The Schengen Zone: What You Need to Know

We all want to travel and potentially, even wander a bit outside our comfort zone by backpacking solo or even for long periods of time. But, you can’t actually do that in Europe, and this is the worst thing for backpackers. One of my most popular posts, is Schengen Treaty and Overstaying Visas, which I wrote in 2009; is still very much valid today.  For all of us ‘visa free babies’, or better known as the citizens of America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – we don’t need to apply for visas to travel to Europe. Our passports are free to travel anywhere in Europe (minus maybe Belarus), for up to 90 days. Did you hear that? 90 days. Not per country, 90 days in total.

Technically, the normal amount of time a country gives a person for touristic purposes is 90 days (3 months), and then they must leave. This is great for long term travel, because you can just hop over to the next country, or even do a visa run. But in Europe it doesn’t work this way.

Understanding the Schengen Zone

Imagine the Schengen Zone like the 50 states in the U.S. The states are all in one country, so you can travel freely among them for 90 days as a tourist. While the countries in Europe are not one country, they have the same freedom of movement law, which is called the Schengen Treaty (referred to as the Zone where the treaty applies).

The rules of the Schengen Zone:

• You must apply for a “Schengen Visa,” if you are not specific countries (not including EU citizens, Americans, Australians, New Zealand or Canadians).
• You may stay 90 days on a tourist visa in an 180 period. This means that out of 180 days, you can only be there 90 nonconsecutive days.
• You DO NOT get 90 days in each of those countries.
• Those countries are borderless, and once you enter any one of those countries, you have 90 days in all the combined countries.
• Therefore, if you spend 1 month in Italy, 3 weeks in Spain, 1 month in Germany, and 2 weeks in Greece...you have suddenly overstayed your tourist visa and are able to become fined 300-1200 euro and a five year ban from Schengen.
  

What happens if you overstay your tourist visa

It could go either way. You could either breeze by boarder control, without them thinking twice, or they could stop you and give you a fine and a ban from EU. But there are many different scenarios that could play out.

Scenario 1: You have overstayed your visa but are still traveling around Europe by train or plane, and then you cross into a country that is not part of the Schengen Zone (UK, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Bosnia, Macedonia, Belarus). Uh oh, you are bound for a border check when you decide to enter back into Schengen Zone. This is where you could be caught, pay a fine, banned from Schengen countries, or deported.

Scenario 2: You have overstayed your visa, but are leaving Europe to go home. This is a bit more lenient obviously because you are leaving. You might get a slap on the wrist if caught.

Scenario 3: You have overstayed your visa and are working illegally in Schengen. You will have other consequences if you are caught actually working (since you are on a tourist visa and not a work visa, which means you’re not paying taxes). If you are working illegally, you are probably being exploited and being under payed by the employer. Your first concern should be is that you have no worker rights.

Due to surprise labor inspections, it is easier to get caught when you are illegally working than if you are illegally traveling for tourism.

Have you been caught traveling in the Schengen Zone? We want to hear from you! Please comment below.

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