Most folks travel just a few weeks at a time, as we did in the past. In 2019 we wanted to spend an entire year in Europe. But then, as we planned, we ran into a wall, the Schengen wall. If you plan to stay in Europe longer than three months, you need to know about the Schengen Area. And, like us, you may need to learn the “Schengen Shuffle.”
Most, but not all, European countries are in the Schengen Area, not to be confused with the EU or European Union. Schengen countries have a pact allowing for easier trade and movement across their borders. Many countries (like France, Spain, Italy and Germany) are both EU and Schengen. A few (Ireland, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria) now belong to the European Union but are not yet part of the Schengen treaty. Others (Iceland, Norway & Switzerland) are not EU but are Schengen. Then there’s the United Kingdom: it used to be EU but non-Schengen: Now, thanks to “BREXIT” the UK is neither EU nor Schengen.
Learning the Schengen Shuffle:
The Schengen Treaty is great for those who live in the Schengen zone, but it really complicates planning for non-resident, long term travelers like us. We cannot just go and stay as long as we want. With a “Schengen Visa” or an American passport, we are allowed only 90 days out of any 180 day period. We had to learn the “Schengen Shuffle”: how to plan our 90 days in the Schengen area and another 90 days in non-Schengen countries. Once the first 180 days expire, we can start a new Schengen clock. <– That’s WRONG: See correction below. To master the Schengen Shuffle,” you need to know which countries are and are not Schengen. And the map changes as some countries join the Schengen pact. So, if you try the “Schengen Shuffle” yourself, make sure you have the most current information. We think the map here is current, other than its mistaken identification of the United Kingdom as EU.
Nevertheless, we’re thankful that the Schengen Shuffle led us into Eastern Europe where we explored and really enjoyed Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Bulgaria. We learned so much about the countries that formerly made up Yugoslavia, about communism under Tito, and the wars in the 1990’s.
How to plan your Schengen stay: Although our logical approach makes sense, we learned this year that the Schengen treaty does NOT calculate your days as we, and many others, had thought. You cannot establish a specific 180 day period, which would allow you to end one Schengen clock and then begin another.
The Schengen approach involves a rolling calendar that only looks backward 180 days to see if you have exceeded 90 days in Schengen.
If you’re like most travelers going for fewer than 90 days, you needn’t worry. But if you wish to spend much longer in Europe, as we did, that’s when you need to learn The Schengen Shuffle by hopping in and out of the zone so that you never overstay that limited Schengen welcome.
To learn more about the Schengen area, check out this site: https://www.worldtrips.com/schengen-visa
The Schengen website provides a Schengen Calculator that can help you plan and apply the rolling calendar to assure that you are in compliance: Schengen Calculator.
