Tricks for extending a 90 day non-EU tourist visa

someone told me that i should just go to switzerland to get my passport stamped, and come back to get another 90 days on my US passport.

then someone else told me that if i did that i wouldn't be able to return to the EU for 6 months.

which is right in this case? who is feeding me incorrect info here? i'm dying to know, because i only have another 2 weeks on my passport!

Unless you fly into Switzerland, they won't stamp your passport. Even then there's also the chance they won't stamp it then either.

Is your passport expiring? or that your just reaching your 90 day tourist limit?

After 90 days, you have to register with the germans, they won't kick you out but they will ask you how you plan to support yourself and you must have a fixed place to stay.

The 6 mo thing you quoted, is wrong. I'd suggest you take a 1-2 week trip to a country that stamps passports and is not totally an EU integrated country yet.. Hungry, Romania, Bosnia, etc. should do the trick. After your trip come-on back to D-Land for another 90 days.

Hungary and Romania are full EU members now, aren't they? Anyway, no need to go as far as you suggest [edit: to Bosnia], Croatia should do.

They are EU members but they are not Intregrated into the EU system yet, their still to new and still have to allign there laws/policies to the EU Norm.
Um, Kay have you looked at a map latly? Croatia is between Bosnia and Hungry, so it's in the same area, with Hungry being closer...

I do know where Croatia is, thank you. Not being an insider, I thought that Hungary (btw, have you looked at the country's name lately? It's called Hungary) was already a fully integrated EU Member State, so it's not surprising that I suggested Croatia, which - as we both know - is on the way to Bosnia.

no, my passport isn't expiring...i'm just closing in on the limit of my 90 day tourist stay.

so, if i leave the EU and get my passport stamped, and come back the same day, i WILL get another 90 days free and clear?

has anyone tried this?? i don't really want to try it, unless i know for sure that it will work.

Perhaps, but it's best to stay away for atleast 1 week.

Well you can get it stamped there and you do not have to fly there to get the stamp. I have taken the DB to Zurich. When the border control came on the train they chose whose passports they wanted to see and I just gave my passport to them. I told them I was an american traveling through europe and wanted a Swiss stamp. The guy laughed but stamped my passport. so now I have a swiss stamp with an image of a train in my passport with the most important thing an exit dated stamp.

If you are caught overstaying the 90 visa yes you can be banned for a while.

so, it DID give you another 90 days then? if so, i think i might try it. i still have until the 4th of april to do it.

i wish i could, but i only have a few days away from school for travelling, and i can't miss my exams.

do you really think they care how long you stay?

Further searching turns up the following - Link


For longer stays you would need to to register with the KVR. You would also need the following:
A permanet living address
A bank account, or access to one with enough $ to support yourself for your entire stay.
You must proove you have the required funds to support your for your stay. OR a job, in which case you also need to supply a work contract.

So if you stay for 3 months, you must leave for the next 3 months before you can come back for another 3 months. This applies for all EU Countries not just germany.

I did this exact thing only a few years ago. It is possible things have changed since then but I doubt it. I assume the rules are the same now as then. This information could be outdated, and I assume if it is someone here will correct me.

You dont have to leave the EU you must only leave the Schengen zone. EU has NOTHING to do with it. You could for instance go to the UK and come back. I went to the czech republic for 15 minutes. At that time Canadians needed a visa to enter which I didnt have. This was no big deal though I just walked over with some Germans and the guy never noticed I didn't show ID. Then we did some light shopping (The Krauts bought a bunch of cancer sticks). Then when we returned I gave my passport to the german passport control guy. He didn't stamp it until I asked him specifically to do it. He asked why and I told him. He laughed and stamped me. During the next three months I got a work permit and extended my stay permanantly, and there were no complaints about the back to back 90 day permits at the auslander amt.

As far as I know you can stay a maximum of 6 months per one year period using this method. As I interpret the 90 days in "any" six month perdiod, you can end one six month perdiod and start the next one when you renew your visit.

Maybe my advice is bad. But it worked for me. In general I found as long as you dont plan on dealing with the Auslanderamt (sometimes amazing jerks, sometimes super friendly), Germany in general makes it easy to come and go. If your not working it is not in there interest to "kick you out" they make money off you.

WARNING: I have blond hair and blue eyes and come from Canada, I am sure that helps me to bend the rules.

it doesn't really matter how you interpret it, it is how the German immigration authorities interpret the law. What it means by "6 month period" is that it operates on a sliding calendar. ie, one six moth period doesn't simply stop and another start. For example, lets say you arrived in Schengen on 1st Jan and stayed continuously until 1st April (90 days), all you would gain by leaving the country for a day and re-entering is the right to stay a further day, then you'd have to leave again. In order to be able to stay a further continous 90 days you would have to stay out of the country until 1st July.

90 days per 6 months is the limit, there is no getting out of it by a short trip out of the country. If it worked for individuals in the past, this was a fluke and probably due to officials not checking properly but it is not guarantee of success. If you have already spent 90 days in Schengen, you have no alternative but to leave or apply for a proper visa.

My suggestion would be to first find out about the arrangement your home country and the Schengen countries have. For example, Australia states that you can only stay 3 months within any six month period, meaning if you go out of the Schengen area, then you must apply for a visa to return or wait 3 months.

A caveat on that, as stated above, is that it is still up to the Schengen country on how it interprets the agreement.

You shouldn't mess with this bureaucracy, you might run into an official who's having a bad day. In the end, we're talking about €50.00 worth of peace-of-mind.

i've come to the conclusion with this forum that i need to stop fantasizing and apply for my student visa already...i've just been lazy.
far too much conflicting data for me to risk messing with the gov.

You know its the right thing to do, Braumeister. Trust me.

Someone on another message board said its possible for American and citizens of other Visa waiver countries to stay in Germany for more than 90 days without a VISA. It had something to do with driving over to a non-Schengen country and then reentering Germany to get another stamp on my passport. I am from the US and currently going to migrate to Australia, my visa for Australia will not be ready until January 2008, and I was wondering if I could stay in Germany for a few months until this is sorted out. I wanted to use this large span of time to experience life in Europe particularly Germany for a while. If I need a VISA to stay more than 90 days is it possible to stay longer assuming I have some money to live on for the time I wish to stay? I want to enter Germany in May and then leave for Australia in December.

I looked on the internet for overseas health insurance, one company Patriot offers health insurance for US citizens living or traveling overseas, is this a reliable company?

Topics merged by admin

It won't work.. See above posts. 90 day in 6 months is the limit.

The best trick (as mentioned in an earlier posting) is to be BLOND and Blue eyed!
I had a TON of problems with the auslanderbehoerde. I am FAR from Blond ie: BLACK (USA) and they put me through the ringer with all the catch22's BUT all problems started a) after I arrived to the Amt BEFORE my 90days- But they hadnt called my number and had to come back
Upon my return I was over the 90day Limit and threatened me with deportation and 10days to leave the country (!!) and no apologies for pushing me beyond my original 90day limit.

I had the sweetest case worker who spoke quietly and comfortingly while saying you have no options but to leave and to go to any other country other than Germany.

I got a lawyer (one I would not recomend) and things got better because they saw I was serious and was willing to burn money. But I had to go through flaming hoops- a big contrast to my BLOND friends (no joke, some very Blond USA friends squeked by with hardly a work contract or cash in the bank). While at the immigration office (which indeed must be a stressing place to work) was no time for me to call a duck a duck and scream Racism.
I was also given (way earlier) erroneous info about this 90days in and out of Shengen and assumed that a trip to Switzerland or (then) poland (not a good option for people of color btw) would do the trick. It didnt for me. I had tried that while in Paris and it only made things worse for me in Deutschland.
Those are my 2 cents. Getting dressed up in WASP drag would have maybe helped but maybe they could have seen through my blond wig and Oprah blue eyes!

Do I need a passport when I am travelling to places like Hungary (by road) ? If they don't check then they won't stamp, oder?

You most certainly DO need a passport when crossing out of the Schengen countries. They're often barely glanced at, but I sure don't want to find out what happens if you don't have one on you.

Hungary is a member of the EU, but not party to the Schengen treaty. I only get my passport glanced at crossing over "my" D-CZ border crossing, but that one probably gets at least 100 Americans crossing in every Saturday to go shopping. I did get my passport scanned and stamped coming and going over the Austrian-Slovene border. I have never been to Hungary, so I'd assume border controls between it and Austria are similar to the A-SLO ones.

I highly recommend you have a valid passport when driving over that border. Additionally, make sure that the car's insurance green card is current and is valid for driving into Hungary. I've only had one checked driving from Croatia into Bosnia, but I don't know what the current auto theft problem going into Hungary is like. I would DEFINTELY make sure all the car's papers are in order should you ever want to drive from Germany to Poland.

Hungary and The Czech Republic are members of the Schengen Treaty and have been since 1 May 2004. They just haven't implemented it yet.
Schengen Implementation in the 9 countries that signed up in May 2004 is sched. to take place in December 2007 (Overland/Sea Borders) and
29 March 2008 for Airports. Those countries are: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Huh... I'd heard that Switzerland was joining it, but not that the EU Class of '04 was. Good to know.

(already see a few conspicuously American cars with CZ plates - wondering how many more of us up here are going to start commuting from the place with big 150k EUR houses)

Switzerland signed the Schengen Treaty on 16 October 2004 it was ratified by referendum on 5 June 2005.
However Switzerland has yet to Implement the Agreement or even release a date of when they will do so.
Until they do, the border checks into Switzerland will remain.

I have been traveling in the EU (Schengen zone) for the past two months. Recently (last week) I did a one week tour of Switzerland. Upon my re-entry to Schengen zone (Spain via aeroplane) my passport was stamped with yesterdays date. Is it just a marker of where I've traveled and when or do you know if this gives me a new three months? I would love to stay in the Schengen countries until July if possible.

M

Nope, as when you arrived in the Schengen zone the 1st time, I bet they either stampend your PP
or scanned it thru the computer. Either way, your in the system from the moment you arrived..
All the Schengen/EU countries share that same database, so everybody knows when people arrive
and from where they 1st entered. You've been SIS'ed

Whats PP? The stamp looks identical to the first entry stamp except for the date. Now that I think about it they probably did scan it, although I wasn't paying attention because the customs officer was asking me about the French election results!

PP => PassPort