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.