Living with Schengen in Europe

[Ostinato]

Many of us who have or are cruising Europe, have had to cope with the visa restrictions that the Schengen Treaty imposes. Pending legislation before the EU may change that but more information is needed to encourage its passage.

A survey is now trying to collect data on the experience of non-European cruisers who have had to cope with the visa restrictions. You can access it at Schengen Cruisers Survey. Be sure to include any stories that highlight how Schengen has impacted you.

[chuckr]

For what it is worth did fill it out. We are trying hard to get out of Schengen again this year headed to Albania for a while and do inland non Schengen travel.

[Ostinato]

Great! We may also go to Albania & further north before jumping to Italy. I've heard positive reports on Albania recently but not many.

[BerettaRacer]

Last year bringing the boat from Greece back to Italy we stopped in Albania to clear out/in. The boat was fine, but later during the winter layup in Italy, the mate and I got busted at a French border crossing for expired visa's. Spent the day at a police station doing paper work, then they sent us back into Italy, and we had to turn in the paperwork at the French Consulate in Torino to prove we went back to Italy. Had to stay away from France the rest of the trip. Finally went down to Palma and Barcelona before returning to States.
Worst part of getting busted?? It was a perfect snow day with about 18-24" fresh pow, and the whole day wasted, lol.

[Ostinato]

Great story. We need more that describe how cruisers have been affected.

[chuckr]

Ostinato we are currently in Albania. Did a run from Brindisi to Schengjin and spent a couple of days and some inland sight seeing. Then a run down to Durras and tied up in the commercial harbor. It is ok as they positioned the boat so it was well protected and easy on and off. No elec or water but we had plenty and solar panels. Durres is a great town and we left too soon as we had a fcts of bad weather coming in for a few days that did not show up.

We are currently in Orikum Marina and will leave the boat here for a couple of weeks of inland travel before venturing south and eventually check out in Sarande and over to Greece.

You do have to check in and out of each port and use an agent but once in you can stop mid way and sight see and swim and what ever. The agents have been great giving us tips on what to see, find a way to get inland quickly and making sure the boat is safely tied up. And they do all the paperwork quickly and efficiently.

We love Albania as the food is great and wine better. People are very friendly and a lot of English is spoken. It is a very old yet beautiful country.

[Eleuthera 2014]

For all US boaters affected by Schengen rules, there is an equal number of EU gentry affected by the US rules.

USA = get the same done to your regs!

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by Eleuthera 2014

For all US boaters affected by Schengen rules, there is an equal number of EU gentry affected by the US rules.

USA = get the same done to your regs!

Not true unless you can explain how our cruising friends from South Africa, UK, Italy, Canada, France spend the entire hurricane season sailing up and down the USA east coast for 6 months.
USA has provisions EU does not.
Get it right.

[woodenboats]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the US have a bit more water than the east coast?
AS for leaving the EU - how about Norway? Beautiful country with rally nice people.

Sent from my Lenovo B8080-H using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Ostinato]

Not sure who has the most coast line at this point but Schengen now includes 26 countries. Virtually all of the Baltic, the west coast of Europe, and much of the med. Even Norway and the Azores are in it. And it is continuing to expand. The US does allow 6 months for nationals of many countries based on bilateral treaties. We also require our foriegn guests to check into each state though this seems to vary some based cruisers I have talked to. Some Schengen like Greece require something similar.

[LACHLANC]

The current Schengen setup for non-EU cruisers makes things very difficult, particularly if you are looking to see a fair bit of the Med over an extended time (say 12 months or even longer). The number of places you can stay outside Schengen appears to be reducing and with what's happened in Tunisia that removes another alternative (at least for me it does).

I am aware that Croatia is expecting to be brought under Schengen soon, which will make things even more difficult, so the sooner the EU introduces the proposed “12 mth tourist visa with a max of 90 days per country” the better as far as I’m concerned. The problem for me is I’m hoping to begin a Med cruising adventure early/mid next year and I’m wary that nothing may have changed by then.

QUESTION [not sure if I ask it here or in a new post]: If the proposed “12 mths & 90 days” proposal isn’t introduced soon, does anyone know what alternatives there are for non-EU citizens to spend some time in the Med without having to go through the "90 days every 180 days" routine?

I've heard you can get a tourist visa for up to 12 mths for some specific countries - would these mean your time in their country also counts towards the "90 days out of 180 days" in other Schengen countries where you don't have a 12 mth tourist visa?

Does anyone know whether I can apply to more than one country for a “12 mth tourist visa” and to have them both/all apply simultaneously? [e.g. say Greece, Italy, France & Spain all at the same time?] If more than one is possible, does anyone know if you can specify dates or do they simply grant them “from the date of issue +12 months” (which may exclude going to many countries as each time you might lose a month).

Hopefully someone can assist me.
cheers

[Ostinato]

The Touring Visa proposal has been introduced but is stalled because of concerns expressed by some countries. An effort is underway to try to get moving again but it may take some time. I doubt it'll be available for your voyage unfortunately.

Extended stay visas (Type D visas) are offered by some countries for retirement type purposes - notably France, Italy and Greece. We just got a Type D visa for Italy this spring and we explored getting it for Greece as well. Greece seemed to require more paper work and hassle.

You have to get these before you arrive in the country in question - usually from your own country. The application is involved and there is more paperwork when you arrive to established residency. They ussually give you 90 days in other Schengen countries but there is no way for you to be tracked since there are no border crossings anymore.

The UK offers a liberally interpreted 6 months visa which could allow you to winter there. We did for two winters in a row.

Check with your nearest consulates and they will give you details.

[LACHLANC]

Many thanks Ostinato - most useful.
You mention the UK over winter. I lived in the UK from 2007-09 and I recall the winters as cold enough to snow in the winters (& I lived south of London!) and even saw enough snow to close the schools. Many yachts don't have heating - do you rig up something that works without mains power or do you buy a heater for the mains and remain at dock for winter?
Is there anywhere else you can think of outside schengen that would be less cold in winter?
cheers
LachlanC

[Ostinato]

London as you may remember is warmer and dryer than most of the country. We stayed at St Katherine's. Unfortunately the administration is no longer cruiser friendly. Limehouse is still possible and we had good experiences in Ipswich.

Ireland also makes it easy to become a resident. That won't solve your Schengen problem but could let import your boat vat free.

However in warmer climates, some people used Tunisia but that has changed since this last attacked. Turkey is another cruising refuge allowing you to apply for a one residency permit after you arrive on a 90 day e-visa. I am sure there may be other options that I am not aware of.

[K_V_B]

Originally Posted by LACHLANC

Does anyone know whether I can apply to more than one country for a “12 mth tourist visa” and to have them both/all apply simultaneously? [e.g. say Greece, Italy, France & Spain all at the same time?] If more than one is possible, does anyone know if you can specify dates or do they simply grant them “from the date of issue +12 months” (which may exclude going to many countries as each time you might lose a month).

The moment you become a legal resident in one Schengen Area country you can in fact freely move around the whole area. So having multiple resident visas is not needed. And probably not possible anyway...