2017-05 Republic of Ireland

*** Ireland is an island that consists of two countries: The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland is famous for its Guinness beer and its upbeat Irish music, while its neighbor in the north, Northern Ireland, is where the Titanic was built. Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales are all countries in their own right. England, Scotland, and Wales together make up Great Britain (also known as Britain) and all 4 together make up the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ***

As of today, I have been traveling in Europe for 90 days – The maximum duration a U.S. passport holder can stay in Europe without a visa. But I still have almost two months to go before leaving Europe and hopping to another continent. How do I (legally) stay in Europe for two more months?

According to the U.S. Department of State website, U.S. passport holders can “enter the Schengen area without a visa for a period of three months within each six-month period”. Countries that are part of Schengen is basically all EU countries (less Bulgaria, Croatia, U.K., and a few others) plus several non-EU countries such as Iceland and Switzerland; I will have no problem with the six-month limit, but might have a chance of exceeding the “period of three months” (cumulative, not consecutive) requirement. If my math is right, I have only been in the Schengen area for 35 days out of the 90 days I spent in Europe, as a bulk of my time was spent in the Balkans and Ukraine, which are not part of Schengen. So technically I still have 55 days in Schengen for the next two months; besides, even though overstaying is subject to fine and deportation, how the rule is enforced varies greatly from one country to another – Countries like Germany and Switzerland are very strict about entry and exit (they would put an “illegal immigrant” stamp on your passport for overstaying and you might be banned to visit Europe in the future), while southern European countries like Italy and Spain are notorious for not caring.

Pretty complicated – What is the solution? Majority of the countries I plan on visiting in the next two months are part of Schengen, so I will have to be a little more strategic about how to use my remaining 55 days allowed in Schengen; England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland are not part of Schengen, so I am able to stay here for a bit longer. But once I go across the ocean to the Netherlands and head south, the clock will start clicking again. My safest bet will be to leave Europe from the less-strict southern European countries (either Portugal or Spain) – That should add another layer of insurance in case I am short a couple of days.

#England #Wales #RepublicOfIreland #NorthernIreland