90-day German visitor visa for Americans

Hi, there --

My wife, daughter and I just arrived here for an extended holiday.

We're using Germany as a homebase from which to explore Europe for the next few months.

As Americans, we're permitted to stay in the country for 90 days. Fair enough, but if we're travelling within the EU, how do we establish that we haven't been in Germany for the full 90 days (since passports don't get stamped).

Relatedly, when we come back to Germany after being out of the country for a few days/weeks, do we get a new 90 day visitor visa?

Thanks to anyone who has had experience with this sort of thing.

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You could always take the overnight train from Brussels to London via the Chunnel sometime during your trip. You do get your passport stamped getting off the train in London. At least, I did when I did the trip four or so years ago.

So for the UK Airports... They also still stamp

correct me if i am wrong here, but i thought the 90-day visas are EU-wide visas and mean you can stay within the EU for a max of 90 days. Moving from one EU country to another will not extend the 90 da period.

may be i am wrong though.

As does the Czech border if you ask nicely

opps - someone posted at the same time- this is in reference to the stamping bit 2 post above

Day trip to Switzerland is your safest bet. It's officially not part of Europe, the EU, the EEC, the EuroZone, or nothin.

With the $ so worthless at the moment, can you afford to stay that long

@PH

i think u are talking abt EEZ and not EEC.
Switzerland is part of the EEZ (European Economic Zone) by the way. Just an info

Just a word of warning if you are going to stay longer than the 90 days. A friend of mine went to the US on a 90 day visa to be with his fiancé. After 2 and half months he left to visit his parents in the UK for a week and then flew back to the US again. He got in a whole world of shit with immigration bacause they thought he was trying to dodge/extend the 90 day limit. Don't know the details except to say that his solution was to marry his fiancé sharpish.

Doubt the same thing would happen with the more relaxed attitude to immigration here on the continent, but just a heads up.

i alway sthough t the 90 day schenegen visa was, one entry and one exit only. as far as i know it expires 90 days after it starts reagrdless of where you were. getting a new one? no idea. you will need another visa to visit the uk, switzerland etc by the way.

You are correct. 90 day is for EU (schengen states only) not for Germany alone. Also it is 90 days within a 6 month period so even if you leave EU and come back, make sure you do not exceed 90 days within the 6 month period starting from your first entry.

Oh goodness, it's much more complicated than the US, where you just need to visit Canada on a day-trip, and get a nice fresh stamp in yer passport on the return - in exchange for the massive sum of $6 if you enter by land.

So *97jamesk* you should quit messing around in web cafes and start looking round, as you only got a total of 90 days before you are outta here.

Shame that you'll be headed home just as the lakes round Munich are warm enough for swimming

@roots has the correct information. Also you can extend your stay for another 90 days, but you need to go and get your passport stamped for about 45 euros.

Man i having doing this for the last year, so go to either Holland or Switzerland(non EU country). Holland for some reason always checks my passport and stamps it Haha!
Good luck
Perdido

Forget all this idle chat, who's that good looking Erika Mustermann?

YL6

Can you provide a web reference for this? When I was searching a month ago, I could swear I saw 90 days in a 12 month period.


Again, any reference?

Over the next 8 months, I will probably spend 4 in Germany, so I'm eager to figure out the easiest way to make this work.

--phil

@Pheller
Trust me on this one. I have done enough traveling in and out of Europe to know this. It is 90 days within 6 month period of first entry. First of all US citizens do not need a visa if they are coming as a visitor for less than 90 days within schengen countries. It doesn't matter which schengen country is your entry point or where you want to stay. If you do want to stay beyond 90 days, as a US citizen you are allowed to get a resident permit but as a visitor you cannot exceed 90 days.

For example, lets say you first entered Germany on March 1st and stayed contineously within Schengen borders until June 1st. You are not allowed to re-enter again as a visitor until Sept 1st. On Sept 2nd the 6 month period begins all over again. If you traveling a lot, often they don't even check your previous stamps. However, if you are caught you could be in trouble.

You could ofcourse call your local german consulate to confirm this.