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Schengen Agreement

553 bytes added, 17:24, 1 January 2012
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'''All other nationals''' are divided into two categories - '''Annex I''' and '''Annex II'''. Annex I includes countries such as China, India, Russia and South Africa; Annex II includes Albania, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Japan, Hong Kong, Israel, Macedonia, New Zealand, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. For a full list, visit click [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_in_the_European_Union here].
'''Annex I''' nationals need a visa to enter the Schengen Area. If they intend to spend up to 90 days in the Schengen Area, they should obtain a visa from an embassy or consulate of the main Schengen country they intend to visit - the visa will be valid for the whole of the Schengen Areaand costs €60 (or €35 for Georgians, Moldvans, Russians and Ukrainians). If they intend to spend more than 90 days, they need to approach one Schengen country to apply for a national residence permit or long-term 'D' visa. The national residence permit or long-term 'D' visa allows the holder to stay in that country for the period of validity and to stay in other Schengen countries for up to 90 days '''''each'''''. For example, the holder of a long-term 'D' visa issued by a Portuguese embassy valid for 1 year can stay in Portugal for 180 days, Switzerland for 90 days and Denmark for 90 days. For more information on intra-Schengen travel on a residence permit/long-term 'D' visa, visit the [http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/coming_to_dk/visa/schengen/residence_permit_schengen.htm Danish Immigration Service] website.
'''Annex II''' nationals need a visa to enter the Schengen Area, unless they qualify for a visa exemption. All Annex II nationals can enter the Schengen Area '''''as a whole''''' visa-exempt for up to 90 days in a 180 day period. New Zealand citizens can stay visa-exempt for up to 90 days in '''''each''''' of [[Austria]], [[Belgium]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Iceland]], [[Italy]], [[Luxembourg]], [[The Netherlands]], [[Norway]], [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], [[Sweden]] and [[Switzerland]] without reference to time spent in other Schengen countries, but if they wish to travel to other Schengen countries, the normal 90 day every 180 days visa exemption period applies. More information on the special visa exemption for New Zealanders is available at the [http://www.delaus.ec.europa.eu/newzealand/eu_guide/faqsvisas.htm EU], [http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/destinations/europetips.shtml NZ Government Safetravel], [http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/destinations/europetips.shtml French Embassy], [http://www.maec.es/subwebs/Embajadas/Wellington/es/MenuPpal/faqs/Paginas/faqs.aspx Spanish Embassy] and [http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps/ocea/vnzl/ref_visinf/visnzl.html Swiss Embassy] websites. If an Annex II national doesn't qualify for a visa exemption, he/she will have to apply for a visa (see the Annex I section above for the procedure).
Therefore, the Schengen Agreement will reveal itself to be a hassle for non-[[European Union|EU]] passport holders who are Annex II nationals (except for New Zealanders), because whilst previously travellers such as Americans, Australians and Canadians could spend up to 3 months visa-free in each European country, now the 3 month visa exemption applies to the Schengen Area (most of Europe) as a whole. Hence, for foreign travellers such as Canadian, US and Australian passport holders, the remaining options will be to cross to the [[United Kingdom]]/[[Ireland]] or go down to [[Romania]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Cyprus]], the [[Balkans]], [[Ukraine]], [[Turkey]] or [[Morocco]] once nearing the end of their 90 days limit within Schengen and staying away for 90 days before re-entering a Schengen country. The UK border is probably the worst of these options in terms of chances of being sent away or denied entry.
Notice Note that sometimes within Schengen borders, especially while going along by train, policemen do come on board and ask to see your documents. Usually it's trouble-free, but they tend to harass Balkans and Turks more often than others. Also note that the Schengen Agreement only concerns immigration checks; therefore, when travelling between a Schengen country that is part of the EU and another Schengen country that isn't (such as between [[France]] and [[Switzerland]]), whilst you won't be stopped for immigration checks, selective customs checks still occur.
Some Schengen countries allow Annex II citizens to work during their stay on their visa-exemption. [[France]], for example, permits Canadians, Israelis, Malaysians, New Zealanders and Taiwanese (as well as some other Annex II nationalities) to work during their 3 month visa exemption period. For the full list of nationalities permitted to work in France during the 3 month visa exemption period, visit the [http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france/coming-to-france/getting-a-visa/article/foreign-nationals-holding-ordinary French Ministry of Foreign Affairs] website.
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