Can I extend a travel visa by visiting a non-schengen country?

[leighk]

I am an American trying to move to France in 2010. My goal is to stay about a year and write a book. That being said, I will not be seeking employment in France, but will be able to prove I am financially stable for 1 year. I have talked to different people about visas, and so far no one has really been able to give me a good answer.

I am trying to figure out a few things:
1. If I come to France on a travel visa, can I extend my visa after 90 days by traveling outside France, or outside the Schengen countries? Would a weekend in London give me another 90 days in France?

2. Realistically, what are my chances of getting a long-term visa?

3. If I enrolled in classes and got a student visa, what are cheap universities I could enroll in? I've looked at a few but they're all quite expensive.

Apologies if these questions have already been addressed. I'm new to this!

Many Thanks!

[Joppa]

Originally Posted by leighk

I am an American trying to move to France in 2010. My goal is to stay about a year and write a book. That being said, I will not be seeking employment in France, but will be able to prove I am financially stable for 1 year. I have talked to different people about visas, and so far no one has really been able to give me a good answer.

I am trying to figure out a few things:
1. If I come to France on a travel visa, can I extend my visa after 90 days by traveling outside France, or outside the Schengen countries? Would a weekend in London give me another 90 days in France?

No you can't. After 90 days, you have to leave Schengen and stay away for 90 days before you can return.

2. Realistically, what are my chances of getting a long-term visa?

You can apply for a long-term tourist visa. You need to prove a number of things, such as financial viability, health insurance, booked accommodation in France for the whole period, and often health certificate and police clearance. Expect a lot of red tape and a long processing time, as your application is decided by civil servants in France.

3. If I enrolled in classes and got a student visa, what are cheap universities I could enroll in? I've looked at a few but they're all quite expensive.

I don't know, but you need to have paid six months to a year's fees in advance. Plus enough money to support yourself without working. While you are allowed to do limited amount of paid work, any money you hope to earn can't be used to show your viability.

Apologies if these questions have already been addressed. I'm new to this!

Many Thanks!

If your French is excellent and you are suitably qualified, you can try to enrol at a French university, whose fees are reasonable compared to a language college. Failing that, applying for a long-term non-working visa is your best bet, but expect a lot of scrutiny, as the presumptions are that people of working age trying to live in France long-term are going to work illegally or engage in clandestine self-employment. You also need to have a good reason for wanting to live in France, with verification. If you intend to write a book, you will have to give details, and explain why it has to be done in France.

[leighk]

Thanks for your insight.

Back to my first question... If i'm just coming to France, and only getting a travel visa for France, is that still considered a Schengen Visa? And are they really strict, where if I left for a weekend after 90 days and tried to come back in, they wouldn't let me?

Thanks agian

[Joppa]

Originally Posted by leighk

Thanks for your insight.

Back to my first question... If i'm just coming to France, and only getting a travel visa for France, is that still considered a Schengen Visa? And are they really strict, where if I left for a weekend after 90 days and tried to come back in, they wouldn't let me?

Thanks agian

If you are an American citizen, you don't need to get a visa in advance. Just your passport and you are allowed in for 90 days. After 90 days, you must leave the whole of Schengen area for 90 days before coming back. Whether they strictly enforce the rule is up to them, but if you return too soon, you are committing an offence and can be detained and sent back home at your expense. I suggest you don't break the law of the country you'll be visiting, just as you expect visitors to your country to do the same.

[Bevdeforges]

Hi and welcome to the forum. To help with your specific questions:

1. No. Absolutely not. The so-called "Schengen visa" is the 90 day tourist visa that applies to the entire Schengen area. For US citizens, you don't need to apply for a visa - just turn up and you have 90 days. But that's a total of 90 days in a six month period of time. If you spend the full 90 days in France (or any other Schengen country), you can't "reset" with just a weekend in London.

2. Getting a long-stay visa without work privileges will be tough. If you're planning on researching a book, you'll do much better if you have a contract with a publisher, or at the very least, some history of having published before on some subject vaguely related to what you're planning on researching. For a first time author, getting a visa to research a book is going to be a real stretch (though nothing is impossible).

3. Foreign students are the cash cows of the educational system. Student visas are issued to those willing and able to pay their tuition fees in full. A cheap school runs the risk of not being able to get you a visa. (France isn't the only country that does things this way. Just ask anyone trying to get a student visa for the US.)
Cheers,
Bev