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I am an Australian currently on a Netherlands working holiday visa that ends in May next year. I would like to know if when my visa ends I then get another 90 days just as a regular tourist visa as I would like to do some more travel within Europe when my visa ends before going home to Australia.

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7 Answers

According to this (unofficial) website you can only apply for a Schengen visa while holding a residence permit up to 3 months before the permit ends, preventing exactly the thing you want to do. But that's for the UK, which is not a full Schengen member. And you're from Australia, so you don't actually need a visa to stay in the Schengen area as a tourist.

Interestingly, Australians also don't need a visa to stay in the (non-Schengen) UK, so a loophole might be to first go to the UK and then enter the Schengen area as a tourist.

But all in all this is a pretty special case and I'd suggest you ask the Australian embassy about this.

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I don't think that this is relevant. The reason behind this remark is that to apply for a visa in the UK, most (all?) embassies require applicants to reside there. This has nothing to do with the OP's problem. –  Relaxed Mar 5 at 17:56
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I had the same situation as you. I decided to leave the Schengen area when my work visa expired (hopped over to London for the weekend) and came back through Paris. I had no trouble at border control with getting an entry stamp, and the border agent hardly looked at my expired visa.

So I don't know whether you can automatically get the 90 days, but at least in my case, I got the 90 days after a trip to the UK.

My relevant question on SE is here.

I have now left and entered the Schengen area twice just fine after my work visa expired. I have entered through both Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports (both in Paris), and the border guards flipped through my passport, saw the expired visa, and still stamped my entry.

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(+1) A small remark: Unlike the US, there is no maximum duration of stay granted upon entry in the Schengen area. Depending on their citizenship, visitors either need a visa (which will then specify a duration) or can enter without one (in which case the only limit is 90 days). –  Relaxed Mar 5 at 20:17
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I am 99.9% sure that it gives you no extra time.

The 90 days you refer to is the maximum duration of stay without a visa. As an Australian you can apply for a tourist visa in the Schengen Zone.

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That's incorrect in several ways. Importantly, 90 days is not the maximum stay without a visa, it's the maxium duration for (almost) all short stays under the Schengen regulations. Some people can enter without a visa, others require one but if you exhausted the maximum duration of stay, getting another Schengen uniform visa cannot extend it and your application should in fact be refused. –  Relaxed Mar 5 at 17:53
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To corroborate what Paulinchen2 said:

From the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) website:

If you wish to stay in the Netherlands for longer than three months, you will need a residence permit. Check the residence wizard for further information.

From the FAQ regarding residence permits (emphasis mine):

Can I also apply for a residence permit if I am staying in the Netherlands as a tourist?

This will depend on your nationality. Most people must first have a provisional residence permit [Machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf, MVV] before they can apply for a residence permit. You can only apply for the provisional residence permit in your country of origin or permanent residence. The conditions for obtaining a provisional residence permit depend on your purpose of residence. In the Residence wizard select your purpose of residence, nationality and ‘longer than 3 months’. You can then find out whether you require a provisional residence permit and if so, how to apply.

And from the FAQ regarding holidays longer than three months:


The wording and language seems pretty clear to me, although your exact situation hasn't been discussed. So, unfortunately for you, the answer seems to be that it's not possible unless you already have a Dutch resident permit (unlikely, as you only need it if you are staying for more than 90 days, and your current visa is valid for only three months).

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I think you're misunderstanding the situation. SarahG says she is already in the Netherlands on a working holidy visa which ends in May, so it's valid longer than three months, so according to IND she must have a residence permit. The question is whether she can get a tourist visa afterwards without leaving and returning. –  Michael Borgwardt Nov 7 '12 at 14:32
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I asked an Australian and this was their response:

From what I understand of the WHV program, a Working Holiday visa 'removes' that country from the rest of the tourist visa 90-day restriction.

So if you will have spent the last 90 days of your WHV visa in the Netherlands, then there shouldn't be an issue with travelling through the rest of the Schengen area for the next 90 days. I'm unsure as to whether that strikes the Netherlands as unvisitable, however.

Also, transitioning off your WHV to the regular tourist visa may require a run through somewhere like London to 'leave' the Schengen area on your WHV so you can re-enter as a tourist - but again, I cannot directly claim knowledge on this.

I would get in touch with the Australian embassy - they should at least be able to help you with more certainty than I.

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+1 This is the correct answer. –  Relaxed Mar 5 at 17:50
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Best place to ask this is IND (http://english.ind.nl/contact/), since you are already in Netherlands, the phone call costs €0.10 per min. They will for sure give you a solid and legally correct answer. In such matters, I would only trust the official authority.

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As an Australian citizen, you do not need (and could not get) a Schengen visa but you can indeed visit the Schengen area for 90 days, visa-free, after the end of your working holiday visa. The relevant regulation is the Schengen Borders Code and in particular article 5:




However, I think you might need to leave the Schengen area and reenter to get an entry stamp.

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