je_me_demande said about 1 year ago or at 10:08PM on Tuesday, July 6 2010 in chat
I am an Australian, with an Australian passport.
Next January - June I will be in Holland on a 6 month student visa.
The student visa is a residency permit which also allows travel into the other Schengen European countries, but only for 90 days over the period of the 6 months as per the Schengen agreement.
After that visa has expired on June 30, can I then go to another Schengen European country like France for 3 months to do the standard, no-visa required, tourist thing?
Or do I have to come home first?
If anyone knows the answer to this, or knows of a visa consultant I could make an appointment with in Sydney, that would be most appreciated. The French embassy, like their football team, are fucking hopeless.
I thought you were French.
Really? Nup! I'm learning the language, that's all.
western europe has no borders anymore. you just cross willy nilly. catch a bus or a train. or even a plane. no one gives a shit.
I had a similar question when I was away; if after my visa expired I was allowed a certain grace period. Asked at the Aus embassy in Paris, and they were no help and didn't have an answer. She basically told me it was my choice if I wanted to stay longer and if I got caught it was my fault, but saying there was no way to stop me staying longer! Led to tense times going to the UK after overstaying but I was only a few days over (they didn't notice).. although did almost get arrested during those few days (for separate reasons)! Basically I can't help you.. but I don't think the people who should be able to help you can either.
*can't either
It's late.. I corrected something that wasn't a mistake. Carry on.
Thanks for trying pandad, but yes that doesn't help me much.
I suppose one of these questions is, if you can spend 90 days per every six months on a tourist visa in the Schengen European countries, if you're still in a Schengen country at the end of that six month period for other reasons (i.e. my student residence visa), does the new six month period then commence again.
The Dutch are no more helpful than the French. Wankers, the lot of em! Hehe...
If anyone has any more definite information regarding this prickly little problem of mine I will buy them an ice cream as a thankyou.
from what I understand, if you leave the Netherlands to enter another EU country after your visa expires, you will be there under a tourist visa. all this means is that you have 90 days without any benefits of residency. you don't have to come back to Australia and start over again.
if you want to stay in the Netherlands, you will have to leave and re-enter under a tourist visa, I would imagine, although an immigration official may haul you over the coals when interviewed as that would look much less innocent than what you're proposing to do.
I really don't understand this visa business.
I've got a 5 year UK visa, strayan passport. but say I wanted to hop on a plane to Berlin - would they just issue me with a tourist visa when I arrive?
are there any countries in Europe where you need to organise a visa (to visit/tourist/etc) ahead of time?
depends what passport you have. for an Australian travelling with a 5 year visa, it's not an issue for any European nation that I'm aware of.
yes. the tourist visas they don't worry about so much, as you can't work or claim residency with one (at least not legally). the stricter measures surround working visas and residency.
The Backpacker blog on the Age website has an entry about the Schengen issue, along with 70 comments.
One of the comments says this:
A few people mention German working holiday visas in the comments, apparently last for a year and are cheap. If you are under 30 maybe apply for one of these when you are in Holland?
Thought this might be a good place to ask, since some of you have done this. What's the deal if you fly into say France or Spain as a full band with gear (guitars, pedals, cymbals). Do you get quizzed? Are you meant to have a visa? is it smart to stagger flights within a band to avoid being sent back etc..?
flying into paris or vienna direct from melbs has never been a problem for me in that respect. i wouldn't know about international arrival into spain, but domestic arrival into barcelona is no probs.