Ah the wonder of having a British passport :)

Just a point of terminology John - Foreign diplomatic missions are called embassies (usually in a capital city) or consulates (in non-capital cities).  The exception is that a mission of one Commonwealth country in the capital city of another Commonwealth country is called a 'High Commission'.  So India, Malaysia, Canada and the U.K.  have high commissions in Canberra, not embassies.  Of the 25 Schengen countries, only one - tiny Malta - is a Commonwealth country and has a High Commission in Australia.  So if I want a work visa in any of the other 24 Schengen countries (e.g. France, Germany, Switzerland or the Netherlands), I'd go to that country's embassy or consultate in Australia, not High Commission (as they don't have one).

Your piece is a useful summary for those who haven't heard of Schengen.  However, the rules of Schengen are complex - this is because although there is a single passport-free zone, each individual Schengen country runs its own immigration policy and rules. 

Thanks KS. As it happens, you don't actually take visa advice from an embassy -- that's what's a permanent diplomatic mission is called, and refers to the Ambassador and staff who deal with the host country's political apparatus.

A consulate deals with visas, passports, and other business to do with the host country's citizens, and renders assistance to its own citizens in the host country too.

You may find a consulate within an embassy or High Commission building, though increasingly not -- many countries are locating consulates in business areas rather than Embassy Rows, especially in capital cities that are not as government-focussed as Canberra.

(For more technical info on diplomatic missions, have a read through the surprisingly un-jargony Vienna Convention, which I'm sure can be found online.)

You're absolutely right that Schengen can be complex. But it's a heck of an improvement on the old way!

"Only some Schengen countries allow you to undertake paid employment in those countries during that visa-free stay: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland."

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just to clarify - the situation in Germany at least is that an Aussie passport holder is permitted to apply for a work permit (an Aufenthaltserlaubnis) after arrival in the country, but not to work for a German employer until it's granted.  (I guess normal business trips aren't caught in any case). 

Ja, wirklich!

You're absolutely right there. We had to draw the line between "completely not" and "sort of yes" somewhere, and that's the grey area that's a little bit fuzzy and falls under the "contact the consulate" category.

If you have a New Zealand passport, you can spend up to 90 days visa-free in each of the following Schengen countries, irrespective of the time you have already spent or intend to spend in other Schengen countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland (+ Hungary if visiting it as the final destination in the Schengen Area).

However, when going to Schengen countries not listed above (i.e. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia), the normal 90 days in any 180 day period limit applies to the time spent in these 7 countries.

For more information, visit the European Union (http://www.delaus.ec.europa.eu/newzealand/eu_guide/faqsvisas.htm) and New Zealand Government (http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/destinations/europetips.shtml) websites.