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Assuming you take about 35 days for the Camino including travel in the EU, you will have 55 days left on your Schengen "visa." After that, you will have to leave the Schengen EU until you begin to reinstate days after 180 days after your first arrival in a Schengen country. The UK is not part of the Schengen treaty, so you can go there after the Camino. You can stay in the UK for six months, but you cannot work or volunteer unless you get a standard visa.Does anyone have any experience with continuing your journey after Santiago?
I have done short volunteer programs such as this in various countries of Europe and the UK without needing a visa.
Some comments:
- If I'm not wrong, Americans comming to the Schengen area for tourism purposes are allowed to stay in the Schengen area visa free 90 days in a rolling 180 calendar days period. In other words, when exiting the Schengen Area they'll look at the last 180 days and if you spent more than 90 days inside, you'll have overstayed and be treated accordingly (it may result in warning or a fine and/or to be banned entry into the Schengen area for some time or...) That's 90 days in all the Schengen area; not in each Schengen area country. I don't know current requirements about passport validity but you may check if your passport needs to be valid not just for the time you spend on the Schengen area but also for some time after it.
- Tourism purposes means no work is allowed. If you plan to work, you have to get the relevant work visa. For info about requirements, ask the consulate in the USA (covering your home town) of the country in which you plan to work. If you plan to volunteer, ask about the rules/requirements to make it at the consulate in the USA (covering your home town) of the country in which you plan to volunteer.
- You may be refused entry into the Schengen Area if you travel just with a one-way ticket (proof that you are going to leave the Schegen area within the máximum time you are allowed to stay in is required). In fact, you might even be refused to board your plane in the USA because if you are denied entry, it's the airline that must take you back to the USA and it could be fined too.
- If by whatever reason a border official checks carefully if you meet all the entry requirements, be aware that proof of enough founds is one of them. Minimum money required per day may vary from country to country and I'm not updated about current amounts but I guess you can find that info online.
- The UK isn't part of the Schengen area so check what are the rules for Americans regarding tourist stays in the UK, working in the UK and/or volunteering in the UK. The same would apply to anyother EU country that isn't part of the Schegen Area, check what the consulate of the relevant country what are the requirements for Americans for either tourism visits, working or volunteering; depending on what you plan to make in that country.
- The US Department of State has a web providing travel advice for Americans: http://travel.state.gov where you can find some useful info (both general as well as country specific).
I have a doubt, Do you mean you checked whether you needed a visa to volunteer in those countries and you were told you didn't need one by a consulate of each of those countries? or Do you mean you weren't asked by whoever runned the volunteer programs to show a visa and you thought you needed one to make it?
Rules for volunteering may vary in each Schengen area country so what's valid for one of them might be not valid for another one. And rules for volunteering in a specific country may vary along the time too. Therefore I would suggest to double-check what are the current regulations for people of your nationality in the specific country in which you plan to volunteer. Better safe than sorry!
If a visa is needed to volunteer
Hi Kait, I am also American and I have been using workaway.info to travel longer. Your hosts can sponsor you for the appropriate visa to stay longer.Hello fellow travelers,
I have purchased a one way ticket to Europe for an August 27 start of the Camino de Santiago. I have been researching volunteer and work options to contribute, experience a new adventure, stay in the EU or UK for awhile, and travel more.
Does anyone have any experience with continuing your journey after Santiago? What were the opportunities that you pursued/researched, how did you find them, stories of your post camino experiences.
Thank you for all your wisdom!
Kait
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