Let me back in, I say!

February 24, 2005 9:42 AM

EUTravelFilter: say I have a EU residence permit and as expected leave for my home country (Argentina) before it expires. How long I'm required to wait before I can re-enter the EU as a simple lowly tourist?

Browsing through immigration agencies sites fails to give any clues. For holders of Argentine passports, tourist stays of up to 3 months are legal without a visa or permit of any kind, of that I'm sure. I vaguely recall something about a mandatory waiting period of X months before being allowed a possible re-entry as a tourist. I'm unable to put this any closer than the rumor realms, Help?

posted by Iosephus to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

doesn't it say on the letter you received with your visa? when pauli (chilean) received her visa, it came with a letter describing this kind of thing quite carefully.
posted by andrew cooke at 9:45 AM on February 24, 2005

No such luck. Only some blather about the permit not giving any grounds with regard to eventual requests for permanent residence and/or citizenship status, and such legalese.
posted by Iosephus at 9:52 AM on February 24, 2005

hmm. looks like the uk does visas differently (and the eu site is useless, isn't it?). sorry.
posted by andrew cooke at 10:05 AM on February 24, 2005

No problem, thanks. What would the answer be in her situation? While it's a different immigration system, it might give me some reasonable idea of what would be required in my case.
posted by Iosephus at 10:16 AM on February 24, 2005

it was a different visa, so doesn't help, unfortunately. basically she could live in the uk indefinitely unless she left for more than 3 years (which she has now done).
posted by andrew cooke at 10:20 AM on February 24, 2005

Also, I just realized I messed up on describing the situation clearly. So let's try again:

1. I leave the EU dutifully, just before my permit expires.
2. Arrive to home country, settle back in.
3. EU permit expires.
4. Mandatory waiting before being allowed back in EU as tourist of how long?
posted by Iosephus at 10:22 AM on February 24, 2005

IANAL, but unless the permit had a special waiting period restriction, I wouldn't think there would be any period before you could return as a tourist. Your best bet would be to call the EU-country consulate in Argentina and ask them.
posted by reverendX at 10:35 AM on February 24, 2005

My very limited experience of visa issues says that in general countries don't care when you last visited, as long as you qualify for the current visit. So if you can prove you're a tourist each time you can come as often as you like.
posted by cillit bang at 12:19 PM on February 24, 2005

From my own similar experience, I was told that your 3-month tourist visa refreshes every time you leave Europe and return, regardless of how long (for example, I visited Thailand for a week from Germany, then returned). I've never had a residence permit though so I'm not sure if there are any particular qualifications on that.
posted by onalark at 3:18 PM on February 24, 2005