Tourist visa extensions in the Schengen area

She's your wife so she is entitled to the same visa status as you I wouldnt worry about it.

three blind mice. Sorry for not being clearer about that. I meant she has the right to travel freely within the EU. This is guaranteed http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:2004L0038:20110616:EN:PDF#zoom=100 All she has to show is that they are married and that he is an EU citizen. Dutch rights are a different matter altogether, of course. They may choose to impose stricter requirements on their own citizens than that imposed by the EU. This does create a paradox as is seen in Britain by http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23029195 What this means for the OP here is that they should get an EU entry permit or residence permit from any European country other than the Netherlands - because of the paradox above.

There MUST be a way to do this. Perhaps, as you say, a visa from another (non-NL) Schengen country. I say this because as the wife of an EU citizen, your wife is legally entitled to be in the EU. In fact, she is legally entitled to live and work anywhere in the EU. In the UK, outside Schengen, you do this via an http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/eucitizens/eea-family-permit/ which you could get for her even if you are not a UK resident. It just allows both of you to legally enter the UK for 6 months. A forum post http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=95372 This blog entry has a http://eumovement.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/no-visa-but-still-want-to-travel/.

Another possibility is that, since I am an EU citizen, there may be some kind of "family reunification" type process that's usable. To be clear, there is no "process". Your wife already has the rights. Its just a matter of having the paperwork to show to immigration officers. Certainly a visa makes this easier than carrying around a sheaf of papers.

And the official page for the entire european union on this: http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/residence/worker-pensioner/non-eu-family-members/spouses-children-parents_en.htm http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-family/index_en.htm

* If the time is extended in one country, would that apply to the whole Schengen area or just that one country? The entire Schengen area is considered "one country" for the purposes of your stay. A tourist visa (which is essentially the entry stamp in your passport) is good for 90 days, but once this period of time expires then you have to stay outside the Schengen area for 90 days before you can reenter. We are particularly interested in northern Europe and Scandinavia, but willing to spend time in other areas as well. The Faroe Islands are not part of Schengen, but they are Danish so they fall under a Schengen-like agreement between the Nordic countries. For example, Norway is not part of the EU, but you can enter Norway via Sweden without showing any passport (usual customs rules apply at every national border.) Your wife already has the rights. Not sure about that vacapinta. She would have the right to apply for Dutch citizenship, but unless her husband and she actually reside in the Netherlands, it's not clear she would automatically be granted a residence permit.

> Since you're an EU citizen, your wife would be eligible to apply for a 'residence card/permit' to let her live there for 5 years. It doesn't matter whether you're a tourist or planning to live there forever. It doesn't matter if you have income or a job or not. It is renewable, and costs very little, and includes full work rights. Ashlyth, thank you for the helpful information. Reading http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/residence/worker-pensioner/non-eu-family-members/spouses-children-parents_en.htm you linked, it looks like for my wife stay more than three months she would need to apply for a five-year residence card, which can take up to six months. The requirements for that say that I would need a residence permit in the EU country first, but I'm not a resident of any EU country and I don't see how I could become one six months before we travel. Am I misunderstanding the page? I didn't mention in my original post: we all live in Canada.

Ok, hope I'm not threadsitting too much here, but I think I'm starting to get how this could work:We travel to an EU country which my wife can enter without a visa (under Schengen and probably also EU rules).I apply for an EU registration certificate right away, which I should be granted fairly quickly since I'm exercising my treaty rights by working (self-employed) while in the country.Once I get my registration certificatate, we apply for her residence permit (within three months of arrival). Can anyone poke any holes in this? I'm a bit concerned about the limbo she'd be in after her 90 day tourist status expires but before her residence permit is approved.

Your wife can still apply for a tourist visa via the dutch embassy, despite being granted an automatic 90 days; they can grant tourist visas for longer periods, and your status as a citizen will probably simplify the process. With respect to your other plan, I submit this data point: I overstayed my 90 days in Schengen and got only slightly narrowed eyes from an English border guard as a result. No questions, no problems reentering later, no problems applying for residence or later citizenship in a Schengen-area country. I overstayed only by a few weeks, however, not a whole 90 days.