Schengen rules

[Pickygame]

From reading posts here I am trying to clarify the Schengen Rules. 

 

 

 

1. We are leaving the UK (EU defined Third Country) and sailing around the world calling at Madiera. My understanding is as a Non EU citizen departing a Third Country we are not subject to Schengen days. 

 

 

 

2. So If we fly to Malta and take a 7 day cruise we start and end in the EU therefore subject to Schengen rules

 

 

 

3. What if we sail from the UK to Europe and return to the UK? My thinking is the same as 1

[Will&Hel]

My understanding and checking the UK Gov website is the days count from entering the Schengen area to the day you leave that area no matter where you enter from. From UK Gov "Your total stay in the Schengen area must be no more than 90 days in every 180 days. It does not matter how many countries you visit. The 180-day period keeps ‘rolling’."

[fruitmachine]

Use the EU's own official calculator here. https://ec.europa.eu/assets/home/visa-calculator/calculator.htm?lang=en

 

From experimenting with it, it appears that a day trip into Schengen (I assume that is what your first example is) will count as one day.  Arriving one day and leaving the next counts as two days.

 

If your second example doesn't leave Schengen at any point, then seven nights in Schengen will count as eight days on their calculator.

 

As @Will&Hel says, it's irrelevant where from (and how) you enter the Schengen area.

Edited April 18 by fruitmachine

[ziggyuk]

When you visit an EU country on a cruise you are classed as transiting during your stop in port, no days are therefore counted against your 90 day allowance.
Even if you join the ship in an EU country you should be signed out as you board the ship, so only the days from arriving in the EU and boarding the ship are counted against your 90 day allowance.

[Pickygame]

This was my thoughts. I will board outside the Schengen and only transit Europe.

 

An interesting read here https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2024/02/01/will-a-cruise-holiday-in-europe-count-towards-my-90-day-schengen-limit-how-some-brits-are-avoiding-the-post-brexit-travel-rule-amid-utter-confusion-among-eu-and-uk-authorities/#:~:text=“As a general rule%2C calls,be registered by the authorities.”

[fruitmachine]

6 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

When you visit an EU country on a cruise you are classed as transiting during your stop in port, no days are therefore counted against your 90 day allowance.
Even if you join the ship in an EU country you should be signed out as you board the ship, so only the days from arriving in the EU and boarding the ship are counted against your 90 day allowance.

Have you got a link to an official EU document or similar for this?  I know it's what CLIA said, but I'd like to see for myself!

[lebreos]

My Mum has recently experienced this they have a property in France so her allotted days are precious. left uk went to northern europe and back to uk. No days counted as she was a transit passenger only. My experience is that most ports in europe if not all only want to see your cruise card to get on/off ship so have no way of booking you into schengen anyway. The cruise companies may pre clear you with relevant border controls but after that Europe doesn't seem to want to do any paperwork.

[ziggyuk]

58 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

Have you got a link to an official EU document or similar for this?  I know it's what CLIA said, but I'd like to see for myself!

 

I'm afraid I don't have a link to this, this is from personal experience, various websites and others experience such as @lebreos as posted above.
Real life experience always works out this way.