≡ Menu

Travel in Europe After Overstayed Schengen Visa

Can I travel to Italy from the Netherlands after overstaying the Schengen Visa? Updated answer to question Hello Jatinder, I just received an email today from a guy who overstayed his Schengen visa by 15 days and was deported to his country of origin and fined 160 Euro as he tried to travel from Germany [...]

Support VBJ’s writing on this blog:

Can I travel to Italy from the Netherlands after overstaying the Schengen Visa?

Updated answer to question

Hello Jatinder,

I just received an email today from a guy who overstayed his Schengen visa by 15 days and was deported to his country of origin and fined 160 Euro as he tried to travel from Germany to Italy. It was the German authorities who applied the punishment.

A few years ago when the Schengen visa was new it was a joke — travelers would often overstay it by leaps and bounds and not receive any punishment. They seem to have their policies down now and overstayers are being fined and deported, so I would probably recommend leaving the Schengen Zone as soon as possible.

Thanks,

Wade

———————

1st answer to question

Hello Jatinder,

There have been incidences where visa overstayers have been fined large amounts of money per day of their overstay. There is nothing consistent about immigration procedures — one day something is fine, the next day they put you in jail or slap you with a huge fine. It all depends on the winds and the mood of the particular immigration official.

So in this very wishy washy circumstance I cannot provide you with much advice. Nothing could happen, or you could be banned from Europe, fined, or tossed in jail. I have heard of all of the above incidences occurring.

As you are already overstayed in the Schengen zone, I would say that you may as well enjoy your stay and go to Italy — as there is no telling if you will be allowed back or not. But be aware that you could receive a “per-day” fine when trying to exit the region.

In short, I cannot say what will happen with any sense of certainty. You should be alright if you don’t exit the region from Germany or Switzerland, but there is no telling. Immigration policies are nothing if not inconsistent.

Sorry that I cannot be of more help.

Let me know how everything works out.

Walk Slow,

Wade

—————

Original question about traveling in Europe after overstayed Schengen Visa —

Hi,

some  background.  I am Canadian, my husband is American, and we live in Vancouver, Canada.
My husband is a prof at UBC and this is his sabbatical year.

We entered Sweden on September 1, 2009.  We stayed in Sweden for 2 months and then came to Amsterdam.  We entered The Netherlands on November 2, 2009.  We are leaving Europe on December 27 for Singapore, and other destinations in Asia.

Before we came to Europe we went to the embassy of both Sweden and The Netherlands in Vancouver, and were told that we did NOT need any visa.  My husband is not working here, he is not getting paid, but is affiliated with universities here that provide us housing etc…

So, last week, we were at the airport in Amsterdam hoping to spend the weekend in London, to visit family and friends.  At Schipol we were told that we have now overstayed the 3 month allotment under the Shengen agreement.  In the end, they were very nice, and said that we could stay but immigration would send a report and there might be a sanction against us.  Likely, we will not be allowed to enter the Shengen area again for some time, how long this is, is not known at this time.  The officials at Schipol are aware that we are leaving Amsterdam later this month.   If we had gone to London, we would not have been allowed to return to Amsterdam.  (obviously a big problem since all of our stuff for a 8 month trip is here, and my husband has obligations to the university here).

Ok, the question–Do you think it is ok for us to travel within the Shengen area?  We are hoping to go to Venice  next week to celebrate our anniversary.  Our experience so far has been that no one has looked at our passports when traveling.  We had a rail pass for Scandinavia and now have another one we are using for the rest of Europe (10 days in 2 months).  The only time our passport was looked at while on a train was when we went to Norway from Sweden.  How likely is it that anyone else will look at our passport, and note when we entered?

Your advice and suggestions will be most appreciated.

Thank you

Do you have a Schengen visa question?

If so, then take a look at our Schengen visa community forum. It’s a community just for people who have questions or concerns related to Europe’s Schengen immigration zone.
Filed under: Europe, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Schengen Visas, Travel Help, Visas

About the Author:

I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3699 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

Support VBJ’s writing on this blog:

VBJ is currently in: New York City

53 comments… add one

Leave a Comment

Cancel reply

  • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com December 18, 2009, 8:34 am

    Hi Wade,
    thanks for your help and information. We did go to Italy and had no problems. We have decided to stick to our original plan and leave Amsterdam on the 28/12/2009. We understand that we are taking a risk. I am curious, the man you wrote about, how was it that the German officials ‘found’ him, or was it when he was leaving? We are actually planning on going to Berlin for Christmas next week, by train.

    And, I will be making a donation to your site, as I both appreciate your assistance to us personally, and the help you give others.

    j

    Link Reply
  • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com December 18, 2009, 8:34 am

    Hello,

    It is my impression that the guy who got busted was leaving Germany at the airport. I do not know why immigration would run his passport as there should not have been a check on an intra EU flight. Maybe the airlines reported him when the ran his passport for ID purposes? It is a little unclear.

    But here is his comment for you to make what you want of it:

    “My personal experince when i was entering into italy from german airport they have fined me for my previous 15 days(160 euro) of overstay also they deported me back to my country of origin.I had a buissness visa valid 90 days in 180 days(Multiple) also nother visa stamped as soon as previous visa finished it was 90 days again but durration was 1 year.In frankfurt airport they have refused me to give transit visa for 15 days as i have already completed my 90 days in 180 days period..so please be carefull with german airports.I prefer france airport because they r very liberal and till now i didnt had any problem.So guys i think france is better place for exit.this is my personal view.”

    He has an Indian email address so, if that is an indication of his nationality, this may not have worked to his favor.

    Please let us know how you make out on your trip to Berlin as well as when you exit the Schengen zone at the end of December.

    Thank you also for your donation, they are really, really appreciated.

    Walk Slow,

    Wade

    Link Reply
  • Michelle December 21, 2009, 11:07 am

    Hi Wade

    I am Australian on a 90 tourist visa living temporarily in France. I have over stayed my visa by about 35 days. I am planning on travelling between Paris CDG airport to Barcelona then back to Paris.

    Am I really running the risk they will check my stamp date in?

    running, tripping and wishing I could stop speed walking.

    Michelle

    Link Reply
  • Kelly December 26, 2009, 2:44 pm

    Hi,

    Can you please help me out? I have currently been in Greece for about a year and a half. I want to fly to Ireland for about a week on the 31st and return in January. Since Ireland is not in the Schengen I know I will be stamped… will i be ok to get back into Greece? Will I have a problem getting into Ireland? Please help!!

    Link Reply
  • Rachel February 6, 2010, 11:12 am

    Hi, I’m a Malaysian Chinese, but before i say anything let me just brief my story, I met my bf thru net and we’re madly in love for one year over the net, I promised that I will visit him in france one day, so I did so, but the thing is i dun know the seriousness for overtstayers as it is my first time traveling abroad and that is for him, I dun have any bad intentions wanting to be illegal here, and never have any intentions wanting to come europe as well before i met him, so please have mercy on me as i’ve gotten myself in a big trouble without realizing it before i decided to apply a student visa in Sorbonne a uni in Paris and got busted, as I was told that I have overstayed for too long and I am suppose to have done my student visa back in Malaysia not here. I didnt know all this at the beginning and I really need your help, obviously i do not need a visa to travel around europe, but my days are limited to 90 days as usual. Well, I liberally broke the rule, and I’ve overstayed for 8 months in Paris for my bf, he’s a french chinese, and we’re going back to malaysia for holiday, and i will legally apply a student visa to study french in France, will i have problem applying for the visa? do i need to turn to my embassy for help? Please give me advices as I am very desperate now, I don’t want to be separate from my bf as we love each other very much to be apart, all I want is not to be apart from him. will they have mercy on me because I am still below 20 or 21? I am really desperate for advices. I didnt know such big consequences will occur as it is my first time traveling abroad. As I only get one paper stamped from my entire passport holder. Will they have mercy on me if i tell them the truth? Can I avoid getting banned from coming back to europe? and will they have mercy on me regarding to fines since i am not employed yet? and it’s my first time traveling abroad? Please gather some information on this and let me know. And I may be stupid, but who is not for love? I thought that i can settle everything regarding to the student visa thing in France so i waited so long for a new semester to begin and now I’m totally stuck in the middle of nowhere. Please help me!!

    Link Reply
    • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com February 6, 2010, 11:29 am

      Hello Rachel,

      I have one confirmed case of a student visa being denied to a person after overstaying their tourist visa. They overstayed in Italy and then returned to their home country (Canada). They later applied for a student visa to Italy and were denied on the grounds that she previously overstayed her visa.

      There is no telling how you will be processed. It does not seem as if you were reported to immigration in France, were you? If not, I would just leave the country with your boyfriend, return to Malaysia, and then try to apply for a student visa as if you never overstayed. This is probably the only thing you can do save for getting married — which is often a relatively long process but could get you your visa in the end.

      I do not believe that French immigration will have any mercy on you for any reason — either they will punish you or they won’t, there is no telling.

      All I can recommend is that you return to Malaysia and try to apply for the student visa. Many people overstay their visas in France, and many of them are not punished as they leave the country nor are they banned from returning. Keep your head up and be hopeful that you will not be punished. If you are then deal with the situation as it comes.

      There is really not any good or secret advice that I can give you. Overstaying your visa in Europe is a tricky practice — some people are punished and others are not. There does not seem to be any set pattern to it. Just keep in mind that France seems to be one of the more liberal country for visa overstayers.

      I would recommend leaving as soon as you can to avoid a greater penalty.

      I hope this helps,

      Wade

      Link Reply
      • Sani March 7, 2010, 1:56 am

        Dear Wade,

        I have quite similar story with Rachel but I’m in process to get my domicile card in Belgium. I am planning to visit my origin country just for holiday and will be back to Belgium. The questions are:
        1. Will the immigration in Europe airport (any airport in Schengen area) check my visa when I exit Europe? Would there be any problem for me?
        2. Do I need to apply visa when I want to go back to Belgium even if I have domicile card already?

        Thank you.

        Link Reply
      • daniel July 21, 2012, 11:50 pm

        why does she need to over stay there , mr wade ask her what happened to africans when they over stay in malaysia, u can even go to jail because of that .

        Link Reply
  • Rachel February 7, 2010, 4:59 am

    Thanks again for the advice, I really appreciate it, but I read the article about how the overstayers lose their passport on purpose to avoid the penalties, or to erase the evidence, if this works in the US, it seems that they do not have records regarding to the arrivals / departures of the americans, but is it the same for the non-americans?

    Link Reply
  • jennifer February 24, 2010, 9:27 pm

    Hello,
    I am a Canadian and will be travelling to Italy on a Working Holiday Visa that is valid for 6 months. As a Canadian am I allowed to travel other EU coutnries for an additional 90 days after the WHVisa has expired?

    Link Reply
  • Katrina September 9, 2010, 9:08 am

    i have recently overstayed my tourist visa by about 15 days, i entered holland through schiphol and i was thinking i could leave through belgium where apparently i will probably not get stamped, but i have a new digital passport, is this going to cause any complications? thank you very much

    Link Reply
    • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com September 9, 2010, 3:53 pm

      It is not my impression that the digital passport will have any effect. It supposedly makes no difference as far as the overstay is concerned what Schengen country you exit from.

      Link Reply
  • Katrina September 10, 2010, 2:39 am

    someone told me that with the digital passport they can check and see when you left the country. so if i were to try to leave through Brussels this would still cause me to get fined/ or not allowed to come back to the country?? thank you

    Link Reply
  • adeel September 20, 2010, 5:08 pm

    Hello Guys,
    I am student in Sweden and my university allowed me to study either in University or by online.
    My Study visa was getting expired while I was in Finland, So I decided to applied for extension as the process time was just 15 days on Swedish Migration website site for online applicant. Now its 3 months and i am stucked in Finland and still waiting for my extension The reason is because I asked Swedish Migration to send my visa at Helsinki Embassy secondly I am taking online lectures.

    1 – But now, I wanted to visit my home country. Will this be a good idea to leave from Helsinki airport ? Or should I go to Stockholm by cruise for departure to my home country ?

    2 – As I have no direct flight from Sweden and I am getting cheapest airline from Paris, Can I go through Paris airport while my visa is expired and applied for extension ? If Yes , Can I also visit Paris or stayed one night at Paris ?

    3 – If any one had experienced visit Paris Airport with in schagen states, are they check passport ? As per my experience with in scahgen flight Copenhagen to Riga and Helsinki they never checked passport at entry point.

    Thanks

    Link Reply
    • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com September 21, 2010, 8:04 am

      I would recommend getting your visa situation in order before leaving the region. Your passport is generally not checked when traveling inside of the Schengen Zone — think of this region as one big country as far as immigration is concerned — but when you go to board your flight out of the region your passport will be checked. As you overstayed, you may be punished — which may mean a ban of three years.

      From hearing the reports of other travelers, the Schengen authorities seem to be getting stricter in punishing overstays, so I would not recommend leaving until your visa is all taken care of.

      Link Reply
      • adeel September 22, 2010, 2:32 pm

        thanks for your reply I am also trying to get resolve my visa issue before leaving.

        Link Reply
  • Sydney November 25, 2010, 9:46 am

    I’ve been in Italy for a little over two months. I plan to travel to Spain only a few days after my 90 day period is up. Do you think there will be a problem for me to fly into Spain after an overstay? I undertstand that I might have trouble leaving Spain to return to my country of origin (Canada), but is traveling within the schengen area really all that difficult after an overstay?

    Link Reply
  • tim December 2, 2010, 3:58 am

    hey, i overstayed my Schengen Visa year by 56 days – i left france and have been out of the Schegen area for seven months. Will i be eligible to re-enter the zone with a flight out booked within the 90 day period?

    Link Reply
    • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com December 2, 2010, 9:44 am

      This all depends on what immigration inspector you get and how he/ she feels about you. They could look through your passport or draw up your SIS record (there is no telling how sophisticated the immigration computer system is — I have received very contrary reports on this) and find that you have previously overstayed and deny you entry. Though it is my impression that this is doubtful and that you should be able to enter without problem. Just don’t enter through Germany or Switzerland. Go back to France or Italy.

      Link Reply
  • Danny December 15, 2010, 12:16 am

    Why the worries? As long as you don’t intend to overstay there should not be a problem. If you’re planning to stay longer than 3 months you should apply for a long stay visa in the target country’s embassy back home, although I suspect you can depart only from that particular country because they will need to stamp out your visa and verify your exit.

    Link Reply
    • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com December 15, 2010, 6:28 pm

      Getting a long term visa to Europe is not as easy as this. You need a reason for applying for it, the easiest way is getting a student visa, but this means enrolling in a European university.

      Link Reply
      • rony March 29, 2012, 2:37 am

        hi wade i deported from france and they put me in the detention 32 days, this happens 3 years before, can i apply for student visa for italy? the french authoritis told there is no ban for me re-enter to france or schengen zone, can i apply for student visa to italy, thank you sir
        Rony

        Link Reply
  • Simon Coleman December 26, 2010, 6:26 pm

    Moat countries are strict on visa control. The do not always deport, however, we must always be mindful when traveling that it is our duty to ensure our visas are valid.

    Link Reply
  • Valerie December 30, 2010, 6:21 pm

    What’s the impression you get regarding checking in at hotels? I have overstayed my visa in Italy by a couple months and have so far been fine staying quietly in an apartment in my boyfriend’s (status: legal) name. However, we’re planning a couple trips within Europe in the coming months, and it just occurred to me that they often at least check passports. If the point is to register guests with local police, am I risking deportation? The countries in question are Italy and Austria.

    Link Reply
  • Mathieu January 10, 2011, 1:01 am

    I apologise if I sound prudish, but why would anyone travelling overstay their visas. Gee it is simple don’t overstay your visa. I can excuse people who may living in an area for an extended period, but not whilst traveling. It is not worth the penalty or the hassle.

    Link Reply
    • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com January 10, 2011, 11:52 am

      Prudishness is not your problem, simple common sense is haha. Good call about your policy of not overstaying your visa. But the Schengen tourist visa — 90 days for 25 countries, no exceptions — is a pretty ridiculous policy, especially when many nationalities were somewhat recently able to stay in many of these countries for at least 90 days each with the option of staying indefinitely through doing easy visa runs. The region when from one extreme to another regarding immigration in just one decade.

      But this is the way it is, and I agree with you completely that travelers need to know the immigration rules of the countries they enter and try to abide by them. Immigration stringency often works on various nationality’s reputations for overstaying visas. One of the reasons why Nigerians often have a difficult time getting visas is because they have a reputation for overstaying them and working illegally. I don’t mean to pick on Nigerians here — I could have picked 80% of the countries in the world here — but it is just an example. If some travelers with class A passports appreciate the freedom of movement that they currently have, all I can say is, don’t overstay your visa.

      I cannot say for sure, but the minimal time allowed to stay in Europe by the Schengen visa could partly be a reaction to foreigners coming to Europe and staying on indefinitely.

      On the other hand, the Schengen rules are not THAT bad: you can still stay in Europe for 6 months out of any given year — it is just a real hassle because the zone now consists of so many countries (and still growing). If a traveler plans their route well, they can go in and out of the Schengen region at opportune times (go to Morocco, Turkey, far eastern Europe, the Balkans), and not overstay.

      Link Reply
  • Jeremiah January 21, 2011, 12:38 pm

    Hi Wade, and all,

    I’ve searched the internet heavily for this answer, and I cant find an exact response. Hoping I can get some guidance before booking further travel!

    I’m a Canada who overstayed his 90 days. I stayed 104 and got a fine leaving Hungary, and entering Croatia. I’m staying in Croatia for another 2 weeks, and then plan to fly to London and stay there for a month. Then, I plan to depart London to head back home to Toronto Canada on March 1st.

    My questions are:
    – Will I have a problem entering UK as a Canadian citizen? I’ve read on here they don’t look kindly on overstayers, and since my departure is roughly a month later, will that be a problem? should i bring proof departure to show them as well?
    – My flight from the UK to Canada only has stop overs in Amsterdam or Paris. Will I have trouble leaving the UK (Heathrow) via Schengen Passport officials? Will I have trouble when landing in Amsterdam? I imagine i’ll need to chage gates and I have no idea how their layout is.

    Ive even called Dutch border agency and they have said “their should be no problem” but havent said it with any certainty, so i’m really unsure about everything. Should I try to go to the UK (always been a part of my travel plans), should i just cut my losses and fly direct back to Canada from London?

    Any insight would be incredibly appreciated!

    Jeremiah

    Link Reply
    • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com January 22, 2011, 10:10 am

      Hello,

      Your plans sound alright by me.

      About flying from Croatia to London

      You were already processed and fined for the overstay in Schengen, and are flying from a non-Schengen country directly to England. There should be no technical problem here, as you are not violating any rules. You are not flying from a Schengen country and you have already been fined, so there is next to no chance that England is going to deport you back to the Schengen zone for processing (as they sometimes do with uncaught overstayers).

      But technical problems are not the only things that immigration officials look for. Basically, they can deny you entry for any reason (or lack there of) they choose. Occasionally, countries don’t like to admit previous visa overstayers if they think that this could be an indication that you my plan on overstaying your visa in their country. So you could have trouble entering England on this trip, you may have trouble entering 5 years from now. A visa overstay in your record is a statement of character of sorts. But I would not worry too much, being denied entry to a country for a previous overstay in another is pretty rare. England should admit you business as usual.

      Though UK immigration can be tough no mater what your travel history is. Be sure to have an itinerary for where you want to spend your month there, have “proof” of a reservation for a hotel your first nights there, be ready to show proof of your flight out of the country, and be able to to show proof of adequate funds to last out the duration of your stay. I would give this advice to just about anyone going to the UK under any circumstance.

      About transferring flights in Schengen zone after overstay and possible ban

      It is my impression that you should also be in the clear here as well. If you are transferring flights on the same flight path — meaning that you bought just one ticket that has a layover in another country — then chances are that you will not even go through immigration. Your final destination is Canada, not Europe. Countries often don’t like to fret over people leaving, it is the entering that they are sometimes anal about. So I would not worry too much here as well.

      Wish you the best, have fun on this journey.

      Link Reply
    • Bryan January 27, 2011, 2:56 pm

      Hello Jeremiah — I’m hoping that you could help all us fellow travelers out by enlightening us about this fine you received traveling from Hungary to Croatia? Were you traveling by plane or train? Which side fined you? Please reply to help out the community here. Thanks. Bryan.

      Link Reply
  • elizabeth March 18, 2011, 4:43 pm

    Hi, I had stayed in Italy 4 1/2 months. While changing planes in zurich I was stopped at passport control, and then told that I had to pay a 500 euro fine. I told them that I didn’t have any money, so they had me fill out a paper and told me that it was possible that I would not be allowed into Europe for 1-3 years. That was in October 2010.
    This time I entered into Italy through France, the guy only looked at my face on the passport. March 2011. Wear lipstick!!

    Link Reply
    • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com March 19, 2011, 7:09 am

      It is very common to be readmitted to the Schengen region during the timespan of your “possible” ban, though this does not mean that the next immigration official is going to be as smitten with your lipstick haha. A visa overstay can always come back to bite you in the ass.

      Link Reply
  • AP March 24, 2011, 6:31 am

    I currently have a récipissé de demande de carte de séjour that is valid until the 22/06/2011 for France. I plan on moving to Germany to live with my fiancé. Do I have to leave France on the 22nd and stay outside the Schengen area for 3 months before coming back on a tourist visa? Do I risk not being able to get a visa in Germany if I overstay a French visa?

    Thanks!

    Link Reply
    • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com March 25, 2011, 7:11 am

      Yes, an overstay could adversely impact you receiving a visa to Germany.

      I do not know what a écipissé de demande de carte de séjour is. Though for some residence permits it is possible to leave the region and return almost immediately to get a tourist visa. France immigration should be consulted about this.

      What kind of visa are you planning on getting to live with your fiance in Germany? Often, longer term visas need to be applied for outside of the Schengen zone — sometimes even from your home country.

      Link Reply
      • AP May 3, 2011, 7:39 am

        A carte de sejour is a long-term visa and the récipissé is what they give you if they can’t give you an appointment to extend it in time.

        I talked to a German official and he told me that it is much easier for an American to get a visa to live in Germany. I might not even have to have a job because I am engaged to a German.

        I am going to Munich in two weeks to see what visas are available to me, but as I understood it, I might not even have to leave the Schengen zone after my visa is up in France.

        I’ll let you know if I get any useful info.

        Thanks!

        Link Reply
  • elis March 31, 2011, 9:56 am

    Hi, my husband spend his ssabbatical in spain and i get slovenia visa type C for visit him and my visa is valid for 90 days. how can i extend my schengen visa more than 90 days in Spain beacuse i can´t come back to my country and apply again after 3 monthes.

    thanks
    Elis

    Link Reply
    • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com April 1, 2011, 7:03 am

      There is currently no way to extend this type of visa. The easiest option here is to enroll in a university in Spain and get a student visa for the term of your studies.

      Link Reply
  • John Hadey April 1, 2011, 7:51 am

    Need urgent advise. Please no smart comments, but if anyone can help it would be much appreciated.

    My girlfriend is from Ukraine and still married to a German. She has a visum to stay in any eu country for only for 3 monts at a time. We have been living in Spain for the last few months and just the other day she was stopped on a bus, they checked her visa and they put her in a cell for two days. She had 48 hours to wait for a police decision on what they would do with her. It now looks as it she will be deported back to Ukraine because of this.

    Is there any way around it and does the fact that she has lived and studied and worked in Germany now for 10 years and is still married to a German make any difference?

    Whats the most realistic thing that would happen if she stayed here for another 2 monts and we then went to Ukraine together?

    A fine? A ban from EU? We can handle all of that. But would they throw her in prison?

    Anyone that can help right now .. thank you 🙂

    Best regards,
    John

    Link Reply
  • Julia July 2, 2011, 1:40 pm

    Hi,

    I am an American and have a situation with my Spanish student visa. I studied abroad in Spain for a semester (starting in January) and had a 6 month student visa that I obtained in NY. I loved it here and decided to extend my stay. At first it was just supposed to be for the summer but then I realized I really wanted to stay and applied to do another semester here. I got into university here, and attempted to extend my student visa but after many trials and tribulations found out that my 6 month class D student visa is not extendable. It expired yesterday, on July 1.

    Here are my questions…
    1) I know that you can be in the Schengen zone for a 90 day period without a visa. Am I covered by that for the next 90 days, or does it not apply to me because I was already here for 6 months on a student visa?
    2) If I do stay for school next semester, what is the worst that can happen? I have been talking to a lot of people about this and most say that Spain is very lax about it and there is nothing to worry about, just don’t travel through England or Switzerland. Does anyone have any other advice?
    3) Is there any way to extend my student visa or apply for a new one without going back to NY? The problem is that I have a job here and cannot leave for the amount of time it would take to process getting a whole new visa.

    Any comments or advice that anyone has on my situation would be amazing!! In the end, I really just don’t want to leave Barcelona and the fact that I have proof of enrollment for school in the fall has given me some hope that it will work out.

    Link Reply
  • Chris July 11, 2011, 2:55 pm

    I am an Indian passport holder residing in New York. I have been living in US for 11 years and finally expecting my green-card by end of this year. So I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize my status in the US.

    I am going to be visiting Europe for 2 weeks from July 16th to July 31st. Since my initial plan was only for a week, I had applied for a Visa accordingly, but after my application I changed my itinerary to 2 weeks. I assumed this wasn’t a problem as the Schengan Visa is usually issued for 90 days.

    However when my passport was returned my Visa was issued only for 13 days, till July 29th and my return ticket if for July 31st. I am flying into Vienna, and returning from Brussels, via Reykjavik. Will there be a problem if I overstay my Visa for 2 days. Can the airport authorities detain me in Brussels or Reykjavik, or charge a fine.

    Also if my flight is from Brussels, via Reykjavik, where will my passport be stamped at Brussels or Reykjavik.

    Please let me know my options. A prompt response would be appreciated.

    Link Reply
    • Wade Shepard July 12, 2011, 3:54 pm

      Chris,

      There are instructions for private Schengen visa consultation at the top of the sidebar on this page. Your question has already been answered dozens of times on this site (do a search), if you would like a prompt and personalized response you need to make a donation. Thanks.

      Link Reply
  • Daniel January 30, 2012, 12:40 pm

    Hello everybody,

    I hope somebody can help us with some info.

    I am a Dutchman currently living in Colombia with my Colombian girlfriend.
    Our plans are to go to Holland for 3 months and I already bought the tickets. The problem is that I miscalculated and she will have an overstay of 17 hours. Could this be a problem? Are they really going to be difficult about those 17 hours?
    We further have a Colombian registered partnership (same privileges as marriage) and we want to make it official in Holland. If she gets penalized for the overstay, will she still have any problems with applying for a new Visa in the future?

    Many thanks for the help, I really need it because changing the tickets is more than €2000,- per ticket.

    Daniël

    Link Reply
    • Wade Shepard February 4, 2012, 12:39 pm

      An overstay of 17 hours can be prosecuted the same as an overstay of 17 years. We have received reports of people being banned for 3 years for overstaying a single day. It’s your call if you want to risk it.

      Link Reply
  • Alia July 11, 2012, 4:01 pm

    Hei all, thank you for all the comments. Well, i did voluntary work in Finland for a year then i forgot to rebook my ticket after 11 months i called the airline when i had remained with 3 weeks to leave Finland. Unfortunetly the airline told me it was too late to get my ticket renewed being that it was a long period i had to keep on renewing which i did not do. I had to call home in Africa so that they can buy me a ticke to return home in Africa but they did not bother. My visa expired on 7th. Aug. 2009 and i left Finland in Dec. 16th. 2009. My worry is i’d like to travel to Sweden in Dec. 2012 but am scared that they might deny me a visa because i overstayed in Finland. What should i do? Thank you.

    Link Reply
  • Garth July 18, 2012, 2:10 pm

    HI there, I was wondering if you could help out. I am a South African, but my Mother is a British Citizen, living in Barcelona Spain. Last Year I had to go over to Spain and Help her as her Mental health deteriorated after a particularly nasty Divorce. I landed up overstaying the 90 day visa by about three months. I did not work, I made an attempt to extend the visa, but my Spanish in minimal, and everything there is all Spanish – very little English. When I left the official said that did I understand that I cannot come back to Spain, i said ok, no problem, I dont like the place much anyway 🙂

    To cut a long story hot, it has now been a year and i find myself wanting to take up studies in Norway. Would this Spanish Bann reflect on their systems ?

    Link Reply
    • Wade Shepard July 18, 2012, 9:01 pm

      If you are banned from Spain you are banned from then entire Schengen zone. I would check and see if you were really banned though. Apply for your student visa as you normally would.

      Link Reply
      • steven November 10, 2012, 3:35 am

        hi wade iam indian i went europe in 2004 in tourist visa (shengen) i overstayed and came to france, in 2009 police caught me and put on me detention center in 32 days and after that they deported me, my country of orgine, now iam applying for spanish student visa its a long stay visa schengen visa, can i enter to europe, and my passport is expire in 2006 and they send me to emergency certificates to india, can i apply for spanish student visa?

        Link Reply
  • mario August 16, 2012, 2:09 am

    hi,my name is mario and i have a question to u…i come in germany for tourist visa in invitation.but my time period is finish already 2months.so i want to go back in middle east.what is the procedure to get out without any problem..

    Link Reply
  • kat October 10, 2012, 11:00 am

    hello, please help me out, i was deported from Germany in 2008, and now i want visit my friend in Italy, and now my problem is i dont know if i will be allow to enter the schengen Zone by having a shengen visa.

    Link Reply
    • Wade Shepard October 10, 2012, 8:11 pm

      The only way of knowing is to inquiry the German consulate. I would recommend just applying to see if you get it.

      Link Reply
  • sally December 13, 2012, 3:04 pm

    I was wondering what the chances are of getting stopped by bus leaving the Schengan Zone and heading to the UK and having our passports checked. A friend and I are waiting for our visa that is in the process but it is not complete yet but we would like to go home for the holidays. We are over our 90 day tourist visa but are in process for the long term visa. Do you think we would be okay to take a bus to London and fly from London to the States? Too risky?

    Link Reply
    • Wade Shepard December 13, 2012, 7:57 pm

      Your passports will be checked when you leave, when you enter the UK, when you leave the UK, and when you return.

      Link Reply
  • john dsouza December 14, 2012, 1:39 am

    hi wade, i was deported from france, 3 years ago, and they told me i can come back to schengen zone, but i like to apply for student visa to spain, and my passport was expier when i deported, can come to spain for student visa?

    Link Reply