ULTIMATE GUIDE: HOW TO LEGALLY STAY LONGER IN EUROPE

(SCHENGEN COUNTRIES)
How can I stay in Europe or the Schengen Areas countries for a longer period of
time?
cities in colombia

This is one of the most common questions that I get from readers, especially
because I have been able to stay in the Schengen Area for more than the
usual 90-day limit despite being an unmarried non-EU (non-European Union)
national with a third world country passport.
I understand that a lot of people would want to have the right to stay for more
than 90 days, since going on a complete Eurotrip cant really be done in such a
short span of time. So with this post, I will be giving you different ideas and
options on how you can legally extend your European vacation! But first, let me
give you a bit of background information.

The Schengen Area & The 90-Day Limit

things to do in madrid

The Schengen Area is a group of 26 countries that comprises most of Europe. As

part of a unified agreement, all of them have agreed to abolish passports and
internal border controls. This means that all the Schengen countries act as if they
are only one country every citizen of each member state is free to go
anywhere they want, while outsiders who want to enter Schengen would
experience border control once at the first country that they entered, but after
that, entering other member countries would no longer require
further immigration control.
The Schengen Visa serves as the basic short-term visa that you will need to be able to stay
in all of the 26 countries. However, non-Schengen citizens are allowed to enter the
area without this (their passport will only get stamped upon arrival and departure) as long as
they are residents of:

1. Albania[*]

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Andorra
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina[*]
Brazil
Brunei Darussalam

12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.

Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cyprus
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Hong Kong SAR
Israel
Japan

24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.

Macao SAR
Macedonia[*]
Malaysia
Mauritius
Mexico
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro[*]
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay

36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.

Romania
Saint Kitts and Nevis
San Marino
Serbia[*]
Seychelles
Singapore

42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.

South Korea
Taiwan[2]
USA[2]
Uruguay
Vatican
Venezuela
If you are NOT a resident of one of the countries above (which mostly comprises
citizens of Africa and Asia) you would then need to apply at an embassy to obtain a
tourist/short-term Schengen Visa.
If youre from the Philippines, go here to read my visa guide for obtaining a
Schengen Visa from the Embassy of Belgium; although, if youre entering a different
Schengen country or staying somewhere else the longest, do consult the
corresponding embassy to find out their requirements. Most of the time, the
prerequisites are the same as that in my article for Belgium, but of course its always
important that you recheck so you dont miss out on any documents needed.

Once you are allowed to enter the Schengen Area with just your passport or with a
short-term visa you are ONLY permitted to stay for 3 months (90 days) per 6
month period (180 days). The 90 day span doesnt need to be consecutive, its treated
as cumulative; but the fact remains that after you have stayed in Schengen for a total of
90 days, you have to leave. You are NOT allowed to come back again until the 181st day
from the first time you stepped in.
If you dont leave by the time you hit 90 days, you are subject to a fine or deportation; worst
case scenario, you will be banned from the Schengen Area for a period of time (1-3 years) or
indefinitely.
Its sometimes considered as okay if you stay for a couple more days and even up to a
week, but I advise that you dont try and push it especially if youre on a visa. And if you stay
longer than a week, you should know that youre going to be in big trouble.
Nevertheless, its said by most travelers (who are free to enter Schengen with just a
passport) that southern countries like Greece, France, Spain and Italy are not so strict on
checks. While the western countries like Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, and EFTA states

(Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) are very firm with entry and exits (primarily at
the airports or train stations, more so if youre going to an isolated island).
Still and the same, as Ive mentioned, you shouldnt push it. Follow the rules and if you
really want to stay longer than the 90-day limit, below are the different ways that you can
stay longer, legally!

WAYS TO LEGALLY STAY LONGER

Each section below would have options or solutions that are generally unknown. For quicker
reading, you can click to the items below to navigate to the section that you want to see best:
STUDY FOR FREE | WORK | REUNION/UNION | QUICK CITIZENSHIP | LONG-TERM
TOURIST | IN-&-OUT HOP | VISA EXTENSIONS

#1 STUDY

Student visas in all Schengen countries are not hard to obtain for as long as you are
accepted, enrolled, or invited by a university or school. (Which you should apply for before
entering a Schengen country). Naturally, you would have to pay for these courses but you
can always work part-time while studying, since most student visa holders are allowed to do
so. Otherwise, you could try to get a scholarship, apply to an exchange program (if youre
still studying) or simply enroll to the FREE universities.
Yes, you read that right free!

There are actually several countries in Europe that chose to eradicate tuition fees for both
local and international would-be students and they are listed below (along with other
countries who have the cheapest tuition):
1. FINLAND
Lowest yearly tuition fee possible: FREE
Regardless of nationality, tuition fees in Finland are absolutely free in whatever level!
(Plans of putting tuition fees on non-EU students for 2016 have been totally
abandoned). But as per any student application abroad, you would need to prove
that you can handle your living expenses.
Proof of means of support per month: At least $630+ (Php 27,800+)
For more information: See Studying in Finland
.
2. NORWAY
Lowest yearly tuition fee possible: FREE
No matter your nationality, local or international, state universities and university
colleges in Norway do not charge tuition fees, and much like Finland, it applies to all
levels: undergraduate, masters and Ph.D. (Some specialized courses might still have
fees though small, so always recheck with the university. Private institutions on the
other hand, would still have fees.)
Proof of means of support per month: At least $1,000+ (Php 44,200+)
For more information: See Studying in Norway
.
3. AUSTRIA
Lowest yearly tuition fee possible: FREE or $412 (Php 18,200+)
If youre from a 3rd world country, some universities in Austria will exempt you from
paying any tuition, whereas any other non-EU resident will most likely just pay
around $412 (at the lowest possible).
Proof of means of support per month: At least $900+ (Php 40,000+)
For more information: See Studying in Austria
.
4. GERMANY
Lowest yearly tuition fee possible: FREE or $1,000 (Php 44,200+)
As of 2014, all public German universities offer higher education free-of-charge not
only to local but international students! However, its important to note that this is true
for the undergraduate level only, and that there might still be some administration
fees (but the cost would start at about $57 or Php 2,500+). Just make sure to check
that the course youre applying for is in English; however, if youre fluent in German
then thats better.
Proof of means of support per month: At least $770 (Php 34,000+)
For more information: See Cost of Studying in Germany, List of Free German

Universities and Studying in Germany

.
5. HUNGARY
Lowest yearly tuition fee possible: $1,000+ (Php 44,200+)
The good thing about Hungary is that unlike the Scandinavian countries, it is one of
the European countries that has a more affordable cost of living, thus, proving your
solvency would be easier than the others.
Proof of means of support per month: At least $566+ (Php 25,000+)
For more information: See Studying in Hungary
.
6. FRANCE
Lowest yearly tuition fee possible: $1,000+ (Php 44,200+)
Youre lucky if you can find a cheap university in Paris, because the cheapest ones
are actually found outside of it (Lyon is one example). I have actually been told that
there are public universities that can only cost $300 a year but since I wasnt
provided with the exact university names, I leave it up to you to do the research.
Proof of means of support per month: At least $500+ (Php 22,000+)
For more information: See Studying in France
.
7. BELGIUM
Lowest yearly tuition fee possible: $1,100+ (Php 50,000+)
I have tried this option before through the University of Antwerp for one of their 1year Master Programs and the process of obtaining a student visa was fairly easy
given how I was backed up by the university. The tuition was worth $2,000+ (Php
88,500+) which is almost double the lowest yearly tuition possible; so if you want to
get the cheapest, try the University of Leuven, Hasselt University or University of
Ghent (I didnt manage to apply for these three since I was late for their deadlines,
thats why I resorted to saving up for the $2K through my online work to pursue the
University of Antwerp).
Proof of means of support per month: At least $730 (Php 32,300+)
For more information: See Studying in Belgium
READ: Money Saving Tips to Come Up With a Travel Fund
8. ITALY
Lowest yearly tuition fee possible: $1,500+ (Php 66,400+)
Italy is known for providing studies on fashion, history, and liberal arts at an
affordable cost for international students. Living expenses should be easy to handle
once you know the economical places to eat and stay in.
Proof of means of support per month: At least $390 (Php 17,200+)
For more information: See Studying in Italy
.

Should undergraduate or master programs remain to be too costly for you, if not the shorter
courses (1-year and below), consider the language programs since these studies are often
cheaper! (Italy is one example of this, as well as Spain).
TIP: For means of support, its always best to add more to the minimum requirement. It also
helps to add a sponsor (even if its just on paper) even if you already can support yourself
this is what Ive done when I applied for a university in Belgium; its always best to
overdeliver.
Moreover, if youre from the Philippines or Asia like me, before you can study overseas for a
business or graduate school, check if you need to have a GMAT or GRE certification since
most of our universities are not recognized abroad. (GRE is said to be the easiest, which I
have done. Others reviewed for months on this, but I only reviewed for a day since I was in a
rush; and yet I was fine! But surely, I dont advise that you do the same).Also, if your studies
were not conducted in English, a majority of the European schools would need
a TOEFL or IELTS from you.

#2 WORK

There are different ways to do work, some are conventional but some are unique. Check
out the list below to see what best fits you:
1. NORMAL WORK
This is where you go through the usual process of finding a company (in the form of
a transfer, internship, part-time, or full-time work) and then applying for a work visa.
For more information: See EuroJobs or Europa
.
2. TEACH ENGLISH
This is not the same as those jobs on the road where you hold private English
classes to people who dont have it as a first language. Why? Because doing so is a

risk. A short-term tourist Schengen Visa is NOT a work permit. Working can still be
done in secret though (with Spain & Italy as the most tolerant) but if you somehow
attract the attention of authorities, it can get nasty. So if you really want to teach
legally, secure a work visa or working holiday visa first (that will make you stay longer
too) by searching for opportunities in recognized schools or institutions. (Teaching
English while under a student visa is possible as well). Countries that are typically
open to English-teaching jobs are Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Germany,
Spain, and Italy. For these jobs, a TEFL certificate is a usual requirement.
For more information: See TEFL, ESLCafe or check out this comprehensive
guide: Teach English Abroad
.
3. LANGUAGE ASSISTANT PROGRAM
Often run by governments, it gives non-EU citizens a chance to stay in the Schengen
Area longer in exchange for offering aid in teaching the English language (they even
pay you for the services youre doing). There are only few European countries that
offer this kind of program and below are their basic requirements:
o France: must come from one of their 60 partner countries, age 20-30, have
basic level of French, completed at least 2 years of university
(http://www.ciep.fr/en/assistantetr/)
o Italy: must be a resident of the USA, have Italian proficiency, a university
graduate or undergraduate, 3.25 GPA (http://siteprogram.pacioli.net/)
o Spain: must be a resident of USA/Canada/New
Zealand/Australia/China/EU, have basic level of Spanish, a university
graduate or in last year of university (https://www.mecd.gob.es/)
o Switzerland: must be a resident of USA/Canada/Great
Britain/Ireland/Austria/France/Italy/or Spain, age 21-30, have sound language
knowledge of the region (can be German/French/Italian), a university student
or graduate (http://www.ch-go.ch/)
o For openings in other countries, check by: www.europelanguagejobs.com
.
4. AU PAIR JOB
Usually done for at least 6 months or more, working as an au pair is like being a
domestic assistant as you live with a host family that provides free accommodation
and food. Other than providing childcare, you are also typically asked to do light
housework as you receive a salary for it.
For more information: See IAPA, Great Au Pair, or Europa Au Pair
.
5. WORKING HOLIDAY
If you are 25 to 31 and a citizen of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, you are
eligible to get a working holiday visa, granting you to stay, work, or find work in the
Schengen Area for one to two years .
For more information: See Work Holiday Visas
.

6. SELF-EMPLOYMENT
If youre a freelancer, Germanys self-employment visa is your solution. This is not
the kind of visa that makes you move your company to Germany, but a visa for
being an artist, writer, digital nomad, accountant, etc. Application for this type of visa
can be done while youre in Germany and it can be approved in a week provided
that you have fulfilled the necessary requirements. If however, your tourist visa is
close to expiring upon application, they will give you a temporary 3-month visa as
they process your request (some people take this course of action since even if they
dont get approved, they have already managed to extend their stay).
For more information: See Berlin.de or this Get a Residence in Germany as an
American
UPDATE: Some other EU countries seemingly also provide self-employment visas
like Italy, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, and Netherlands. However, I cant find
official links available to direct you to; so its up to you to look more into it. But
basically, if you have a specific member state in mind that you really want to go to,
simply ask the embassy if they can accommodate self-employment visa applications
like this.
.
7. VOLUNTEER
Much like the English-teaching jobs, there are volunteer jobs as well that are underthe-table apart from being risky, those wont enable you to stay longer in Europe.
Examples are fruit-picking jobs, hostel work, etc. (this is why most of the time their
websites advise that you dont mention to immigration officers that you are going to
work in a farm, for example). Therefore, to be able to remain or to be able to become
a volunteer for a longer period of time, you would have to either get a work
visa/permit, or sign up for accredited volunteer programs that could whip out a work
visa for you. Unfortunately, these often come with a fee; but some can be very
affordable.
For more information: See Europa or European Voluntary Service
.
8. CULTURAL HOMESTAY
This is not like the informal homestay set-ups that I have discussed in this article:
[click]. This is rather a more formal arrangement between a non-profit
organization and a foreign country wherein they partner with wannabe travelers like
you and send you to a host family elsewhere. For instance, the organization Cultural
Homestay International has a World Explorers program wherein in exchange for
your 3-months worth of accommodation abroad, all you have to do is to share your
native language with your hosts for 15 hours per week. (These casual English
conversation lessons usually run 5 days a week, 3 hours a day). If you want to travel
for a year, its possible for them to combine multiple programs in different
destinations to make it all sum up to 12 months!
For more information: See Cultural Homestay Internationa (CHI) World Explorers

Program
.

#3 REUNION OR UNION

The items below are common solutions and have no special tricks or tips but they remain to
be conventional ways of obtaining a longer visa in the Schengen Area:
1. FAMILY REUNION
Applicable if you have close kinship ties to a Schengen citizen or permanent resident.
.
2. MARRIAGE / FIANC
Self-explanatory. If you have fallen in love with a European in the Schengen area
then this is the way to go!
.
3. COHABITATION
If youre not the marrying type, you can choose to go for a live-in visa with your
boyfriend/girlfriend who is a resident/citizen of one of the Schengen
countries. Customarily, applications like this become successful if you can prove that
youre in a relationship for at least 2 years or have lived in together for at least 1 year.
.
4. HOME STAYS
There are some European families that are willing to take a foreigner in as a part of
their household for a long period of time. This can usually be a part of a students
schooling experience or as a part of an organization for cultural or language
immersion (like #8 of the previous section) who would often need a fee from you.

#4 CITIZENSHIP

This (citizenship) is more of an option for those who are really focused on staying in the
Schengen Area indefinitely. Obtaining this can be done through different ways:
1. MARRIAGE
With a European in the Schengen Area. On average, it takes 3 years; some can only
take a year.
.
2. PURCHASE / INVESTMENTS
For the insanely rich people, they can obtain an EU citizenship through investments
or purchase of property (or even purchase of citizenship). Examples of these
countries are Austria, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, and Slovakia (price to pay can start
at $320,000+ to millions!). There are also Schengen member states like Netherlands
and France that can offer residency permits for a limited period of time, in exchange
for payments or investments at a minimum of $300,000+.
.
3. ANCESTRY / NATURALIZATION
I call this the Waiting Game. If you are able to obtain a long-term visa that will
enable you to stay in a Schengen member state for 5 to 10 years, then your
citizenship is ostensibly secured. On the other hand, if you can inspect your family
tree and discover that you have ancestors who are citizens or have become
residents in EU countries in the past, your years of waiting can be shortened!
Examples of these are:
o Ireland: This is NOT a Schengen member state, but since Irish citizens are
allowed to enter Europe without limits, acquiring citizenship through Ireland
would be a good step and you can achieve this if you have an Irish parent or
grandparent. Your citizenship immediately becomes effective upon
registration.

Germany: The country freely provides citizenship to children and

grandchildren of former Germans who were deprived of their citizenship
status between January 30, 1933 and May 8, 1945 on racial, political, or
ethnic grounds.
Italy: Once proven that you have Italian ancestors, you can become a citizen
by naturalization if you find a way to remain in the country for at least 3 years
(it seems long, but better than the norm of 10 years).
Spain: Like Italy, 10 years is also the usual length required to become a
Spanish citizen; but, it can be shortened to 2 years if your country is a former
colony of Spain: these are Latin American countries, Sephardic origins,
Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, and the Philippines. (But take note
that you must be a natural-born citizen in these countries and aside from the
2-year required stay for naturalization, the processing of your application can
possibly take 2 more years)
Source: Spanish Naturalization

*As with most cases of naturalization, countries would commonly require that you
have basic knowledge of their language, history, and geography before fully
processing your citizenship. Also, you must stay there legally; for example, staying
for 2 years in Spain without legal papers does not qualify you for the naturalization.

#5 LONG-TERM TOURIST VISA

A big part of the Schengen Areas member states do NOT allow long-term tourist
visas, except for a few which could grant you a Type D visa (maximum 1 year) with the
condition that you will NOT work. These countries are:

1. FRANCE
As long as you have a solid reason and that you have enough money for the duration
of your stay (said to be at minimum $3,000 per month or Php 132,000), you can be
granted a long-term visitor visa that can last to only a year (but can be subject to a
renewal depending on your reason for wanting to stay longer, your financial means to
prove that youre not going to need to work, etc.) Take note that this type of visa
would allow you to take residency in France ONLY starting from the 4th month of
your stay (you can still tour the rest of Schengen from the 1st to 3rd months).
Anyhow, in a sense, you can still travel around after the 4th month because there are
no border checks on land; butagain, thats a huge risk and its illegal. If you get
caught, well you know what could happen and its not gonna be good.
For more information: See France Consulate or ask your local French embassy for
more details
.
2. SWEDEN
If you have special grounds or reasons, Sweden is willing to give out a long-stay
tourist visa but be warned that the process can take up to 8 months. Its said that
most of the people who are successful with this are those who have family or
relatives in Sweden though, but its still worth a try if youre willing to go through the
processing time.
For more information: See Swedish Migration or consult your local Swedish
embassy for more details
I have found articles that mention Italy, Spain and Portugal as additional countries that can
provide long-stay tourist visas; however, I cannot find information in any embassy website.
Nonetheless, you can always try your chances and ask your local embassy for more
information.

#6 IN-AND-OUT HOP

I have already listed out the 26 member states of the Schengen Area at the top of this article
keep these in mind very well, and once you do, plan a EuroTrip that will make make
you hop in and out of Schengen while managing to technically still remain within the
European territory.
What do I mean by this? You can tour around different Schengen member states like France,
Spain, or Germany and by the time you hit your 90-day limit, go and hop over to a nonSchengen European country like Croatia, UK, Macedonia, or Turkey to wait until you hit the
181st day so that you can come back to the Schengen Area again.
Just find the right mix for this, save up, plan it well, and you can definitely manage to stay for
a very long time in Europe.
READ: Money Saving Tips to Come Up With a Travel Fund and Change in the Calculation
of Short Stay in the Schengen Area
NOTE: Take note that this set-up works best for those who hold passports that have
the privilege of entering the European zone visa-free. Unfortunately, this could be a bit tricky
for those who would typically need a visa to enter any European country since most visa
applications have to be done in your home country and to the best of my knowledge, its
customarily not allowed to apply for 2 or more similar short-term visas in one appointment.
(Correct me if Im wrong). What you can do though is to get a Schengen Tourist Visa for 90
days (3 months) and then get another 180 days (6 months) tourist visa for UK, and some
other European countries and that would technically enable you to stay in the European area

for a loooong time. (Best to get multiple entry visas too so that, for example, you can go in
and out of UK to France as many times as you want).
TIP: Lets say your visa is soon ending and you want to apply for another visa for a different
country without going back to your home country (like heck, just think of the flight costs!). In
most cases, this is NOT allowed unless you can properly justify why youre unable to do it in
your home country. I know of some travelers who have used the reason of Im traveling long
term, thats why and have ended up as successful in their appeal. However, its still
important for you to know that its customarily a tough case and that it might even involve a
lot of pleading. But then again theres no harm in trying, right?
Overall, if you want to do use this method of hopping around, just please remember to:

Be informed. Take note of the non-Schengen European countries policies with

regard to the number of days that you are allowed to stay in their domain (this is in
connection with your passport/nationality).
Do your own research. Be updated. Remember that there are candidates for the
Schengen Area at the time that I make this post, so its possible that Bulgaria (for
instance) would suddenly become a Schengen member state in the future; so,
hopping over to this place wont be a solution after your 90 days limit.

#7 VISA EXTENSIONS

This is a very delicate subject because almost all Schengen countries do NOT tolerate
extensions once you get into the area with a short-term (less than 90 days) tourist visa. Be
that as it may, the good news is: its still and always possible if youre resourceful and
creative enough. (Extensions for long-term visas for studies, work, etc. are a different matter
altogether).

If youre rather one of the nationals who are allowed to come into Schengen with just a
passport, be mindful that it can prove more difficult, because you technically dont have a
visa on hand to apply an extension for sure, there are chances that you can apply and
obtain a visa without a need to go back to your home country; however, I seldom hear of
situations that are successful in doing this. (You can try and do your research though since
some embassies might be able to accommodate such requests depending on your
nationality and situation).
Now the typical grounds that can grant you an easy extension can be cases of:

Force majuere unforeseen circumstances that are not under your control (i.e. bad
weather conditions, airline strikes, etc.); this is the only situation that does not require
fees for extension
Humanitarian reasons if you have fallen ill or a close family member has fallen ill
or died
Serious personal reasons

These can allow you to stay for more days either in the whole of the Schengen Area
(very rare case) or just inside the country that you are in (that you chose, that is your point of
entry or the place youve stayed the longest its a case by case basis but this is
what mostly happens when you are granted an extension: youre only allowed to stay in the
country that you applied for).
But of course, you wouldnt want to fall ill nor would you want a family member to die just so
you can extend your visa, right? So what other options do you have?
Luckily, there seems to be some Schengen countries that are quite lenient with extensions
and the ones that I know of are:
1. PORTUGAL
Apparently, they can offer up to two extensions, for as long as you can support
yourself and provide the necessary documents. (Its said to be best done in Lisbon).
For more information: See Transitions Abroad or SEF
.
2. SWEDEN
Ive heard a lot of successful stories from friends who have managed to extend their
visa on Sweden, but its important to note that most of them were able to do so
because they had a Swedish friend, family, or special someone to back them up. I
guess its a way of ensuring a Migration Board that you have a local who can support

you (even if its just on paper).

For more information: See Migrationsverket
.
Note: Some people say that short-stay tourist visas can also be extended in France;
however, I couldnt find any reliable source online for this; still and the same, its worth
looking into let me know if this is indeed possible.

Other Possibilities due to Bilateral Agreements with

US Citizens
I have found some forums online saying that U.S. citizens can stay for 90 days in Poland,
leave for one day, and come back to have another 90-day stay. This is said to be possible
because of some sort of bilateral agreement or declaration between the U.S. and Poland.
Ive certainly read of accounts that said that they were successful in doing so and have had
Polish officials confirming this set-up. However, I advice that you check with them yourself
since I cant find a reliable online source. Make it a point to verify if this is true since it goes
beyond the Schengen rules; its even possible that the extension will only allow you to stay in
Poland only and not in the rest of Schengen.
Australian Citizens
Australia has bilateral agreements with Denmark and Germany which overrides the
Schengen conditions. They can stay up to 3 months or 90 days in each of these two
countries. In theory, Australians can stay indefinitely by going back and forth between
Germany and Denmark every 90 days. Of course, the restriction of no more than 90 days in
any 180 day period in the Schengen area will come into play if they venture out to other
member states.
SOURCE: Visa exemptions for Australians
I have not done an extensive research on ALL non-EU nationalities, so I hope you take the
action to recheck your rights and benefits in Schengen since your home country might have
these same bilateral agreements that will allow you to stay longer in Europe.
Now, if I may add, I have also discovered several success extension stories in other
Schengen countries using the methods below which are both worth a shot. But again, be
aware that some countries may accept this while some others may not:

Register as legal partners if you have a significant other who is a national of one
of the Schengen countries, its possible to come into the country with a tourist visa
and then immediately jumpstart a live-in or cohabitation agreement (NOT marriage)
to be able to remain in the country longer even after the expiry of your tourist visa.
Customarily, applications like this only become successful if you can prove that
youre in a relationship for at least 2 years or have lived in together for at least 1 year.
(Countries that I know of who can take on these kinds of applications are Belgium
and the Netherlands.)
Partner with an NGO or Tourism Board if you can find an NGO, tourism board,
or organization that can vouch for you, its possible to gain an easy extension. Some
travel bloggers have been able to use this method as they offer their skills of writing
or blog reach to the appropriate institutions. This is definitely worth your
while, especially if a certain migration office is open to other types of visa
applications (i.e. Ive read an account of someone thats able to do this in Romania;
even if its not part of the Schengen Area yet, some legit member states can
conceivably acknowledge this circumstance).

I hope this guide helped shed some light into the 90-day limit rule in the Schengen countries;
plus, I certainly hope that in one way or another, I helped give you an idea on how you can
prolong your European journey without breaking the law!
Should you ever have any other tips in mind that should be included in this guide, please feel
free to leave a comment below. (And if there are any corrections, do kindly let me know of
that too).
Before I end this post, I leave you with the following general reminders:

Do your own research. I cannot stress this enough. Take my advice with a grain of
salt. Besides, the information that I post here is based on my own findings and
experiences as of February 2015, so its your responsibility to ensure that the facts
that I have here are still up-to-date or true at the time that you are reading this article.
I say this because I certainly dont want you to waste your money or time when you
suddenly find out that certain conditions are changed, eradicated, etc.
Check migration rules. Be well-informed of the rules that apply to you depending on
your nationality or passport. Know your limits and your benefits. Speaking of
passport, always ensure that it is NOT expiring anytime soon.

Ultimately, I hope that this whole piece can also be a way for you to connect to others who
have had successful experiences of staying longer in Europe; therefore, do feel free to post
your questions in the comments section below. However, like I said, be reminded that I
am NOT an embassy officer nor a migration agent. Any queries relating to such things

should be directed to your local embassy or migration board, and NOT to me. Thank you and
good luck!
For more information be sure to visit our loopcity site here and Aileen blog
.