SaraExtremely well said!

I don't see what the problem is here. If you (British) want to level the playing field, why not simply change your rules to be the same as the Schengen rules ie 90/180 days? It's easier for you to change your rules than to expect numerous other countries to change their rules. It's also worth reminding you that your government specifically requested that you be restricted by the 90/180 day travel rules when they went to huge lengths to secure the hardest possible form of Brexit. Surely nobody is surprised by any of this? Apparently everyone knew precisely what they were voting for in the EU referendum, no? You can still spend six months per annum in the EU, you just need to leave for 90 days. All this endless complaining about something the UK brought upon itself looks rather arrogant and entitled.

Richard PearsonYes I saw that although I don’t think ‘pragmatic’ was the word I was looking for. Before I answer may I ask why you mention German visitors to Spain? The last I knew Germany was still in the EU and Schengen. As to your question I personally don’t care whether it’s 90+90 or 180 all in one go. The point is that 90+90 is a Schengen rule that was decided way back for third countries, when the UK was still part of the EU. I don’t know that the UK objected then to it being applied to third countries but now that it affects the UK itself some people want the rule changed to suit themselves. Rules are rules whether you like them or not (you obviously don’t) and there is no reason why the UK should be treated any differently from other third countries. What makes you so special? Spain has no particular interest in pushing for the rule to be changed. There is no advantage this end. We have much bigger problems to worry about. In fact it’s all a storm in a teacup and fake news anyway. A junior civil servant at the Foreign Ministry happened to make some off the cuff remark (it wasn’t the Foreign Minister himself as reported), this was picked up by some UK tabloid reporter then published by other tabloids and finally the MDB. All a mountain out of a molehill but as you can see it makes good clickbait. So in summary I neither defend nor oppose either method in particular, just find it irritating that now you are out of the EU by your own choice you still interfere and want to change EU rulings. I think the UK currently has far bigger problems of its own to resolve.

SaraYou will have seen that I answered your question. I have one for you now. Can you give me one valid reason why the EU applies the 90+90 rule instead of allowing visitors to choose their dates up to a maximum of 180 ?

o bMaybe not French or Spanish, but there are plenty from the Middle East, Asia and Africa, and previously Russia, who do take advantage of the 180 day ruling. I sometimes wonder why the defenders of the 90+90 ruling are so belligerent about it, when it has been imposed by people who fly back and forth at will on subsidized tickets (by you, the tax payer) and pay little to no tax on earnings made in a foreign territory, but deny their “voters” the right to do the same thing. Land owners and serfs springs to mind. Obey, obey, and don’t dare complain.

AndrewDo you know any :-D ?

Pragmatic. The British are, generally, a very law abiding people, but at the same time dislike rules that impose on their individual freedoms. The EU in contrast, owes it’s survival on imposing rules and regulations on every single detail of it’s citizens lives. Therefore the British have realised that by giving it’s visitors more (and less) than 90 days at any one time, gives them the option to choose what is best for them, and not what some unelected burocrat in Brussels decided it should be. Surely the British option would be welcomed by German visitors to Spain as well, or is it just the British being British, eg practical and using common sense to solve a problem which really shouldn’t exist ?

Richard PearsonCorrect but they’re not ‘exactly’ the same as the UK allows 180 days in all in one go whereas the EU splits it into 90 + 90 and therein lies the problem for some as it appears they would prefer the former method to apply in the EU too. That’s what I meant by beneficial. Maybe that is not the correct English word? Please do feel free to indicate which word I should have used. 🤔

SaraCorrect me if I am wrong, but I don’t understand what you mean by “beneficial”. The UK’s rules are exactly the same as the EU’s. 180 days in, 180 days out.

Correction: missing the point, not missing the p point!