Want to stay in Europe longer than 90 days? Here’s how

Traveller reader Kay Lethbridge, of Summer Hill in NSW, has a problem. “My husband and I are thinking of retirement in 2026 and want to spend a year in Europe. The more I read of visa requirements, the less confident I feel that this is possible. Our original plan was a year in Denmark. Visa requirements limit stays to 90 days in any 180 days. So then I thought maybe we could do four lots of three months.

“But I am now reading about the Schengen area, and it seems that you can stay only 90 days in 180 days in the Schengen area, which covers those countries that appeal to us. Is that right? What happened to ‘A Year in Provence’?”

A 90-day detour to the Albanian Riviera (a non-Schengen area country) could prolong your Euro trip.Credit: iStock

The Schengen area rules create a problem for many Aussies who want to spend several months travelling around Europe. Most of continental Europe falls under the Schengen area, and under its rules, Australian passport holders can remain within its boundaries only for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. After those 90 days are up, they must leave the area and not return for another 90 days.

One way around this problem is to spend those 90 days in another European country outside the Schengen area. Britain, Ireland, Serbia, Turkey and Albania are some of the possibilities – but there’s another option.

Is it possible to stay in Schengen area countries continuously for longer than 90 days?
Starting in the 1950s, Australia signed visa waiver agreements with several European countries, allowing Australian citizens to stay in their country for up to 90 days. Despite the subsequent restrictions of the Schengen Agreement, many of those agreements are still in force. That means Aussies could potentially spend up to 90 days in a Schengen area country, then spend the next 90 days in another European country covered by the visa waiver agreements.

Which Schengen countries signed visa waiver agreements with Australia?
Since the 1950s, the list has included Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Some of those countries have since walked back on those agreements, but many are still in place.

How can I use these agreements to extend my stay in Europe?
A letter from a representative of Germany’s consulate-general in Sydney provides clarification.

“The German-Australian Agreement on the Exemption of Visa Requirements, dated 22.12.1952, allows Australian citizens to travel to Germany and to stay in Germany for up to 90 days without having to apply for a visa, as long as their passport is valid for the entire duration of the stay and as long as they do not engage in any kind of employment in Germany. You can spend your first 90 days anywhere in the Schengen States and enter and leave the different states as often as you like. On day 90, at the latest, you have to leave the Schengen States (you could go to the UK).

The German-Australian Agreement allows Australians to stay in Germany for up to 90 days without having to apply for a visa.Credit: Getty Images

“You have to make sure that you have the stamps from the border police in your passport to be able to prove that you have left the Schengen Area. Afterwards, you are allowed to go to Germany once for 90 days.”

An information officer representing the government of the Netherlands provided this information: “The agreement currently allows Australian citizens to apply to the Dutch immigration service (IND) for an extension of their 90-day visa-free period in the Schengen area if they have already spent 90 days or less in another Schengen country or part of 90 days in another Schengen country and part in the Netherlands.

“If the extension is approved by the IND, they can then spend max 90 days in the Netherlands besides the days they have spent in the other Schengen country. So in total, Australian citizens can spend 180 days in the Schengen area: 90 days in one Schengen country and 90 days in the Netherlands. The extension of the IND has to be applied for before their first 90 days in the Schengen area are up. With the application, travellers have to prove that they have already spent (part of) their visa-free period of 90 days in another Schengen country (for example with hotel reservations, transport tickets, receipts).”

And according to a Danish government website: “Citizens of certain countries are entitled to stay in Denmark for 90 days or three months, regardless of stays in other Schengen countries.” Australia is one such country.

Norway’s aurora borealis … Nordic countries regard themselves as a single bloc for the purposes of the visa waiver agreement.Credit: iStock

Which countries still have visa waiver agreements allowing Australian travellers to extend their stay?
In addition to the three countries mentioned above, it is likely that the visa waiver agreement still applies for Australian citizens in Austria, Finland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden. Note that the Nordic countries regard themselves as a single bloc for the purposes of the visa waiver agreement. If you spend 30 days in Sweden under the visa waiver, you could spend only a combined maximum of 60 days in Finland, Norway, Iceland and Denmark.

Can I leave a visa waiver country before my 90 days is up and return later on?
Provided the total number of days you stay in that country does not exceed the 90-day limit, you can leave and re-enter.

Could I spend 90 days in the Schengen area countries, spend the next 90 days in a European country under the visa waiver agreement and then re-enter the Schengen area for another 90 days?
No. For example, if you were to spend 90 days in the Schengen area, then the next 90-day period in The Netherlands under the visa waiver agreement, other Schengen area countries would rightfully say that you have not satisfied the rule requiring you to leave the area after 90 days and to remain outside for the next 90 days. However, it might be possible to stay for 90 days in the Schengen area, followed by 90 days in Germany and 90 days in Denmark under their visa waiver agreements.

It sounds complicated. How can I prove where I’ve been, and how long I’ve stayed there?
Keeping records of your travels is going to be crucial if you want to utilise the visa waiver agreements. According to a representative of the Danish government: “You have to work out your order of travelling to make the most of it, and it’s quite complicated. Since you might not have stamps in your passport as proof of your travels, you need to keep a detailed record. Airline tickets, train and hotel receipts can be used to show when and where you’ve travelled between countries, and that can provide evidence of your movements to prove you’ve not overstayed the time you’re allowed.”