3

I am a US citizen who will be traveling through Europe working with a company based in Canada. I will have work permits in Spain, Switzerland, France, UK, and Austria while in each country, arranged by my employer over a period of about a year. I will be living in these countries as I work with the intention of staying in Europe the entire time.

Is there a way for my spouse, who is also a US citizen (and pregnant), to accompany me for the duration without having to deal with the 90/180 day Schengen retrictions? We were hoping for her to join me and we will have our child on the road.

Improve this question
4
  • Have you discussed this with your employer? There are basically two ways of doing it: she either gets a long-stay visa for each country you're staying in, to allow her to accompany you, or she spends as much time with you as possible using her visa-free access as a US citizen. The amount of time she can spend with you in that capacity depends on the timing and length of your period(s) of stay in the UK, since that is the only non-Schengen country in your list.
    – phoog
    Commented May 17, 2018 at 18:26
  • I am going back and forth with the immigration department of my employer yes trying to get clarification on what the options are. We are a company that travels worldwide (think entertainment touring) and we stay in countries/cities from 3 -12 weeks at a time. My concern is that even though she is granted an extended stay in one country, say Spain, we then go too France and even though she is granted another visa wouldn't it all just tally together and count towards her Schengen allowance?
    – Wolf-Monkey
    Commented May 17, 2018 at 21:02
  • Or will she maybe have the opportunity to be granted the same status as I will being that she will be my dependent and I will have a temporary residence status in each country due to my working permit . . . ?
    – Wolf-Monkey
    Commented May 17, 2018 at 21:02
  • If she has a type D visa there is no "Schengen allowance." You will need a type D visa for that reason, so if she can get one too, as your dependent, that will allow her to stay with you. You'll generally need separate type D visas for each Schengen country.
    – phoog
    Commented May 17, 2018 at 21:08

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

Is there a way my spouse, who is also a US citizen (and pregnant) accompany me for the duration without having to deal with the 90/180 day Schengen restrictions?

Sure. She can get a type D visa ("national visa" or "long-stay visa") from each country where you will be staying, just as you will have to. That's because any days of presence authorized by such a visa are excluded from the 90/180 calculation.

The real question is whether each country will agree to give her such a visa.

My concern is that even though she is granted an extended stay in one country, say Spain, we then go too France and even though she is granted another visa wouldn't it all just tally together and count towards her Schengen allowance?

Why would it count against her Schengen allowance and not yours?

If your wife gets an extended-stay visa as your dependent, then any days of presence in the country issuing the visa are not counted towards the 90/180 rule. In other words, with such a visa her status with respect to the 90/180 rule would be identical to yours. She would need, as will you, a separate visa from each country.

Improve this answer
0

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.