Visas alternatives for Americans in Europe for longer than 90 days

[veganmav]

According to wikitravel:

citizens of the European Union, United States of America, Canada, Japan and Switzerland can stay up to 90 days with no visa.


In thailand or japan if we also were only allowed 90 days, then we'd have to make a "border run". This entailed just leaving the country to the nearest country for 1 day. In Japan I took a ferry to korea. In thailand you take a train to cambodia.

How does this work in Europe? Since there isn't border control in the european union, you can't just "leave the country" to get a new 90 day extension.

So what do foreigners do who want to stay longer than 90 days? What are the options?

How hard is an official (longer than 90 day) visa to obtain?
And what are the alternatives to stay without visa? (how do you leave the country, or get extensions?)

Cus In Japan, thailand etc, people live there for years and years, and just make their border run every 90 days.

How would I acomplish this in Europe?

[talentdeficit]

most european countries (most of those without border control with other european countries, but not all) issue schengen visas rather than national visas. these give you the right to enter any of the countries without border control. effectively, this means you have to cross a controlled border to renew your visa status. the most practical places to do so are the uk, switzerland and most former eastern bloc countries.

[LionelHutz00]

You're only allowed in Schengen countries for 90 out of every 180 days. So you can't do a border run (spend 90 days in Schengen countries, go to the UK for a day and come back to the Schengen countries for another 90). There was a thread a while ago where someone was saying that some Schengen countries have visas for people who are self-employed.

[veganmav]

[ QUOTE ]
You're only allowed in Schengen countries for 90 out of every 180 days. So you can't do a border run (spend 90 days in Schengen countries, go to the UK for a day and come back to the Schengen countries for another 90). There was a thread a while ago where someone was saying that some Schengen countries have visas for people who are self-employed.

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link?

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You're only allowed in Schengen countries for 90 out of every 180 days. So you can't do a border run (spend 90 days in Schengen countries, go to the UK for a day and come back to the Schengen countries for another 90). There was a thread a while ago where someone was saying that some Schengen countries have visas for people who are self-employed.

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link?

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Look in the "Ask me about living in Buenos Aires" thread in the El Diablo forum, TheMetetron and I discuss it

[Tappy Tibbons]

While living in Hungary, I did a boarder run and had no problems. If you're in an EU country, you'll need to travel to a non-EU country and back. I knew a guy who had been doing this for 8 years.

Boarder controls are more lax in the former Communist countries - I saw a woman enter Slovakia by giving the border guard a pack of cigarettes.

[SergiyK]

Some countries in eastern Europe have visa-free entry for US citizens while they are not a part of EU or schengen. Ukraine is one example.

So unless this 90/180 rule exists you can do "border run" to one of such countries from EU and then back to EU.

[veganmav]

According to many websites that I see, I can only stay for 90 out of 180 days.

And I can't find a way around this.

This stops me from ebing able to do a border run.

[BigPoppa]

I've been told that the Spanish don't actually care how long Americans stay, if you were going there.

You'd be illegal, but nothing would happen to you.

However, this might limit you being able to fly elsewhere in the EU, as you're far more likely to have your passport checked on an airplane than a train.

[ChromePony]

I lived in Prague for 5-6 months without a visa and never had a problem, I traveled a lot though so it really ended up being a lot of border runs. They had just joined the EU at the time, not sure if things have changed significantly in the last year or two.