Reminder of the Effect of the Schengen Regulations

Created by val. Last modified on 2007-11-01 18:38:36
Topic: European Union
Countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden

An important point to remember if contemplating an extended cruise in either northern European waters or the Mediterranean, is the nationality of your crew. If they are citizens of any European Economic Area country then there is no problem. Nor is there if they are citizens of Iceland, Norway, USA, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, Brazil, Japan, Chile, Croatia, Bulgaria or Romania. (see http://www.mediavisa.net/schengen-visa-exemption.html for a complete list). But for others it is not so simple.

The Schengen Visa issued to nationals of other countries is only valid for 90 days. This means a total of only 90 days can be spent in the Schengen Agreement countries in any 6 months, even if it is a multi-entry visa and time is spent in countries outside the Agreement.

In northern waters, the following countries are part of the Agreement :- France, Belgium, Netherlands , Germany,Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

In the Mediterranean, the following counties are included:- France, Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal.

This restriction may only affect a small number of cruising boats, but since extensions to this visa are almost impossible to obtain and fines are imposed for over-staying, it is something of which to be aware.