I’m a United States citizen who was in Spain from September 2010 to early June 2011 on a Student Visa (Type D). I am now back in the U.S., and my passport was stamped both when I entered and left Spain. I hope to enter the Czech Republic as a tourist in July. I’ve read and re-read this site’s explanation of the rules for U.S. citizens who want to enter the Schengen Area as tourists, and I’m still unclear on whether I’ll be allowed to enter the Czech Republic.
The SpainExpat.com article on the Schengen tourist rules reads:
“If you are not a citizen of a European Union country AND you plan to stay in Spain and/or anywhere in the entire Schengen area for more than 90 days in any 180-day period, then you will need a work, residence, long-term, and/or other type of visa (depending on what you plan to do) from the country you currently live in to do so.”
The article goes on:
“To further clarify in the case of those exempt from needing to apply for the Schengen (tourist) visa, exiting the Schengen area does not ?restart? or ?renew? the Schengen visa or the 90-day maximum stay limit. This is only the case if you have been outside of the Schengen area for a minimum of 90 days (e.g., three months in and three months out).”
So, I lived legally in Spain, with a student visa, for far more than 90 days within the last 180 days. If I reenter the Schengen area in a few weeks, do these student visa days also count towards my 90 days of “tourist time?” Or, since I was in the Schengen Area as a student rather than as a tourist, does my “tourist time” clock start ticking fresh when I reenter the Schengen Area?
Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated. I don’t want to pay for the trip only to find out at the customs gate that I can’t get in.
