EU Immigration Help

[Mustang Sally]

Want to head to the Med for a couple of years of cruising. Apparently as Canadians we can only be in the EU for max 90 days and then we have to leave for 90 days. Anyone have solid info on this? We know there are foreign charter boats checking in with foreign crew and they are staying for an entire 6 month season.

[goboatingnow]

This has been discussed a few times do a search for "schengen"

[jckb]

Bore yourself silly by reading Going Foreign | JimB Sail and the follow up pages. It's a start!

JimB

[SVAspen]

Or just look at the active thread on this topic next to yours:
Med to Caribbean Crossing Dilema - Schengen Problem?

[goboatingnow]

The short answer is legally yes 90 out of 180 in practice if you avoid airports you can overstay with no consequences. ( or little consequences anyway)

Dave

[jckb]

Originally Posted by Mustang Sally

Want to head to the Med for a couple of years of cruising. Apparently as Canadians we can only be in the EU for max 90 days and then we have to leave for 90 days. Anyone have solid info on this? We know there are foreign charter boats checking in with foreign crew and they are staying for an entire 6 month season.

Differentiate between what a non-VAT paid boat is allowed to do (stay within the EU for up to 18 months, then leave the EU and return after (a provable) stay outside the EU for a day or two, and start another 18 months - for the boat. Basically, no problem for the boat.

And what people are allowed to do. Most friendly nation people (errm, I think that includes Canadians!) can just turn up at a Schengen border (a subset of EU countries plus a couple of extras) and (if their passports are stamped with entry and exit stamps each time they arrive in and depart from the Schengen zone) spend up to 90 days out of any 180 inside Schengen.

Sometimes you'll be lucky, and you'll enter Schengen but won't be booked in - your crew list will be stamped intead. Smile - you're not then using up your Schengen allowance, but you're only allowed to live on the boat and depart on the boat.

So, to cruise Europe, plan to alternate up to 90 days in 180 in Schengen, and up to 90 days in 180 in alternative countries (UK, Channel Islands, Morocco, Tunisia, Croatia, Turkey).

Or, check with your own embassy to see how easy it may be to obtain longer term residence permission in one of the Schengen countries . . . bearing in mind that EU residents (in general, there are exceptions) can't use non-VAT paid boats in the EU

Definitions of EU and Schengen on my site, "Going Foreign" tab.