Attempted a long stay Schengen visa… I failed

[Willdtrout]

I was hoping to do a walk over ninety days so I researched a long stay visa. This walk would have gone through four countries but the majority of the time would have been in France. So I applied for a long stay visa to allow me to stay for six months.

Although I was applying in France the visa would allow entrance into other Schengen countries. A requirement for the visa though is that the majority of your time should be in France.

I applied knowing this and found the process to be a little daunting but not to bad. Information they ask for is pretty basic. It was a little expensive to make the application in fees and I also had to buy and insurance policy to cover the entire stay. The biggest expense though was a day off work to drive to San Francisco (the closest office to me) to do the interview.

My application was denied because I failed to provide an itinerary of my route and time so they could not determine how long I would be in France. I’m not a planned and don’t see myself planning out a six month walk to know where I would stay every night so I didn’t include this information. I’m not sure if that would be required or if I could just provide a general Gronze schedule and that would enough?

In the rejection notice I was told I could include the missing information and reapply but my circumstances have changed so that much time isn’t reasonable anymore.

Some good news is that if I reapply in the future it will be much easier because they already have my biometric info so I can just do it through the mail and won’t need another in person interview.

I’m still planning on walking but need to limit my time to ninety days. Can anyone recommend a ninety day Camino that can be done in winter

 

[MinaKamina]

My application was denied because I failed to provide an itinerary of my route and time so they could not determine how long I would be in France. I’m not a planned and don’t see myself planning out a six month walk to know where I would stay every night so I didn’t include this information. I’m not sure if that would be required or if I could just provide a general Gronze schedule and that would enough?

why not try the Gronze schedule and see if that works? with a little explanation about long distance walking?

don't overthink it, no one is going to check if you are at the designated location every evening.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola @Willdtrout I seem to recall that the last time this question was posed the best advice was to apply through your country of entry - eg France, Germany, Spain etc. The info in the French response is (I believe) a good start. As for being a plan and stick traveller - well in this case this might be the only was around the 90 day rule. Also check out the new entry visa laws that I think come into place next year. (I can't really recall the specific circumstances. Will be doing my own research for next May & June). Hope this helps,. Cheers

 

[Willdtrout]

why not try the Gronze schedule and see if that works? with a little explanation about long distance walking?

don't overthink it, no one is going to check if you are at the designated location every evening.

My plans changed. I’m working longer in the season then planned so I don’t have the time now.

Lesson learned for next year though

 

[Willdtrout]

Hola @Willdtrout I seem to recall that the last time this question was posed the best advice was to apply through your country of entry - eg France, Germany, Spain etc. The info in the French response is (I believe) a good start. As for being a plan and stick traveller - well in this case this might be the only was around the 90 day rule. Also check out the new entry visa laws that I think come into place next year. (I can't really recall the specific circumstances. Will be doing my own research for next May & June). Hope this helps,. Cheers

Not sure about the new rules…

What I read was to apply in the country you would spend the most time in. For my plans that was France and France was also my country of entry

 

[CTLawGal]

I was hoping to do a walk over ninety days so I researched a long stay visa. This walk would have gone through four countries but the majority of the time would have been in France. So I applied for a long stay visa to allow me to stay for six months.

Although I was applying in France the visa would allow entrance into other Schengen countries. A requirement for the visa though is that the majority of your time should be in France.

I applied knowing this and found the process to be a little daunting but not to bad. Information they ask for is pretty basic. It was a little expensive to make the application in fees and I also had to buy and insurance policy to cover the entire stay. The biggest expense though was a day off work to drive to San Francisco (the closest office to me) to do the interview.

My application was denied because I failed to provide an itinerary of my route and time so they could not determine how long I would be in France. I’m not a planned and don’t see myself planning out a six month walk to know where I would stay every night so I didn’t include this information. I’m not sure if that would be required or if I could just provide a general Gronze schedule and that would enough?

In the rejection notice I was told I could include the missing information and reapply but my circumstances have changed so that much time isn’t reasonable anymore.

Some good news is that if I reapply in the future it will be much easier because they already have my biometric info so I can just do it through the mail and won’t need another in person interview.

I’m still planning on walking but need to limit my time to ninety days. Can anyone recommend a ninety day Camino that can be done in winter

I’m sorry your application was denied, even sorrier your plans have changed. But thanks for providing the information! I’ve been wondering about how to do a long term visa if I decide to walk from Canterbury to Rome, and didn’t know if it would be possible. Your experience has been helpful

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Here is a repost of one I made a few years ago dealing with a visa extension (though for the US).

A few years ago we were hiking the Appalachian Trail in Georgia and we met a Mexican who wanted to through hike the entire trail, a six months trip (he had walked the Camino Francés previously). The normal tourist visa was for three months. Visa extensions required a consular interview. He went in prepared with expected costs and proof of savings, etc. But he thinks what got him the extension was he went in with maps, pictures, trail guides and a lot of enthusiasm. He left with the visa and left behind an official who said that he wished he could have gone with him.​

 

[BillW]

Thanks for posting this. These kind of updates (and the added comments by others) are helpful.

 

[mikebet]

Or you could try what I (and a lot of other carpetbaggers) did while teaching ESL in Thailand many years ago -- leave the country when your visa is about to expire and re-enter on a new one. In those days I could just hop on a bus to the Laos or Cambodia border, go over for a bowl of noodle soup and be back in Bangkok the same day. In your case you might want to travel over to non-Schengen England and spend a few days in London before going back to France or Spain on a new visa.

 

[CTLawGal]

Or you could try what I (and a lot of other carpetbaggers) did while teaching ESL in Thailand many years ago -- leave the country when your visa is about to expire and re-enter on a new one. In those days I could just hop on a bus to the Laos or Cambodia border, go over for a bowl of noodle soup and be back in Bangkok the same day. In your case you might want to travel over to non-Schengen England and spend a few days in London before going back to France or Spain on a new visa.

I'm not so sure that approach really works in Schengen countries, it's 90 days in 180 day period, so if you hop over to London for, say two days, that only gives you the two extra days in a Schengen country. I think if you want to over stay the 90 days, it's best to do it legally by applying for the visa as @Willdtrout was attempting to do.

 

[Kathor1]

you might want to travel over to non-Schengen England and spend a few days in London before going back to France or Spain on a new visa.

This works under the visa law of many countries. It is not an option under EU/Schengen visa law. It does not work like this.

People also need to be aware of the difference between what is defined as a proper Schengen visa and the various longer term national visa of the individual EU/Schengen countries, even when many of these national visa (for stays longer than 3 months) qualify for travel to the other Schengen countries. There are often differences in the requirements in the national visa law of the various EU Schengen countries.

France has special categories for longer term visa - they call it a VLS-T visa or VLS-TS visa (not sure about the various labels but it is for a visit for tourist, family or private purposes) and it is explicitly for the category "visitors". It is best to look for further information on their website https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/web/france-visas/long-stay-visa where they also have a "Visa Wizard" facility where you can enter your particular details (your nationality, your country of residence and so on) to get a first grip on requirements and documents that you need to submit.

 

[AlpacaArte]

Or you could try what I (and a lot of other carpetbaggers) did while teaching ESL in Thailand many years ago -- leave the country when your visa is about to expire and re-enter on a new one. In those days I could just hop on a bus to the Laos or Cambodia border, go over for a bowl of noodle soup and be back in Bangkok the same day. In your case you might want to travel over to non-Schengen England and spend a few days in London before going back to France or Spain on a new visa.

That will not work. If you have spent a total of 90 days in a Schenghen country you will not be able to re-enter for 90 days.

 

[t2andreo]

I suggest breaking this up into TWO distinct segments, or less than 90 calendar days each. Work around the weather patterns. Perhaps you could do one segment in the early Spring, then the other in the Autumn?

You can start earlier in the calendar year if you start in the warmer south of Spain or Portugal, and walk north.

I would do the first segment - say in the early Spring. The first 180-day period starts when you first enter the EU/Schengen area.

Complete your first Camino segment, then go home - or at least leave the Schengen Zone - e.g. go to the UK. You need to be OUT OF THE EU/Schengen Zone once you have remained in it for 90 calendar days, within that first 180-day block starting on the frist day you enter the zone.

Return to the EU/Schengen Zone when the 180 days have tolled, and you can reenter for up to a second 90-calendar day period, in a new 180-calendar day block of time.

Is this more costly - YUP! But it the legal way to accomplish what you seek to do it, unless you obtain a long stay visa first.

Faced with the facts as you stated them, this is what I would recommend you do. I would do it this way.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Tom, your post about two segments and many starting in Iberia and heading east got me thinking that a straight six month visa for a walk starting there might be easier to get because surely the Spanish authorities are more familiar with a long itinerary free walk.

 

[TravellingMan22]

I'm not so sure that approach really works in Schengen countries, it's 90 days in 180 day period, so if you hop over to London for, say two days, that only gives you the two extra days in a Schengen country. I think if you want to over stay the 90 days, it's best to do it legally by applying for the visa as @Willdtrout was attempting to do.

Indeed, ‘visa runs’ may be advertised everywhere in South East Asia, but not so in Europe!

 

[Doingit]

I was hoping to do a walk over ninety days so I researched a long stay visa. This walk would have gone through four countries but the majority of the time would have been in France. So I applied for a long stay visa to allow me to stay for six months.

Although I was applying in France the visa would allow entrance into other Schengen countries. A requirement for the visa though is that the majority of your time should be in France.

I applied knowing this and found the process to be a little daunting but not to bad. Information they ask for is pretty basic. It was a little expensive to make the application in fees and I also had to buy and insurance policy to cover the entire stay. The biggest expense though was a day off work to drive to San Francisco (the closest office to me) to do the interview.

My application was denied because I failed to provide an itinerary of my route and time so they could not determine how long I would be in France. I’m not a planned and don’t see myself planning out a six month walk to know where I would stay every night so I didn’t include this information. I’m not sure if that would be required or if I could just provide a general Gronze schedule and that would enough?

In the rejection notice I was told I could include the missing information and reapply but my circumstances have changed so that much time isn’t reasonable anymore.

Some good news is that if I reapply in the future it will be much easier because they already have my biometric info so I can just do it through the mail and won’t need another in person interview.

I’m still planning on walking but need to limit my time to ninety days. Can anyone recommend a ninety day Camino that can be done in winter

Just send in the normal itinerary proposed by so many Camino books and apps and add a few days rest and tourism here and there. They will not check the exact itinerary you are walking. This is all they need it seems.

 

[t2andreo]

Tom, your post about two segments and many starting in Iberia and heading east got me thinking that a straight six month visa for a walk starting there might be easier to get because surely the Spanish authorities are more familiar with a long itinerary free walk.

If you were to bring a Camino map to your visa interview to show the staffer why you needed the extra time, and got lucky enough to have an interviewer at the consulate who has done, or knows about the Camino de Santiago, I feel you are 'home free.'

Ivar was selling a fold up map from the Spanish cartography office, see this link:

https://www.santiagodecompostela.me/en-us/products/camino-de-santiago-map-1-1-250-000

If you were to use a highlighter pen on that map to show what you planned and wanted to do, it might go a long way towards a longer-term (>90 days) visa approval.

I feel you are more likely to get a friendly interview at a Spanish consulate, rather than a French consulate. This is not based on empirical knowledge - just an educated guess based on the popularity of the Camino across popular Spanish culture.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[Kathor1]

Both Spain and France have outsourced their visa application procedures.

In the USA, it is BLS International and VFS Global who process applications.

 

[Kathor1]

There are very few forum members who actually applied and obtained a visa for Spain or France for more than 3 months. I had a closer look at the application forms for both countries and also at the posts of the one forum member who got such a visa and whose forum name I remembered. The thing is that in both countries you need to have an address as your residency in the country and you must register with the local police/administration for this address. There is no visa category as such for people who want to walk around for 6 months. So this is a kind of grey area ...

 

[steve392]

Am I missing something here?
The Etias/EES website says that the visa will not be active until sometime next year.
Is there another visa that I'm not aware of or is there one specifically for American citizens?

 

[Kathor1]

ETIAS is not a visa. This thread is about long stays. Long stays are defined as stays longer than 90 days. Everybody who wishes to stay for more than 90 days and is neither an EU national nor an EU resident must apply for a visa.

(Just in case: includes IS NO CH LI)

 

[TravellingMan22]

There are very few forum members who actually applied and obtained a visa for Spain or France for more than 3 months. I had a closer look at the application forms for both countries and also at the posts of the one forum member who got such a visa and whose forum name I remembered. The thing is that in both countries you need to have an address as your residency in the country and you must register with the local police/administration for this address. There is no visa category as such for people who want to walk around for 6 months. So this is a kind of grey area ...

I have met quite a few folks from USA and Canada who applied for and got a non-lucrative visa for Spain. All I can remember is that they are not allowed to work, and they get a year initially and reapply after that (or something like that).

 

[mick53]

I was hoping to do a walk over ninety days so I researched a long stay visa. This walk would have gone through four countries but the majority of the time would have been in France. So I applied for a long stay visa to allow me to stay for six months.

Although I was applying in France the visa would allow entrance into other Schengen countries. A requirement for the visa though is that the majority of your time should be in France.

I applied knowing this and found the process to be a little daunting but not to bad. Information they ask for is pretty basic. It was a little expensive to make the application in fees and I also had to buy and insurance policy to cover the entire stay. The biggest expense though was a day off work to drive to San Francisco (the closest office to me) to do the interview.

My application was denied because I failed to provide an itinerary of my route and time so they could not determine how long I would be in France. I’m not a planned and don’t see myself planning out a six month walk to know where I would stay every night so I didn’t include this information. I’m not sure if that would be required or if I could just provide a general Gronze schedule and that would enough?

In the rejection notice I was told I could include the missing information and reapply but my circumstances have changed so that much time isn’t reasonable anymore.

Some good news is that if I reapply in the future it will be much easier because they already have my biometric info so I can just do it through the mail and won’t need another in person interview.

I’m still planning on walking but need to limit my time to ninety days. Can anyone recommend a ninety day Camino that can be done in

I suggest you walk in Italy....

The Via Francigena Sud from Rome to Santa Maria de Lueca, about 850km, followed by the Via Francigena from the Italian border at St Bernads Pass ( depending on snow) or if not Aosta) to Rome, over 1000km.

My wife and I did the Via Francigena in 2017 and did the Sud this year.

Beautiful walking, lots of information for walkers, fantastic history, fantastic villages, great food and wine. Also lots of Roman ruins, and you get to walk on many roads the Roman legions marched.

If you are a fast walker you could add the Camino Materano ( we did it in October this year) in the south, a fantastic little known but well supported walk from Bari to Brindisa Via the UNESCO sites ot Matera and Alberobello. If more time add some of the Way of St Francis.

You can walk them all in both directions depending on you start time and weather.

Contact me if you want more info.

What a great problem to have !!!

 

[Rex]

Indeed, ‘visa runs’ may be advertised everywhere in South East Asia, but not so in Europe!

Correct... and said "visa runs" are not without their own risks. A nephew of mine who formerly taught English in a SE Asian country was doing these runs "as necessary" to keep his visa open (and keep his job) and he got caught. After he paid several fines and "bribes" to appropriate officials he was cleared, but was then under permanent watch for exit from and entry to the country. His story ended with him having to move permanently to another SE Asian country where he was able to get a permanent visa.

Messing around with visa limits has a unique set of risks. I have a friend in the Seattle area who has been banned from the Schengen zone for repeatedly overstaying his visa to support a child attending college in Germany (helicopter parent, anyone?!!). I do not know how long the ban is in effect, but I was not a very sympathetic listener when he lamented about his status.
I guess that makes me a "grumpy old guy" who just figures it is easier to follow the rules than try to avoid or circumvent them.

FYI: I completed the VF from Canterbury to Rome in three separate trips, but spent a grand total of 86 days walking and had a wonderful time despite trail issues and a serious lack of infrastructure for pilgrims in a few departments of France. The further I progressed toward Rome, generally the better the support and infrastructure for pilgrims.
Hope you have a wonderful walk whenever it happens.
Buen Camino

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola - @Rex - from what I have read here and elsewhere if you are actually "deported" then the ban on re-entry can be anything up to 5 years (or the validity of the current passport). Can't remember if the ban applies to all Schengen Countries or just the one that actually kicks you out. Cheers

 

[CTLawGal]

I completed the VF from Canterbury to Rome in three separate trips, but spent a grand total of 86 days walking and had a wonderful time despite trail issues and a serious lack of infrastructure for pilgrims in a few departments of France.

thanks for this useful information! Especially your note about serious lack of infrastructure in France, yikes!

 

[Rex]

thanks for this useful information! Especially your note about serious lack of infrastructure in France, yikes!

Don't worry too much about France, but it was the least easy place to find lodging at times. And the "official" trail does quite a bit of wandering to avoid walking on tarmac/asphalt, which adds almost 100kms to the overall length from Canterbury to Rome. SloWays and Gronze were both helpful when I was looking for ways to shorten some of the stages.
I used the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome listing of all known (to them) available places for lodging along the VF and I also used Booking.com. I had to take a taxi or train to the next closest place on three occasions and then back the next morning. It is nigh on impossible to be forewarned about all the festivals and conferences that can disrupt a solo pilgrim's attempt to find lodging. After Reims, which was easy, things got progressively better, except in Langres and one of the small towns a bit further on. Since I walked this part of the VF in late Summer 2022, I'd be surprised if more accommodations have not opened as economies recover from the pandemic.
If you are starting from Canterbury, I'd suggest checking out the Confraternity, as they have a wealth of information about the VF. Also, they are about to institute an additional few stages that will let pilgrims begin in London (Southwark Cathedral) and walk to Canterbury. I walked the first couple of proposed stages last year (almost by accident) when my family was visiting London and I walked out to the Royal Observatory along the south bank of the Thames, through the area that the proposed route will follow. Enjoy the walk; it was an epic trip for me, and way more effort and reward than either the CF or the CP.
Buen Camino.

 

[AlpacaArte]

Hola - @Rex - from what I have read here and elsewhere if you are actually "deported" then the ban on re-entry can be anything up to 5 years (or the validity of the current passport). Can't remember if the ban applies to all Schengen Countries or just the one that actually kicks you out. Cheers

The entire Schenghen zone.

 

[Marcus-UK]

Or you could try what I (and a lot of other carpetbaggers) did while teaching ESL in Thailand many years ago -- leave the country when your visa is about to expire and re-enter on a new one. In those days I could just hop on a bus to the Laos or Cambodia border, go over for a bowl of noodle soup and be back in Bangkok the same day. In your case you might want to travel over to non-Schengen England and spend a few days in London before going back to France or Spain on a new visa.

The standard Schengen Visa allows for a 90 day stay in a rolling 180 day window. So nipping out of the Schengen zone and back in again does not reset the clock