Schengen caution on the North Atlantic circuit

[s/v Beth]

So every 90 days I need to take a trip to the Balkans, UK or Russia... OK got it.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

So every 90 days I need to take a trip to the Balkans, UK or Russia... OK got it.

Unfortunately not only do you have to take the trip every 90 days, you have to stay there for 90 days to reset your Schengen clock. Rule is cumulative 90 days out of 180 days.

Going in and out a lot you would have some sort of rolling total that could get complicated.

[goboatingnow]

just some clarifications

The Schengen agreement is an EU agreement, it was "adopted" by the EU. But simply because its an EU agreement doesn't mean all EU countries adopted it. ( This is true for many EU agreements. various deals, horse trading etc, mean degrogations from all sorts of EU agreements get handed out like confetti.

The second thing to bear in mind , off all the countries to clear into , Portugal is by far the worst bureaucracy in the EU in my experience, followed by the Greeks. Its full of petty officials that in fact often know little about the facts. I was asked recently about a boat requiring a TIR ( which has no meaning for a private vessel) because he had been required to produce it in Portugal.

Ive run foul of them several times and Im very selective where I dock in Portugal.

BTW, its worth pointing out that paying of VAT in the azores is not necessarily the correct or legal thing to do for anyone importing a yacht into the EU, funnily the officials there will happily take your money and not inform you as to the fine print around VAT and "new means of transport".

I know of several incidents where obscure rules, mis-informed officials etc have caused lots of grief and unnecessary worry. Unfortunately challenging these nincompoops isn't easy.


dave

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by K_V_B

This is odd, because st. Pierre et Miquelon are not in the Schengen area. They aren't even in the European union. So entry in to st. Pierre et Miquelon does not start your Schengen clock.
The officials in Horta need to read the rules more carefully.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint Pierre and Miquelon (French: Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, French pronunciation: ​[sɛ̃.pjɛʁ.e.mi.klɔ̃]) is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France, situated in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean near Canada.[3] It is the only remnant of the former colonial empire of New France that remains under French control,[3] with a population of 6,080 at the January 2011 census.[1]

The islands are situated at the entrance of Fortune Bay, which extends into the southern coast of Newfoundland, near the Grand Banks.[4] They are 3,819 kilometres (2,373 mi) from Brest, the nearest point in Metropolitan France,[5] but just 25 kilometres (16 mi) off the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada.[6]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admin...ions_of_France

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (designated as a "territorial collectivity", French: collectivité territoriale, the same designation as Corsica which is a region and not an overseas collectivity) is divided into 2 communes with no arrondissements or cantons.

I have no idea if being a "self-governing territorial overseas collectivity" means they are in Schengen or not. Is Corsica part of Schengen? The French administrative organization is impenetrable!

I do know that the good people there consider themselves French and have very close ties with the homeland. It's a really neat place to visit.

[Sailormantx]

After reading through all the links here, , it appears that France has two different names for their overseas holdings and that the Schengen agreement does not apply to any of them. So if you are sailing in St Peirre et Miquelon, French Guyana or their Caribbean islands, there are no Schengen visas problems to sort out. In my case, the customs officer in Horta just got it wrong; fortunately I stopped in Terciera and got the correct stamp in my passport while still in the Azores.
I found this with Google's help:
European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - More flexible visa rules to boost growth and job creation
There is hope yet for for a reasonable tourist visas program , but this is just a proposal so far.

[Kalinka1]

Originally Posted by K_V_B

This is odd, because st. Pierre et Miquelon are not in the Schengen area. They aren't even in the European union. So entry in to st. Pierre et Miquelon does not start your Schengen clock.
The officials in Horta need to read the rules more carefully.

St. Pierre Miqualon are a Province of France so are in fact French Ie part of the EU. so wise to sail to Grand Bank NF and clear in and out of Canada

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Kalinka1

St. Pierre Miqualon are a Province of France so are in fact French Ie part of the EU. so wise to sail to Grand Bank NF and clear in and out of Canada

France categorizes St Pierre et Miqualon as part of the French Overseas Territories. As such they are not part of the EU or Schengen and in fact require a separate visa to visit if you are from a country that requires a visa to visit France.

Link to the web site of the Consulate of France.

Short stay visa for French overseas territories - Consulat Général de France à Chicago

[melleman]

Some info regarding this topic.

Schengen Visas: Some Welcome Changes to the Short-Stay Rules — Noonsite

[melleman]

And some more.
This is from 2013 may....

Heading to the Mediterranean this Summer? — Noonsite