I'm going on a trip to Europe for more than 90 days, but to multiple countries, do I need a visa?

Question

I will be spending time in the European Union, and I know that if I stay for more than 90 days in any one country, I need some sort of visa, but I would like to know if I need a visa because I'll be going from France to Spain in less than 90 days. Help please!

Answer 1

If you are an American citizen, no.  see sites below and read scetions under"Entry Requirements."

Answer 2

If you are from Canada, USA, Australia or New Zealand, you do not need a visa to enter Europe, providing your visit is for 90 days or less.  

Most of Europe is part of the Schengen Zone which means you can only stay in that entire area for a maximum of 90 days out of 180 days.  You can stay 90 days in one country eg France, but you will not be allowed to travel to another country within the Schengen Zone.

The United Kingdom and, at the moment, Switzerland, are non-Schengen countries, so any time spent there does not count towards your 90 days.

If you have a good reason for spending more than 90 days in the area, then contact the Embassy of the country you will spend most time in and see if they can make special arrangements for you. But, have to say, this is unlikely!

EDIT:  In one of your earlier questions you state that you'll be in France for one year.  The only legal way to do that on a US passport is with a student visa or, possibly, a work visa.  And these need to be applied for before you leave the US.  If you don't have these visas, after 90 days you will be considered  an illegal alien and risk deportation if you come to the notice of the authorities in any way eg need medical treatment, get involved in an accident, come to police attention for any reason, or cross into a non-Schengen country and try to get back into the Schengen Zone.

Answer 3

It depends on the country's rules. Before you enter the country, the people will tell you how long you can stay before you need to pay for a visa.