hang onto my boarding passes.

I forgot about this but in Albania they did not stamp us in or out. When I asked why they said we know where you are. On our second trip we did ask for a stamp and it was like pulling teeth to get one.

zboss · 26-05-2017, 08:54

Staying in an anchorage doesn't count towards schengen time?

jckb · 27-05-2017, 03:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by zboss

Staying in an anchorage doesn't count towards schengen time?

Schengen time is time within a Schengen country's national waters . . . but, of course, it takes time to get in contact with immigration to pick up your stamp!

Kenomac · 27-05-2017, 04:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by jckb

Schengen time is time within a Schengen country's national waters . . . but, of course, it takes time to get in contact with immigration to pick up your stamp!

Sometimes it can take weeks while on your way from one place to the next.

dlymn · 27-05-2017, 07:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by zboss

Staying in an anchorage doesn't count towards schengen time?

Schengen time starts when you formally record your entry to when you formally record your departure. If you leave the zone and it's not officially documented, then you are considered to be still in it. Remember this is all about meeting that one picky customs officer when you leave.