Top Questions About Schengen Visa Overstay Answered
I never knew that my experiences with visas in the Schengen Zone would turn into a world of information for travelers and people looking to relocate to Europe.
Not only do I help research their questions, but also provide information on how to apply to legally live in the countries they love.
My most popular post is about the Schengen Treaty and Overstaying Visas. With the enormous amount of feedback and questions, I decided to compile the most common questions and situations I receive, and some answers and solutions.
If you have one of the same situations, please write in the comments which letter your situation is under, and I can further help you, or email me privately.
You can also checkout my Schengen Visa Calculator so you don’t end up in these situations.
Situation A
I want to get married to an EU citizen, but I am non-EU and have overstayed my Schengen tourist visa.
Answer: If you have overstayed your Schengen visa, you’re definitely going to have some issues getting legally married in EU/Schengen, because in order to get married, you need to get authorities involved, and provide proof of your legality and residence the country you want to marry in. All countries have different procedures.
Situation B
They only gave me 15 days in Schengen, but my flight tickets are booked for 25 days.
Answer: You should not book your flights before you are given your visa status. You need to change your flight tickets to coordinate with the amount of time your Schengen visa is allowed.
Situation C
I overstayed in a Schengen country and was caught and fined €600, but I never paid. What will happen? Where can I pay this if I am in my home country?
Answer: If you never pay, you cannot enter that country (and potentially Schengen) for 4 years and will be entered into the Schengen Information System. You really SHOULD pay on the spot. Because it becomes a total catch 22 if you leave – you cannot pay online, only at the country’s tax office or passport control. If you don’t pay, after 4 years it is apparently erased (this information is from a Greek example, it could vary from country to country.)
Situation D
I have a student visa. Can I travel to other Schengen countries after it expires?
Answer: It depends on what country you come from. For those who do not need a Schengen visa to travel, I would presume depending on what type your student visa was, you would be allowed an additional 90 days of tourism in Schengen. Please speak to your study abroad office for precise answers.
Situation E
I got a Schengen visa (valid for 1 year), but I did not realize I only got 20 days to visit.
Answer: It’s important to pay attention to how many days you are allowed to stay inside Schengen. Just because your visa is valid for 1 year, you may only get a few weeks to be in the Schengen zone. Make sure to look at all dates on your visa!
Situation F
I overstayed my Schengen tourist visa C, and the border guard did not say anything when I left. But now when I reapply, they denied my application because they saw I had overstayed.
Answer: Just because you leave and they didn’t say anything, doesn’t mean you are home-free. If you are from a country where you have to apply for a Schengen visa, then they have everything on record because they will ask for your previous dates and look into the system. If you are denied, please try and appeal.
Meca
April 4, 2023Hi can you help? I mis calculated the days I overstay so I got 2 days overstay in Germany last Nov. 2022. I had sign some docs from Immigration they said they will email me but no email from them. I said like I miscalculated becoz I went off to another 3 days off at Montenegro. Can I get a chance to get a visa this time like a Language course visa if I apply back ?
Lindsey
April 23, 2023Hey Meca! Check if they supplied you with an email to contact them. Otherwise, you should call the embassy to look for information on who you can contact.
mforte49
June 15, 2022Hi Lindsay,
I will be traveling to Switzerland after having been in Prague for the past few months, and the total time within Schengen for my planned exit date exceeds the 90 days by 3 days. I will be going to Switzerland in the end of august for a school program with my US university, so I do not meet criteria for a student visa. Knowing in advance I’ve tried to apply for a visa for Switzerland, but the embassy allotted to my state has no appointments until too close to when I leave for it to be processed. Do you have any advice or things i should expect? I will be legal when I enter, but my exit date is just 3 days over the 90 days.
Thank you!
Lindsey
April 23, 2023Hey! Sorry for the late reply – would be interested to know what happened?
jr2019
May 24, 2021Hi Lindsey! I’m a US citizen, so I don’t need a visa to travel to the Schengen region. I believe I may have unknowingly overstayed in 2019 due to following some advice about Poland specifically which I am now aware might not apply to the rest of Schengen. I stayed for a total of roughly 120 days (more like 110 if the UK doesn’t count, I’m not sure). However, I took a few days in the middle to go to Ukraine. I was given the advice that in Poland if you go to Ukraine you can stay another 90 days so I did and thought nothing of it. However, I travelled to other Schengen countries after this excursion in Ukraine (I came back to Poland initially). I had no issues at any point and nothing happened to me, no questions, no extra flipping through my passport. By this time it’s been about two years since I’ve left. My question is if I were to travel again to Schengen sometime in the next year, should I be concerned about any issues at the airport? Do they track information on US citizen entries from two years back?
Justin
September 9, 2020Hi Lindsey,
I am an American citizen currently in Belgium. I was issued a Visum D in October 2019 for contracted work that I had here in Belgium. My contract, Visum D and work permit expired altogether on August 26, 2020. I fully intended to have already returned to the States prior to the expiration of my visa. A few things happened: Corona, and my engagement to a Belgian national. We applied for marriage in July, and it was granted last month. My marriage date was requested and approved for September 18. I have been operating with the mindset that my US passport would afford me 90 days visa-free in Belgium immediately after my visa expired, without having to leave Belgium or the Schengen Zone. Now I am in a panic realizing that I most likely should have left the Schengen Zone (if only for an hour in an airport) on or prior to August 26 in order to receive an exit and re-entry stamp. Is this in fact the case?
On top of this, I have contracted work in Switzerland due to begin on October 30. My Swiss visa and residency permit is being processed right now, and has not been flagged or denied up to this point. My concern now is that I will either be flagged, questioned, fined or banned upon entry in Switzerland, or at a later date when attempting to re-enter the Schengen Zone. If I try to rectify the situation by contacting the US consulate in the coming days, I fear that I’ll be flagged and forced to return to the US immediately. This would render my pending marriage impossible, as well as jeopardize my Swiss contract.
That was a longwinded explanation to ask your opinion on the following questions:
– Am I currently in Belgium illegally and subject to fines, ban or deportation?
– Would it be best for me to at least wait until after my marriage next Friday to present the issue to the US Consulate?
– Can you imagine any scenario where an immigration lawyer would be able to help me obtain a retroactive start date of the 90 day, visa-free allotted time that my US passport would ordinarily afford me?
Thank you so much for what you do here. Even having bad news confirmed to you can be an odd source of comfort and relief 😉
Lindsey
September 12, 2020Hey Justin! We spoke on Twitter, but I wanted to post your comment here so others can read. For those wondering, the answers to his question was..as of writing..
1. No he is not currently illegal in Belgium due to his 90-day Schengen tourist visa after his D-visa just ended on Aug 26.
2. He needs to decide if he wants to be on a spousal visa in Belgium or continue with his Swiss D-visa (spousal visa could end up taking longer to get than the D-visa…plus his D-visa is not for Belgium, so he’d have to do xtra paperwork when he decides to live and work in Switzerland).
3. His 90-day tourist start date did happen in July because he visited a Schengen country outside of his D-visa. But he obviously never received any stamps for it due to freedom of movement. So no one can prove he was there = why this whole thing is ridiculous and confusing.
Anyway, Justin please update us here when things are more clear from your side. We wish you the best of luck!
Valentina Guerra
October 1, 2020Hi Lindsey!
I am a non European citizen, right now I am living in Lithuania and have a national D visa because I am a student. In my passport it says that the visa lasts until October 4, and I am planning to leave Lithuania on October 3 and arrive to Spain on October 4, and that same day at 5pm leave in a flight to my country. Will I have any problems?
Lindsey
October 3, 2020Hey Valentina! You’ll be fine, happy travels!
Daniel
August 29, 2020Hi Lindsey,
I am an American citizen that has been in Spain for 2 years (legally). My resident permit ended on June 30th and my 90 day tourist time ends on September 28th. However, because of the Coronavirus situation and how it’s being handled in the U.S., my girlfriend and I don’t feel comfortable going there before our time expires. We have made the tough call to leave Spain in December (overstaying by about 2.5 months), and we are aware of the consequences (ban, fine). We just don’t feel safe going to the U.S. right now with no jobs in prospect and no health insurance in case we get sick. Our predicament now is that flights are INSANELY expensive to the U.S. from Spain, except for a Portuguese airline that would have a layover in Lisbon before taking us home to Chicago. I am personally wanting to leave on a direct flight from Spain since I’ve heard Spanish immigration tends to be more lax with immigration overstays and I have no idea how strict Portugal is in these cases, but the prices from Spain are literally in the thousands of euros. Do you happen to have some knowledge of how strict Portuguese authorities are in general in these cases? Should we definitely expect to get banned and fined if we leave the EU through Portugal instead of Spain?
Thanks for your help
Lindsey
September 6, 2020Hey Daniel! Thanks for stopping by. I understand your woes at it looking grim back stateside. It’s a tough call. 😩 With everything happening due to corona, I would assume things would be more lax in general, but I have heard some comments from my readers getting in trouble still during these times. Portugal is also more relaxed so you could try from there. Obviously it’s not a guarantee you won’t get in trouble – especially because everyone knows Americans have not been allowed in Europe since March…so it might be more obvious something is up. I say go for it – because you could also get caught in Spain and then you’d be caught + have paid more money for the return ticket 🙆♀️ Safe travels to you and your girlfriend!
jagan
August 14, 2020hii, i overstayed in danmark for more than 5 months due to miscommunication between me nd immigration authorities.
i left on my own informing them, at the airport officer stamped exit stamp on my passport.
that was 5 years back can i reapply now for studies or visit visa in Scnegen area.
Lindsey
August 24, 2020Hey Jagan, did they tell you how long your ban is for? You might want to look into this information from the Danish embassy in your country. If it is longer than 5 years, you still need to stay out.
Jagan
August 25, 2020Hi,
No there was no such thing , I was not banned it was just that I applied for extension f my work permit which they refused to extend . And gave me deadline to leave. But letter which they sent never reached me due to unknown reasons.
Since it was summer vacations there I waited for few weeks and gave them a call , guy said they will send another letter which they never did.Finally I came to know about bad news when I came to that police is looking for me. I called immigration again same day and now they informed me that you must leave on your own.
I got myself ticket very next day and left informing them in a email about my ticket and leaving dates.no one stopped me or said anything.
This was in 2015
Lindsey
August 26, 2020I think you’ll be fine if you re-apply. That was a long time ago, and it seems like an honest misunderstanding. If you have any of the paperwork or email exchanges to prove your communication about not receiving the information, I’d gather that just in case your new visa gets denied and you need to appeal the decision. But I think you should just try to apply and see what happens and proceed from there. Wishing you the best of luck, Jagan!
Ian
July 29, 2020Hope you are doing well… I will try to be brief. I am from a non eu country. I overstayed in sw for a year. Eventually lost my passport. I got a new 1 from my embassy. Do you think it will be noticeable due to a new passport. Thanks in advance.
Lindsey
August 26, 2020Hey Ian, thanks for dropping by! I live in Sweden, and isn’t it difficult to be illegal here? Literally everything needs a legal personnummer! Anyway, do you have a 90 day waiver? Also, losing the passport is the oldest trick in the book for immigration – whether this was on purpose or not. If you are from a country that needs to have a visa, they have all your biometrics on file – especially in Sweden when every move you make is on file. Your passport may have changed, but your name and biometrics did not. Your visa will be tied to all of that, not just your passport number. So yes, they will probably know you overstayed if they stop you.
Lalit Talele
June 13, 2020I have overstayed for an around 16 months 10 days in Germany and somehow I escaped unscathed through Frankfurt airport. At immigration the officer did ask me show me your permit and I said it was expired and I threw it after vacating my apartment. But when I realized what crime I have committed I was going through lot of fear and anxiety, can’t really express how ashamed and mental torture I went through but then Corona came it was my only chance to escape. I was so happy when I got exit stamp at Frankfurt airport rather than deportation and all that. I just kept staying in Germany and didn’t realize the crime I committed but then comes a yellow post with a huge fine which I am suppose to pay if I don’t respond to them, then I realized how stupid I was. The yellow post was about some insurance office and then I decided that I have to react and I saw that some special flights were operating for my country and I registered and just took a chance and I succeed. But feels so bad to break a laws in country where they provided me an opportunity to study and look for work. I can only recommend is never break laws in any country.
Daryll
January 18, 2020Hi! Thank you for this important information.
As a matter of fact, I was issued a Schengen visa for Poland last summer and the number of days of stay was listed as 84 days. My visa was expiring a week after 84 days and so unknowingly (misconceiving the expiry date as the actual leaving date), I made some last minute plans of visiting some places in Poland and stayed 3 days more. While I was leaving on the 87th day after my entry, I was caught by the immigration officer and I tried to explain him the lack of knowledge from my side but I was issued a 6 months ban from entering Poland and a fine of 500 złotys of which I paid 100 as I didn’t have much cash on me. As of today, 6 months have ended and I’m trying to apply for a German visa. Would my visa application be affected?
P.S. Sorry for this detailed passage. Your help and advice would be greatly appreciated😇
Lindsey
January 28, 2020Hey Daryll, thanks for sharing! I think people need to see stories from people getting caught! Usually if you do not pay the full amount, your visa might not be approved. Did the police say anything to you about not paying the whole fine? I suggest just trying for the German visa and see what they come back to you with. It’s either a yes or a no.
Scarlett Linten
January 8, 2020Hello Lindsey!
I am writing to you because I am in an overstay predicament.
I am a U.S. citizen, 25 year old woman. I came to Prague to stay with my aunt for a while, as I am a writer for the U.S. and came to work on a few projects in a peaceful setting. After about a month, I decided I wanted to stay a while longer. I followed all the steps and started my application for a Zivno work visa which would allow me to stay until next year. I wanted to make sure I did everything the legal way! Unfortunately, I have not yet been granted this visa and I have now overstayed my 90 days (by about a month now).
The real issue is that my father has fallen sick and I must return home indefinitely. My best friend is getting married in Tuscany next year and I do not want to be banned! Will I be fined and banned from the Schengen if I leave now? I know the rules are inconsistent, but there has to be certain ways I could at least lower my chances of an unsavory outcome.
Would Italy be my best bet on leaving without repercussions? Can I go by train or plane to Italy without being realized as technically illegal? Thank you in advance for your time and help! I couldn’t appreciate it more!
Lindsey
January 28, 2020Sorry to hear about your dad ☹️ I think you need to go to be with him, despite all odds. I don’t think you will be banned. Carry all your paperwork with you when you travel in case they stop you. You can explain the situation and show that you were waiting for the decision. Try flying to southern europe like Italy or Spain – or just bite the bullet and go from Prague – they might be understanding (or they might bot question you at all 🤷🏼♀️) Concentrate on your dad right now 🧡
belal
December 5, 2019Hello! thank you for all this helpful information,
I am visiting a friend of mine in Spain and we are planning on traveling to Berlin on the 21st of December. The issue is her visa for Spain expires on the 15th of December and she will not receive her TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) card until January 8th, so we are worried they will not allow her back into Spain. During her TIE appointment she asked if she could return into Spain using the paper they gave her after the appointment and they said that she could try to get back in but no promises. I was just wondering of you have any information about this certain situation and what the chances are of not allowed re-entry even though her card is simply being processed and would be able to stay in Spain during this process. Sorry for the extensive passage! Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Lindsey
December 7, 2019Hey! There is a high chance they might not let her back in if she travels outside of Schengen. If she is traveling inside of Schengen, no border control exists so no one would check her papers. The TIE people are technically correct that this situation has “no promises.” But if she is inside of Schengen, she won’t be checked on this. Best luck!
Humayun Akbar
November 19, 2019I got italy visa of 30 days with 15 days stay and now in italy.but I want to explore some business opportunities in Sweden for which 15 days is nothing.my visa is business visa C.issued from italy embassy in our home country.
What should I do now should I go to Sweden and search some business opportunities and stay there ofcourse overstay there and once find something then will they allow me to stay?
Your response needed today or tomorrow if possible as i have very short days to decide.
Better reply me on email so I can notify immediately.
How would I know you replied me otherwise?
Lindsey
November 28, 2019Hello! Not sure what your citizenship is, but you cannot explore more of Schengen if your 15 days will have expired. If you overstay, you cannot get a new visa while you are still in Europe. I live in Sweden, and they are very strict on this. You need to leave back to your home country and get a new visa. You can learn more about this here: https://www.everyoneinbetween.com/2018/07/determine-schengen-visa-validity-vs-days/
Alex
November 2, 2019Hi Lindsey! So, I have a bit of a dilemma. I am American and my boyfriend is German and lives in Norway, and I’ve been traveling in and out of schengen since we started dating back in February, meeting him in the UK and Ireland and such. We’re both moving to Vancouver though for awhile at the end of the month and officially leaving schengen. Legally, November 17th is when I have to leave. But, I really want to leave on the 18th as it’s a direct flight and so so so much cheaper, so it would be overstaying just one day. Additionally, my passport is a hot mess in the sense that all of the entry and exits are out of order (we took a trip through the Balkans over the summer and the stamping situation was quite chaotic), so to actually calculate my days by counting dates on the stamps would be a royal pain in the ass that would take a long time. I also entered Norway/schengen via Poland for my most recent 30 days, so Norway wouldn’t have a record of my entry in this period. In your honest opinion, do you think overstaying one day would be much of an issue? I’d be flying direct from Tromsø, Norway to London, and the border official in Tromsø literally did not care Last time I made that flight/trip and actually stamped my passport completely out of order as well (stamped my exit a few pages before my entry stamp, so basically didn’t really bother to see when I entered). Thank you in advance!
Lindsey
November 28, 2019Hello! Sorry I did not catch your comment before! I would have said not to stress about 1 day if you are an American citizen, but I suppose you have gone through it now and are fine ☺️
H
October 5, 2019Hey! Yes, they did. (Though I wish they hadn’t, definitely an opportunity to learn what to do in a situation like this!) I have contacted my university, and the staff are working on one potential solution. I’ll go to my embassy first thing on Monday to work on a back-up solution– and I can report back for anyone else that might experience this kind of shock in the future!
Thank you!
Lindsey
October 5, 2019Yes, come back to us with an update! 👏🏼👏🏼
H
October 3, 2019Hi Lindsey,
I seems like your advice has helped so many people! Sending lots of gratitude for the wisdom being passed around here.
I have a tricky one for you… that I’m currently stuck in.
I am a US citizen that will apply for a student visa in Germany this Fall. (US citizens apply in-country and are expected to arrive on a tourist visa to set up banking, lodging, etc.)
It only came to my attention last night as I read some “visa advice” blogs that I, like others from the US, had major misconceptions about entry/re-exit on the Schengen. And to be honest, I think I messed it up more than most!
I was here traveling/staying with family friends in Italy from late May until late August, fitting perfectly into the 90 day time window (at 88.5 days).
I then went to the US for almost 3 weeks. And so far so good, until…
I came back on my round trip ticket to Italy on the 9th, was stamped for entry, breezed through security and have been back in Italy ever since… totally and completely unaware of the implications of this. (Realizing this last night was truly the the biggest shock of any travel experience I’ve ever had. I’ve lived only in countries very rigid regulations that would never have let me step foot outside the airport without permission.)
Where we’re at now: I’m at an “unconsecutive” 22 days past.
I’m booked to move to Germany a week from now. I’ve arranged lodging and language classes, and my official appointment for visa transfer to the student visa in my German student city at the end of November. (Booked a couple months ago.) And this plan only works considering my Schengen was valid in each country for 90 consecutive days on each entry. (Very inconsistent with what it actually is…I know.)
Feeling a little stuck. Do I exit? Do I arrive to my student city and discuss with the authorities there, as they would be better prepared to handle a student violation? (Ideally with proof that i will be transferring my visa ASAP?) Do I contact my embassy immediately? All i want is to a) be legally here and b) be present for my first classes in November.
Your insight means so much!
Lindsey
October 5, 2019Hey! Well, they let you back in, which is the perfect example of why the Schengen system is hit or miss. They should not have, by definition. But here is a question…I have been told by German embassies that you cannot change a tourist visa in a student visa while in the country. Usually any visa past 90-days is called a Schengen D visa, which is basically a resident permit. So your situation is a bit tricky, and I would contact your university in Germany to ask about this before any sudden moves. Best of luck!
Shukla
October 1, 2019Hi. In my case i was cought for overstaying for 47 days. I paid the fine of 650 euro immediately. I have my visa valid until 2021.i want to know if i can travel with the same visa or shud i apply for a new one.
Lindsey
October 1, 2019Hey Shukia! They may have cancelled your visa. I would call the embassy where you received your visa and talk to someone about the situation anonymously to make sure everything is ok. Also, if you try and get a new visa, they might be hesitant to give a new one if you have it on your record you overstayed for so long. Best of luck to you ✌🏼
Dennis Sanchez
August 7, 2019I like that you mentioned that it is important to pay attention to how many days you are allowed to be in a country when using a visa. I’ve never worked or traveled with a visa before so I am not very familiar with how they work. I’d be interested in learning more about how work visas function.
Lindsey
August 7, 2019Hey Dennis! It’s very important to follow your visa rules! It is what allows order with guests coming and going within the country, and also what protects the country from non-residents. If you are curious about how a visa technically works, you can check out my post about Visa Days vs Validity.
Pete
August 6, 2019Hi, thanks for all the information, you are very helpful. My wife and I are American citizens staying in Spain. Our 90 days will be up August 26th. We are considering staying another month, as it would just make the most sense for us for many reasons. I have talked to the Foreign office about extending, but they are very slow, and we need to make a decision for flights. We want to go to Croatia next. If we overstay here but they don’t say anything, would Croatia immigration have a problem with it? Is Spain still quite lax on overstays for Americans? Thanks a lot, look forward to your response.
Lindsey
August 6, 2019Hi Pete! Thanks for writing in. Croatia doesn’t have an issue with you entering (and it’s not Schengen, so you can stay up to 90 days there!) but Spain could have an issue with you exiting…or even re-entering on a layover back home. The thing is, it’s not really up to you to casually decide to extend your stay. It’s literally against your visa. Think if tourists were to do that in the U.S.! They’d get banned for sure. Same thing can happen in other countries. So I’d think about your choices if it really is worth the risk to stay a month longer. It depends on the police officer you speak with when exiting Spain…you might get caught, or you might not. 🤷🏼♀️
Bryan Caldwell
April 20, 2019Dear Lindsey,
I am a US citizen. Before visiting Portugal and Spain I checked the US travel.gov website and saw that no visa was required for a stay of less than 90 days in either country. I was unaware of the 90/180 Schengen requirement. I spent 30 days in Portugal and will have spent 30 days in Spain when I leave in one week to go to London. The problem is that in Nov. and Dec. of last year I spent enough time in France that when I leave Spain I will be 18 days over the 90 day limit. I’m not sure what to do. My biggest concern is that the UK will deny me entry if I’ve overstayed the time in the Shengen Zone and arriving directly to the UK from the Schengen Zone. I will have with me proof of ticket to the US on six weeks after UK entry, paid AirBnb reservations for the entire time I’m in London, proof of my (pension) income and resources, and proof of healthcare. Is it likely that I’ll be denied entry to the UK?
Lindsey
April 20, 2019Hey Bryan! Thanks for stopping by. Be more worried about border control leaving Schengen. That’s where they can fine or ban you. UK doesn’t care (unless you have been banned from a country before). I think you’ll be fine. Just make sure your future trips to Schengen countries are within the 90/180 limi. Best of luck! ✌🏼
Baku Vanzara
March 19, 2019Dear Lindsey, hope you’re doing well,
I went to Poland for 2 years student visa and I completed my studies in agaust 18 and came to India for my back pain treatment that I had while in Poland. And I found major issues for my back pain. I have been in India from about last 7 months and my temporary residence card of Poland valid till August 19(still 5 months). My question is I want to come back to Poland so do I will face immigration problems to enter in Schengen countries? As I overstay here in India more than 6 months? Please reply.
Thank you
Mel
March 18, 2019Hi! Would love to hear your opinion on this: my family and I (Americans) are living in Norway for my husband’s job on a temporary residence permit that expires June 30th. In a completely stupid moment, while booking our return flights to the US, I booked flights for July 4th, as the ones at the end of June were crazy expensive and at that point I was just trying to find flights I could actually afford. It wasn’t until a week after I booked them that I realized I’d made a mistake. Norway’s immigration website states that if you have a residence permit that has expired you must travel out of the Schengen Area first before you can return and stay for up to 90 days. Right now I’m trying to figure out what we should do and wondering what you would do in this situation. Should we take a trip to the UK on June 30th and then return to Norway for our July 4th flights? (At this point, it’s way too expensive to rebook these flights for 4 people.) Or should we just do nothing and hope for a sympathetic immigration officer when we go thru Border Control in Amsterdam? (We’ve already checked and it’s not possible to get an extension on our residence permits.)
Thanks!
Lindsey
March 18, 2019Hello! When your visa expires, you still are allowed to be a tourist! But yes, they do ask you to leave Schengen (keep receipts of flights/accommodation) and return to Schengen to be on your “visa-free” tourist waiver. Some countries actually just want you to leave their own country (even if it is to another Schengen country) to prove you left the country your visa was valid in. I would call the American embassy or immigration and ask to get a clear answer how Norway handles this. Best of luck ✌🏼
Sara
January 28, 2019Hey Lindsey, your response rate is incredible and so useful! So I am an American and have been an Au Pair here in Spain for almost 3 months(it will be 90 days 2/2, your calculator is soooo hopeful btw!) and I want to continue my stay for another 3 months but I also want to travel around the Schengen Countries while I’m here would that be possible without having a heart attack everytime I have to go to the airport? I tried changing my tourist visa to a student one but I can’t do that while I’m here in Spain. Should I try to obtain a residence card and hope they don’t notice that I’m about to overstay my visit?
Lindsey
January 28, 2019Hey! Thanks for the kind words! ✌🏼 Some countries have partnerships with certain US states for offering an Au Pair visas (like a student visa) while others allow you to be on your tourist visa. If you went to Spain on your tourist visa…then you cannot get another 90 days to travel around Schengen. I don’t think you can apply for a residence card based on your Au Pair work over the last 90 days…I would contact Spain’s Immigration Board and clarify. Otherwise, time to head to a non-Schengen country! 😬
Tamanna Tani
November 15, 2018Hello! Firstly, I have to say that your responses are so helpful. However, I have an issue. I am a citizen of Bangladesh and came to denmark with student residence permit. My husband lives in Estonia so I went there and overstayed 3 months. Now I am applying for a long term visa in Estonia. But the thing is that While I enter in estonia there were no stamping on
my passport. So my question is that is it possible for them to track that I overstayed here. One more thing I want to add, before the last time, I also visited him in January and last year September but that time also for entry amd exit no stamp was sealed.
Lindsey
December 29, 2018Hey Tamanna, if your husband lives in Estonia, why hasn’t he applied for a spousal visa for you? You shouldn’t be living in Denmark on a student visa if you’re able to get a residency in Estonia. You can find information on this visa here. Also, since Estonia and Denmark are both Schengen, there is no border control, which is why you did not get a stamp. Yes, it is possible for whatever Schengen country you exit from to a non-Schengen country to realize you overstayed because if your Danish student visa expired…you have no other visa, and they can determine that simply by looking at your visa expiration date.
Daniel
November 5, 2018Good day ,
My name is Daniel a citizen of Nigeria ,but I live in Europe and I am married to Romania girl ,I over stay 4 days in Hungary but at the airport when I want to go out they stamped me out without no fine , but now I applied for another schengen tourist visa in Germany embassy more than 15 days they have not call me,what can cause the delay? ?
Lindsey
November 5, 2018Hey Daniel! Romania is in Schengen. So if you are married to a Romanian citizen and live in Romania or a Schengen country, you should not be on tourist visas…you need to apply for a resident type D visa based off your marriage.
Yolande Smit
October 20, 2018Good morning
My daughter (South African) is an aupair in France. She applied to extend her visa for 6 weeks. She received her recepisse de demande de carte de sejour. However the wait to receive the actual card is endless. With this receipt she got a few weeks extra, however she will still be 12 days short. She already bought her airticket for the extended time. If she shows proof of her application and this recepisse at the airport- how much trouble do you think she will encounter at the airport
Lindsey
October 30, 2018Hey Yolanda! Did they say how much extra time she was awarded? Of course, if she overstays, they will need to see her purpose and paperwork. The issue is she allowed to work while her visa is being renewed? Just make sure when she leaves, she has all of her paperwork printed out for the officer in question.
Adhishree
October 16, 2018Hi! So I’m from India and have been a regular traveler to Germany over the past six years on account of my sister and boyfriend living there. This last visit, i overstayed by ten days because of the confusion between duration of stay and expiration date of the visa. The officer at border control in France let me go with a warning but he circled my exit stamp and pointed it to the no.of days on my visa.
Now it’s been over 180 days and I have applied for a Schengen visa. I’m waiting to receive my passport back and I am quite worried. Is there a chance they will issue a visa for me considering my travel history and the fact that this was my first time overstaying? Thank you for your help.
Lindsey
October 30, 2018Hey Adhishree, there is a possibility they could deny you and you’ll have to appeal with your reasoning for why you overstayed by 10 days. Do let us know if you have received an update since you wrote in to us!
Isla bonita
October 14, 2018Hello Lindsey
Happy to find this blog.
I’m Jen from Philippines,
Been to Norway last month(first time) , but during my exit officer told me that I already overstay for 6days because my duration of stay is only 24 days ,and I stay there for 30 days because my visa expired 15 of October, and I arrived 8 of September and I exit 7 of October which is still covered in my visa valid date .Is this case affect when I apply again for shengen visa? I don’t have any intention to overstay, I only thought that its ok because I still covered in my visa valid date .
Lindsey
October 30, 2018Hey Isla! Validity dates just means you cannot stay past that day – but you need to not extend past the number of days you are given. I write about this here: This may affect your future applications to getting a visa, which may cause you to appeal their denial decision. Even if you had no intention to overstay, it is your responsibility to understand the rules of your visa. Best of luck!
Jim
October 5, 2018Hi Lindsey, I am a US citizen who overstayed in Europe (Schengen area) by 16 days this summer. I confess that I was not aware of the 90/180 rule. I passed through passport control in Frankfurt three times (over three days – flying standby) but no one said anything to me about my overstay. From what I have read it seems that I should probably be able to return without a problem as long as I wait the 90 days. However, I would prefer to be certain that I will not have any issue returning. Is there any way to inquire about my status before flying across the pond? Thank you! Jim
Lindsey
October 7, 2018Hey Jim! Many people don’t understand the 90/180 day rule. It’s because Americans think each country allows them 90 days (because that’s the standard usually), when in Europe, it’s totally different due to the Schengen Treaty. If they didn’t say anything to you on exit, then I think you will be fine as long as you wait out the 90 days. Border guards only look at your travel history 180 days back at control (control = when you enter or exit a country). There isn’t really a way to check your status unless you want to stir the pot by admitting your mistake after you got out free. However, when you do return, make sure you do not overstay your 90 days again! So breathe easy, and best of luck!
Anonymous
October 4, 2018Hi Lindsay,
I took my first trip to Europe this year using my lUS passport only. I arrived in Spain on April 5th and departed via Germany on July 19th. My trip lasted 106 days, 16 days over the 90 day maximum. I traveled on a buddy pass which is similar to flying standby and it took three trips to the Frankfurt airport before I landed a seat on a US bound flight. So, I passed through passport control three times. None of the agents mentioned that I had overstayed and, of course, no fines were levied.
While researching for a possible return trip to Europe I found and read the Schengen rules and the consequences of overstaying. What I learned is that an overstay can lead to a fine as well as difficulty returning to the Schengen area. I know that this subject has been addressed in your forum but I don’t see an answer to my question which is: how do I find out if I will be able to return to any of the Schengen countries and if a fine will be imposed?
Thanks,
Jim
Lindsey
October 7, 2018The answer is: you won’t find out unless you get to border control. 🤷 That’s kind of the grey area and hence all the discussion and mystery behind this topic. But let me put it this way, if you were fined or had a ban from border guards, you’d know because they’d make you sign something or have a word with you on exit. But you were not spoken to. Since you’re an American and don’t have to re-apply for any physical visas (thank you, visa waiver!) chances are this situation will go unnoticed and you can return after waiting outside for 90 days. But a word to the wise – don’t overstay again because you might not be so lucky next time.
Stellar
September 15, 2018Hi Lindsey. I accidentally overstayed my 90 day visit in The Netherlands for 2 days. The officer at the control warned me not to do it again, stamped my passport and let me pass. Still, I’m worried coz I’m coming back to Holland after 3 months of staying in my home country. If a bad record is logged into the system they will most certainly let me know, won’t they? I’m afraid they won’t let me in when I come back
Lindsey
October 7, 2018Hey Stellar, as long as you have stayed out of Schengen for 90 days or more, and you have a return ticket proving your departure ticket from the Netherlands proving you won’t overstay again, they will probably let you in. But you need to have all evidence supporting you returning back to your home country. They could also decide to give you fewer days on entrance if they’re suspicious.
Kit
September 9, 2018Hey Lindsey, thanks for the post!
I travel around the schengen zone for work (company is UK based) and I overstayed this year by about 2+ weeks by miscalculating. I need to go back into the schengen zone next year again for work (approx May), I am an Australian citizen so I don’t apply for a visa, but I am wondering – do you think I would be pulled up from this years overstay?
And I would like to know what actually happens if you do get caught, I know there can be fines or bans, but would I get deported?
Thanks
Lindsey
September 9, 2018Hey Kit (cool name!) I think you’ll be fine. You won’t be going back for about a year, and if they said nothing on your exit, chances are slim anything will be said next year. You wouldn’t get deported unless you are continuously caught, work illegally, etc. so maybe you’d get a warning or even a fine. Aussies actually have something called bilateral agreements, which could allow them to be in certain countries longer. It is a risky thing, but here is info on it: http://www.everyoneinbetween.com/2018/02/how-to-travel-in-europe-legally-with-bilateral-agreements/
On a side note: If your work is having you be in Schengen more than 90 days in half a year, I’d have a chat with them to make sure they understand visa rules and regulations. It is your passport and your responsibility to protect yourself.
Bella
September 5, 2018Hi Lindsey,
I have a temporary working contract for a job in France that starts October 1st and I am worried my visa will be denied.
I went to France 2016-2017 on a long stay/ temporary worker visa (I was working as a teaching assistant). Wanting to have an extra month in Paris before heading back to the U.S., I went to the U.K. (by bus/ferry) one day before my visa expired so as to officially exit the Schengen area and re-enter France 2 days later. Upon reaching the border I was given an entry stamp into the UK, but not an exit stamp from the Schengen. I hadn’t realized this until almost a month later when I was at the CDG airport heading back to the U.S. and an immigration officer noticed; He made a little fuss, but eventually let me pass without giving me a fine. Should I be worried about having my visa approved this second time around?
Lindsey
September 9, 2018I don’t think you’ll have to worry. ☺️
Karim
August 2, 2018Hey Lindsey,
I accidentally overstayed my Swedish tourist schengen visa. It stated that it was valid for 1 month but I didn’t realize that it said I only had 16 days of stay. The passport control officer said that I had overstayed and he would have to put it in the system. I am very worried about my future visa applications to other schengen countries. I wanted to know if it would be a good idea to write a statement and reasoning to my accidental overstay for the embassy the next time I apply for a visa next year. Would it be useful or should i wait until i’ve applied and received their first response. I don’t know what to do I emailed the Swedish embassy here and they said they couldn’t do anything about it. I had no intention to overstay whatsoever. How severe are the consequences to this, am i banned or?
Thank you for your help
Lindsey
August 5, 2018Hey Karim. Sorry to hear, as this is a very common situation with short-stay tourist visa holders. I have a whole blog post which explains visa days vs visa validity: Determine Schengen Visa Validity vs Days. When you apply next time and if you get denied, you will have to appeal with it with a letter stating why you overstayed. In the future, make sure you don’t do it again, or this will only make your future visas harder to get. Best of luck!✌️
Diana
July 20, 2018Good day Lindsey!
I am a holder of residence permit in Denmark (au pair) which expires in August. I really would like to stay in DK for couple weeks more since my boyfriend is living here and we want to spend his holidays together. I am ukrainian citizen with biometric passport so I am allowed to travel in EU without visa. But I am worrying that I will get a problem on my way back because I dont have an entry stamp in my passport. What would you suggest? Thank you in advance. Have a nice day
Lindsey
August 5, 2018Hi Diana! This would mean you will be on your ‘tourist visa’ instead of the au pair. They usually suggest that you exit Denmark and then re-enter on your tourist visa. This is a bit weird since there are not borders if you go to another Schengen country. They want you to re-enter on your tourist visa. I suggest calling the Denmark immigration agency to officially ask. They are quite nice and informative whenever I call. Here is their information: https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/You-want-to-apply/Au-pair
Sam
March 29, 2022Hi! What a great forum! These issues happen way too often and there isn’t enough information out there to help people through it! I just had a question for you. I was an au pair in Belgium in 2018 and overstayed my 90 days by ten days. I was supposed to stay for a year but things for my au pair visa were taking too long and with a wedding back home I just decided to bag the idea of staying for a year and just go home. I flew home thru Barcelona and thankfully was not stopped by immigration and my passport was stamped. I then returned to Belgium/Germany at the end of 2019 to visit with no issues. I guess my question is this. I am going on my honeymoon to Italy this June and I’m just curious if there’s a chance I would be stopped? How long do they log overstays for if it was even logged in the first place? Thanks so much!
Anonymous
July 15, 2018Hi Lindsey,
I was on a student visa in Spain and asked the embassy in Singapore (where I’m from) if I could stay on my 90 day tourist visa after my student visa expires. They told me that my student visa does not count for the tourist visa days, which I took to mean that I could stay. However, I don’t know if I had to leave the Schengen region and re-enter, and I didn’t, and now I’m worried that it would be problematic when I try to leave
During my time on my student visa I also travelled to other Schengen regions as well as out to London. Would this affect my 90 day stay? I don’t need a visa to be a tourist in Schengen.
I’m worried now that I misinterpreted the email and have overstayed :/ Should I exit via a specific country that is more lenient?
Thanks so much!
Lindsey
July 20, 2018Hello! The embassy is correct on that. Once your visa expires, and if you are from a country that has a visa-waiver for 90 days, then you do get an additional 90 days as a tourist in Schengen. BUT I think that does not include Spain. Every country has different rules on this. Usually, they want you to exit the country you studied in for proof you have activated your ‘tourist visa.’ You should call the embassy again and ask clearly if you can be in Spain on your tourist visa after your student visa expires.
Ahsan Naseem
July 10, 2018Dear Lindsey,
I went to Italy for my studies in Sep 2013, but due to some reasons i could not enroll into my university. I had a visa up til Jan 2014. After that i went to France and stayed there for over a year and came back voluntarily. I was not fined by the immigration authorities. Now i want to apply for a new Visa, will they deny me?
Lindsey
July 20, 2018Hey Ahsan, it seems weird that you were granted a student visa in 2013 but when you arrived at the university, they wouldn’t enroll you? Some information seems to be missing here. I’m not sure if your visa will 100% get approved if the immigration agency has access to your stamps or viewing your passport. I suggest just applying and seeing what happens. Good luck!
Andy M.
July 6, 2018Hi, your posts have been very helpful to me and my wife. However, we have a unique case:
1. I am a student visa (D) holder. I am taking a Ph.D. degree here in Spain.
2. My wife was granted the same visa at the same time as mine thru family reunification process.
3. We entered Spain at the same time.
4. Learned that the University only processed my residence permit or TIE. They said my wife could not have her own TIE unless she has an offer. Believing what the clerk assigned in processing my permits and documents told us, we waited for my wife’s offer. However, no offer materialized.
5. Within 3 months, we tried to process her own TIE but at the Police Station (where we get the TIE) they told us that they could not give my wife her own TIE unless I renew my own TIE due to my case in #2 above. They only gave her the NIE even though we already paid for the TIE tasa.
6. The office did not want to start the renewal of my TIE as early as December. My TIE renewal was only processed by late April. Too late for me and my wife.
7. Now my TIE/residence permit has been renewed. We went to Extranjeria as soon as possible to find ways to rectify her status here. However, another problem: me and my wife has no record of entry in SIS! It seems that the officer at the airport when we first came only stamped our passports and did not scan it to SIS.
8. We are going to our home country for vacation (school break). I have been given an autorizaciones de regreso but my wife was denied and was even told that she could not process anything here in Spain. We need to go back to our home country and restart the process again for my wife.
9. I hope we will not be detained/held back/fined at the airport as we exit Spain.
10. Lesson learned: never trust anyone!
Naham
July 4, 2018Hey Lindsey! Naham from India. I need to know, if UK share it’s immigration information with Germany. I am planning to apply for Student visa for Germany and I had previously overstayed my UK visa by few day. But I left voluntary no stamp on it, no ban and no deportation. It was 4 years ago. So I need to know if Germany will contact UK to ask everything or they will just run VIS and SIS. or Do they manually contact each others Embassy to get information? My application is not for Schengen Visa but National Visa ‘D’.
Lindsey
July 5, 2018Hi Naham, if you were not caught or questioned in UK, I don’t think you will have an issue. If they really want to look into your travel history, they can look at your stamps if you send in your passport. But I don’t think you will have an issue. Best of luck with your stay in Germany!
A ELM
July 3, 2018Hi Lindsey,
Thank you for your previous reply. I wondering why I was fined. I had 7 day visa. I came on June 23 and left June 30 and officer fined me with 1 day overstay. Now I checked https://www.travelblog.org/Cool-Stuff/visa-calculator.php to see my departure date and it says June 30th.
Any miscalculation on my end?
Lindsey
July 5, 2018If you have a 7-day visa, the 23-30th is 8 days. They count your arrival and departure dates. I’m not really sure why that calculator is giving you that wrong information. You can easily count the days to see they are 8. I suggest using my calculator: http://www.everyoneinbetween.com/schengen-visa-calculator/
Elmi A
June 30, 2018I got my Schengen visa and visited Finland. My vis qas 7 day 23 -30. When i had come to fly the immigration officer told me i had overstayed 1 day and gave me a fine. Am i able to reapply Schengen visa? When i asked him about other hidden punishments he said we may give you second chance and depending on the embassy you can reapply. I had paid my fine duly. Any thought on this? After two montha from this incident got conference in Sweden
Lindsey
July 1, 2018Hey Elmi! Sorry to hear you ran into some trouble, but it was really good that you paid your fine. I think you would be fine to reapply for another visa, but please make sure you follow your visa validity dates more carefully because if you get fined again, this may affect your future of getting visas if immigration thinks you always overstay. Best of luck to you, and I hope you have fun in Sweden!
Asif
June 29, 2018Hello I hope you are doing well, I am a student in Hungary and I finished my study and got my degree before graduation ceremony. My resident permit is valid upto 30 of June and the graduation is in the month of July. I got application from university that the expected date of the graduation is July. So now here the problem is I visited to another schengen country and now I want to go back to my country I booked ticket for 20 of July. I have only letter form university Wich shows that the graduation ceremony is on July. So I need to know that weather I overstayed. I heard form someone that you are allowed for grace period of 30 days.
Lindsey
July 1, 2018Hey Asif! Congrats on graduating. Unfortunately, your university letter about graduation does not give you leverage to overstay your visa. Usually, when you apply for a student visa, the school says it is your responsibility to make sure you take care of the legality of your stay. So yes, you will have overstayed your visa by 20 days if you leave July 20th. I have not heard of a 30-day grace period unless you have extended your visa before it expired.
Qader
June 26, 2018Hello, I applied for Poland resident card, during the process my visa expire, lawyer said you are legal and you can love only Poland, after finger prints for resident card lawyer said you are legal to leave I fly from Poland after 4 months I apply for schengen visa in Germany embassy I found that there restriction on my travel, but I don’t know for how much time, how I can get information about my restriction period to apply again.
Lindsey
July 1, 2018Hi Qader, you should be able to find this out by calling the Polish embassy within your country and asking your case worker for more information. Best of luck!
Jessilyn Leckie
June 26, 2018Hello
I am canadian and have been living and working in france since novemeber 2016 with a work holiday visa which i have extended twice. My visa expires on july 16th but i have a trip planned to portugal from the 10th of july until the 17th and was not planning on leaving france until the 23rd of july. I have asked for a short term extension but the prefecture said no. Now i have asked for a another 6 month extension and havent recieved a reaponse yet. I am wondering if i will be allowed back into france after portugal on the 17th of july and how much they will fine me for leaving a week after my visa has expired.
Thank you
Lindsey
July 1, 2018Hey Jessilyn, France and Portugal are both within Schengen, so there will be no border control. It’s when you exit Schengen to a non-Schengen country (like going back to Canada) that a border guard may stop you. The fine can range anywhere from a couple hundred euros to around 1500, which you must pay on the spot, or else it becomes difficult. Since you are Canadian, technically I believe you are able to get away with being on your ‘tourist visa’ which all Canadians are allowed 90 days. I personally think you will be fine, but if stopped by control exiting France back home, you could mention your allowed tourist visa of 90 days.
Naoumi Ben
June 19, 2018Good afternoon Lindsey
i would like to ask please, i overstayed by 1 and half year in belgium, now i want to return back to morocco will it be an issue while exiting the country please??
that you
Nayomi
Lindsey
June 19, 2018Yes, it could definitely be an issue. You could either receive a pricey fine, banned from returning, or when you try to re-apply for a Schengen visa in the future, your request will be denied.
DamRis
June 15, 2018Hi Lindsey, great read and the comments helped me calm down. My story is a tad bit different. I was in Denmark and went home in march. I flew back at the start of june and just now I realized that I have entered the schengen zone after 88 days and not 90 which will lead me to overstaying. My flight for going back is at the start of August. Im affraid that they will cause trouble for me when I’m leaving due to overstay which was a stupid miscalculation by accident. Should i worry? Anyone with such experience? I don’t want a ban from schengen or some serious problem like that. :/
Lindsey
June 15, 2018Hey! You didn’t mention your citizenship, but they did let you back in without any issues? I wouldn’t be worried, just as long as you leave before your current 90 days are up. You can use my Schengen calculator to calculate: (http://www.everyoneinbetween.com/schengen-visa-calculator/) They only look back 180 days since your next exit, so I personally think you should be fine. ☺️✌🏼
Viktor
June 9, 2018Hi my friend told me that he overstayed his visa with macedonian passport last year for the summer in denmark but he exited the schengen borders from malmo sweden . They checked the passport for 30 minutes and said to him that there was entries and exites that where not entered in the sistem and let him go with apology for waiting so long .the overstay was 20 days and it was accident not intentional ,due to miscalculations . Will he will have problems now after one year ?
Lindsey
June 9, 2018Hey Viktor, I don’t think he will have an issue since the control did not really say anything. Just make sure your friend is careful about not overstaying again.
Me
June 3, 2018How lovely you are!!!
So here is my story: had 1 year schengen visa C from France, by pure miss-understanding i overstayed 4 months! That was in 2011.
So when i was leaving Germany, they stopped me and a big drama started!
They asked me to sign a paper in german which i couldnt understand so i didn’t do that and missed my flight! They asked then to pay a fine (around 300Euros), i slept in a detention there and morning my friends came and we went to an immigration office where they stamped in my passport a 1 day free circulation to be able to buy a ticket and catch another flight.
The guy in the immigration told me that there will le no problems till i paid the fine and if i slept in the detention its only because that office was close during the night!
So yeah, went back home (Tunisia), after a month i received a letter in german saying that they dont have anymore charges against me: HAPPY DAYS!
I bet youre waiting for the ‘’but’’! Yes indeed! But now i got a job in Hungary and the company is starting my work permit etc… My question is: do you think that the overstaying record will remain till now? For how long it remains generally in the SIS? Is it forever or as ive read in the net that it remains 5 years only? Im really worried, was really a frequent traveller and that experience really chocked me!
What do u think? Is the record of the overstay will remain stored?
Thank you sooo much!
Lindsey
June 10, 2018Hey there! Thanks for finding my blog 🎉! Congratulations on the job offer. When you paid the fine, it lets you avoid the ban (they would have given you a ban if you didn’t pay). They might still have a record of the overstay, but that shouldn’t affect your work visa you have processing. If you do run into an issue, you can appeal the decision with proof of your receipts that you paid and were given no further bans. But this happened in 2011? I think you should be fine, that was a long time ago. Best of luck!
Tarek
May 31, 2018Thanks 🙏
I appreciate your response.
Tarek
May 22, 2018Hi
I am Syrian and I got a 10 day visitor visa from Spanish Embassy in Saudi as I work there.
In the last day at the airport some stole my passports so i got a police report and issued a new passport so I over stayed by 7 days.
When flying out from Spain throgh Holland to Saudi, police stopped me. I explained and they put 2 stamps: the first is called correction stamp where it says that I entered Eu on this date through Barcelona. The second is the regular exit stamp. No fines and they said it is just a correction.
My question is: do you think I am blacklisted or I cannot get another schengen soon.
Please advise
Tarek
Lindsey
May 31, 2018Hi Tarek – I don’t think you will have an issue trying for another Schengen visa. I would try applying, and if they deny you, you can appeal with your defense of what you just explained here (would also include police reports proving your passport was really stolen). Next time make sure to keep your passport safe and sound!
Tatjana
May 20, 2018Me too. 🙂
Thanks a lot.
Tatjana
May 20, 2018I applied for resistance permit, we got a negative decision and now we are waiting for appeal, it’s almost 6 months since we appealed so I hope is going to be soon decision but I’m now scared next time when I go if they are going to tell me something on passport control because of overstaying 3 days. 🙂
Thank for your answer.
Lindsey
May 20, 2018Yes, the waiting time in Sweden for a sambo visa can actually be about 24 months. It has been all over the news. I hope a positive response to your appeal.
Tatjana
May 17, 2018Hey Lindsey. You are really nice and helpful. I been overstay 3 days in shangen. I was in Sweden 09/12/17 and come back in Serbia 10/02/18 and after that come in Sweden 17/04/18 and stay antil 15/05/18 but on passport control they’ve told me that I can stay one month so I stay but I had less then one month and I didn’t calculate good and when I come back is Serbia they didn’t me anything without any problem. I just worry that I’m going to have problem next time when I go. What are you think?
Kind regards!
Lindsey
May 20, 2018Hey Tatjana! It sounds like you are coming and going from Sweden a lot! If you are doing this because you’re in a relationship with someone, you should look into the ‘relationship visa’ or sambo visa. This will allow you to stay with your partner and live/work in Sweden full time. Here is more info on that: https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/Moving-to-someone-in-Sweden/Spouse-registered-partner-or-cohabiting-partner.html
If that is not the case, you might have a problem coming into Sweden again if you recently overstayed. In this case, I would wait 90 days from your last exit before you return again to Sweden.
Alemseged
May 8, 2018Hi Just I want to get your feedback here. Before 8 months ago I got 7 days visa permit in schengen area. But unfortunately I stayed for 1 additional day and they caught me while I was passing the immigration process to go back to my country on the 8th day. I papied around 150 Euro.
Now I am going to apply for business travel to schengen countries, is there a possibility to get the visa or better not try?
KR
Lindsey
May 10, 2018Hey KR! Thanks for writing in. Since you paid the fine, you should be good to apply for a business visa for Schengen. When you paid the fine, this means you basically paid for your mistake. If you hadn’t paid, they would have banned you. Best of luck with your travels! 😎
Gabi Rios
April 3, 2018Oops, I’m from Brasil.
I don’t remember the biometrics, but if they do have it, then it seems changing the passport won’t really do a thing. I guess I better just avoid coming in through Portugal then.
Lindsey
April 4, 2018All passports that have little chip are called ‘Biometric Passports’. This would contain information about you like name, date of birth, plus your photo and fingerprints. So anywhere you enter in Schengen would probably be able to identify your previous overstay on entry if it was logged. If it wasn’t logged, you probably will be fine.
Gabi Rios
March 31, 2018Hi! Apparently my case is not very common, but lets see if you can help me. Last year I overstayed 5 days and as I came in and out through Portugal the border office was very strict with me, said I was wrong and that next time I came to Europe I’d have to pay a fine. He didn’t stamp anything on my passport or gave me anything right away. Have you heard of peoples getting fines when they came back? Should I avoid entering through Portugal? Will getting a new passport help avoid the fine? What do you think?
Lindsey
April 2, 2018Hi Gabi! You never mentioned what type of passport you have. But I have absolutely heard of people not being let in at the control. If the officer wrote you down in the SIS, then you might be in the system. If you have a new passport, it could help, but your biometrics in the new passport will still be linked to your old passport.
Jackie
March 7, 2018Hi Lindsay,
I am an Australian student in Spain. When I arrived, I converted my Shengen visa to a NIE (available for foreign students), and after 1 year I started the renewal process to renew the NIE. I didn’t realise that I hadn’t actually completed the whole process. Now I have two months left of school, but have actually been living here for 6 months without a residency card. What will happen if I travel within Shengen? And what will happen when I have to leave Spain?
Lindsey
March 10, 2018Hey Jackie! Luckily for Aussies, you guys have heaps of bilateral agreements in Europe. You can read more about that here: http://www.everyoneinbetween.com/2018/02/how-to-travel-in-europe-legally-with-bilateral-agreements. However, you can’t stick around Spain anymore. When you leave Spain, just make sure you go to another Schengen country that is within your bilateral agreement countries. Happy travels!
Katia
March 1, 2018Hi, Lindsey. Thanks for your amazing website.
I had overstated around 40 dates by stupid burocratic mistake in Belgium but when I was leaving they said nothing to me at the airport and just stamped my passport!
I wonder what should I do next because my fiance lives in Belgium and I plan to go there in 90 days again and later apply for family reunion visa. What are the chances that now they keep all passport and entries records in their data base?
I want to change my passport to hide the information about last stamps but I’ve heard that if you have a biometric passport they can track everything.
Lindsey
March 1, 2018Hey Katia! You didn’t mention what country you’re from! Assuming you have to apply for Schengen visas, they usually can see in the paperwork when your exit date was, and due to this, they can see if you overstayed. Also, why don’t you just apply for the relationship visa now? Why wait 90 days? You cannot travel to Belgium as a tourist and then apply for a residence visa. You must apply for the residence visa in your own country, and wait for it to be approved. Here is some great information from the Belgian government: https://www.belgium.be/en/family/residence_documents_for_belgium
Katia
March 1, 2018I’m from Ukraine and having a new standart biometric passport we don’t need a visa to enter Schengen zone for 90/180 days. I just wonder can they track my entrance history by my biometric date when I apply for Visa D from Belgium. I’ve read that now even if you have a new passport it has info about your previous passports numbers.
Katia
March 1, 2018Moreover, Ukrainians should enter without visa. So cannot know for sure what’s waiting for you before border control ^^
Thanks for the link.
Lindsey
March 2, 2018Biometric chips in passports only contain your biometrics – not your travel history. So things like your fingerprints, pictures, etc. It also will help determine if your passport is blacklisted. But your stamps in your passport can giveaway if you overstayed. Anyway, if you have not been in trouble in the past, I think you will be fine.
I23/
December 24, 2017Hello Lindsay
I overstayed my visa this past October in Schengen zone for 4 days (94 days in 180)
It was my mistake
I’m from Georgia, Tbilisi. On the day of departure while I was getting back from Germany, the policewoman checked my passport and told me I had overstayed
I was taken into a room and made to sign a document which said I breached a law, but wasn’t told whether I had to pay anything instead they told me I’d receive a document from a lawyer and I still haven’t received any
I plan to go back to Germany in January 2018 by which 90 days will have already passed
Wanna know if I might run into any issues while going thru passport check in Berlin :((( I’m really hoping I won’t be denied the entry
Tried my best to find info but got mixed responses so decided to go ahead and book my flights (back and forth)
Any info would be useful
I.
Lindsey
December 29, 2017Hello! You will probably run into issues if they had you sign a document this past October. But I am assuming you had to apply for a new Schengen visa? If they approved your new Schengen visa before your flights, you should be fine. If you are going on the same Schengen visa you overstayed on, they will have you flagged at entry. I suggest if you booked the flights, make sure you have all your exit flights (that leave before 90 days), proof of work in Georgia (or if you’re studying), etc. This will help give reason to them you do not want to overstay again.
Lisa
December 20, 2017Hello, my daughter went to temp live with her father 6 months ago and has just turned 18. He has not applied for the correct visa paperwork for her (apparenlty applying for dual citizenship?), and at present she has overstayed the current visa. I have a flight booked for her in a couple of weeks to come home but she is scared to go to the airport. What is the likely outcome? Will she be able to return to travel?
Jerry
December 11, 2017Dear Lindsey.!
My girlfriend overstayed within Schengen zone
For about two year and now she is about to apply for a visiting visa ! To visit for a short term . How will this affect her visa application ?? .
Lindsey
December 12, 2017Hey Jerry! Thanks for saying hello and writing in. They may deny her visiting visa due to discovering she overstayed previously, unfortunately. If you are living in a Schengen country, you should see if there are ‘cohabitation visas’ available for the country that you can apply for and invite her to stay long-term.
khan
October 18, 2017I got tourist schegen Spain visa in February 2017 for one month .i went to Spain then Poland i start business there one law company misguide told me its legal to stay here until your decision so i start business they said within 5 month you will get your temporary residence card.after waiting 6 month i have to come back to my UAE because i cannot stay more then six month outside UAE .so i come back after one week i received my decision my temporary residence card. approved for that i have to go personally to collect card and for that i need schegen Visa so i apply in poland embassy in UAE they refuse my visa i appeal they refuse my appeal i also apply for other schegen country but they also refused.
i took tourist visa and start business even its was legal everything legal.but now i have this issue.can anyone guide me what should i do in this situation .
did they ban me ? i ask embassy give me reason but they donot lesson properly the law company they now not replay my call .business is still there i have fulfill all their requirement polish employ everything .now i have business issue there i have to go.
im pakistani national
Lindsey
October 18, 2017Hi Khan – Thanks for telling your story. They have obviously denied your application for a specific reason that the lawyers you hired were not aware of. The thing is, I don’t think you are allowed to leave the country while you are awaiting your residence card. That could be why they saw a problem. I suggest finding a new lawyer to help look into your case.
Hemant dandekar
October 5, 2017Dear Lindsey,
I got Schengen visa for one month but stay allowed for 16 days. But by mistacally my tickets booked on 17th Day . When i enter the airport for reurn flight to my country, my passbook scanned by guard and said i overday by 1 day. They filled one form and gave one copy to me to contact some lawyers in Frankfurt Germany. I called them but they doesnt know English, I dont know what is the procedure to come out from this and close this issue. Kindly Guide me.
Reena
September 27, 2017I got bussiness visa for poland and my husband stop us to 3 years overstay to their and he left us we came back our home country india now i want to go back europ with my son for visit their is something problems comes which i before overstay the sengen zone its before 2 years im overstaying in poland when we came back their is no police catch us or no tack finger print or no any craim we involved so can we get again sengen visa we are allowable
Lindsey
September 27, 2017Hey Reena, this looks more like situation F above. If you have to state your entrance/exit stamps on your application, they will be cross-checking this for the new application. They have all of your biometrics and visa history on file already in the VIS due to your other visas. If you keep overstaying, you might be running the risk of being banned from future entry.
Ali
September 20, 2017Dear Lindsey,
I applied for a Schengen Visa nearly 2 years ago and made a mistake by selecting the wrong martial status e.g selected single which should be married. Last year I applied for Schengen Visa and selected the write martial status by stating married.
I was travelling on my own so marriage certificates was not required when applied 1st time or 2nd time as well.
Recently I received a Job offer–from Germany and have to apply for National Visa-Long term. In the form the state since when I was married. I will enter the right date of my marriage certificate.
I’m worried that now they can say that 1st time when I applied why I selected the Single option? Will that information stored on VIS or SIS system? When I applied for Schengen Visa second time, I selected Married. Will the status be updated on married?
Can you kindly comment on this.
I will write the correct date as I want my wife to join me eventually, if I get visa but I’m just worried that a stupid mistake I made when I was quickly filling the form which was an oversight as my wife was not travelling might affect my National Long stay Visa request. What you think. What should I do? Kindly reply Thanks. Ali.
Lindsey
September 20, 2017They will definitely look up your past visa records to make sure everything is clear. I personally do not know how this would affect your new visa, but since you have stated on your last visa that you were married, you can always appeal a rejection and explain it was a mistake on your first visa.
Take it as a lesson to always make sure the information is correct when dealing with legal paperwork. You never know when it could affect your future!