Which country to leave the Schengen area for 90 days and come back?
Are there particular european countries not in the Schengen Treaty (for example, Serbia, Croatia, Ukraine, etc) that enable a US citizen to stay over for 90 days to "reset" their Schengen visa indefinitely?
In other words, if a US citizen wants to stay in europe for 10 years without ever getting a visa, can one just pop out of the Schengen area to a neighboring country every 90 days, spend 90 days there, and then return to the Schengen area?
And if so, which countries' visa requirements make this the easiest for a US citizen?
Best Answer
US citizens can stay in the UK for six months as “general visitors” so it would be easy to use it for that. There is no hard limit on the number of visits or total duration of stay (but see the note at the end).
Croatia already applies rules very similar to the Schengen area and should eventually join it (as do Bulgaria and Romania). For the time being, it should however be possible to go there and come back to the Schengen area repeatedly if you stay for some time in two of these countries (otherwise there would be one day missing, by my count).
Turkey, Ukraine, Serbia all have a limit of 90 days in any 180 days period so you could go there too, with the same caveat. In Turkey, US citizens do however need an “e-visa”. It's mostly a formality, not too different from an ESTA, but it means you have to pay a fee.
In any case, border guards in the Schengen area and elsewhere should in principle check a number of other things (purpose of the trip, financial means, insurance, etc.) even for people who don't need a visa. If there is something suspicious, a border guard can always rule that they don't believe the stated purpose of your visit and send you away, even if you have never overstayed.
They are not always very thorough but if your stamps reveal several long stays, they might be more careful so you need to make sure you have everything in order. If you are genuinely visiting various part of the Schengen area and you can show you are sufficiently wealthy, you should be OK but if it looks like you have been working illegally in the Schengen area or are always coming back to the same place, you could be denied entry.
Same thing for the UK, where this is actually the main way to prevent “hidden” residence since they don't have any hard limit on the duration of stay beyond the six months per visit rule.
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Can I leave the Schengen zone and come back?
If you leave the Schengen Zone, your time doesn't reset so it is really important that you keep track of how long you're in the Schengen Zone. If you're in the Schengen Zone for 90 days consecutively, you must leave after 90 days and can't return for another 90 days!How do you get around the 90-day rule Schengen?
Well, you can tour around different Schengen member states like France, Spain, or Germany and by the time you hit your 90-day limit, go and hop over to a non-Schengen European country like Croatia, UK, North Macedonia, or Turkey to wait until you hit the 181st day so that you can come back to the Schengen Area again.Where in Europe can I spend more than 90 days?
If you're a tourist, you do not need a visa for short trips to EU countries, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. You can stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.What happens if you stay in the Schengen area longer than 90 days?
Under the Schengen Area rules of stay for third-country citizens, non-EU citizens entering the territory under the visa-free regime can stay for a maximum of 90 days, for every 180 days. Those who overstay this period \u2013 intentionally or unintentionally \u2013 may face penalties, including deportation and entry bans.STAY IN EUROPE FOR MORE THAN 90 DAYS… JUST DO THIS! Schengen area and the 90 day rule for Van Life.
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Answer 2
From my reading of Denmark's immigration rules, you can go to Denmark for an additional 90 days, even if you've already stayed 90-days in the Schengen zone (excluding Denmark or any of the other Nordic countries). This special provision applies only to citizens of certain countries (U.S. included).
For details, see: http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/coming_to_dk/visa/Visa_free_travel.htm
Apparently, Germany and Poland have similar provisions, but I don't have any links to back this up.
(Technically, not an answer to your question as this approach won't "reset" your Schengen visa, but it appears to give you a way of travelling within the Schengen countries for more than 90 days).
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