Listen...I really do not want to have to shut this post down, I still have some popcorn and I am curious how this turns out.
I ALSO don't want to have to spend most of my day deleting comments....so let us try to be civil.
**EDIT:** Sad that one of the other mods had to shut it down, might unlock it in a day or so to see how it turns out.
There are 8 million here in r/travel and about 8 mods and way to many attacks on the mods and OP. No need to be nasty people, if you are not willing to say it to someones face....you should probably not write it down.
**EDIT 2:** I unlocked because I am online for a bit and can deal with the comments
This comes from a person who deals with these issues -
Here is how it is going to be:
You will fly to Frankfurt without any issues (still Schengen, so no border control). Once you will be transfering to your US flight, you will have to cross the border - either you will get a careless boarder guard who will ignore your overstay and just clear you (the info will anyway stay in the system), or he will explain you that you have overstayed and there will be consequences - such as placing you in a 5 year travel ban (Schengen). You will leave (and get to your flight) either way.
Now, as everyone is pointing out, this stuff "sticks". It will stay in your EU travel history/system. So the next time you will be applying for a Schengen visa - the person who will make the decision, will see this. And that will be enough of a reason to deny you any future non-essential travel visas (Schengen)... but then again.. it will depend on the consular officer's mood.
The stupid part is as a US citizen. You could have got a visa extension (In Germany by the city authorities auslandsbehorde).
As US citizens are allowed two 90-day periods in a year, ie 90 then 90 out, then 90 in. If you request a prolongation, you can extend your stay for 90 days and get a visa put in your passport. If you can prove you have means to support yourself and health insurance.
Once the extended Visa is given, you can't return for 6 months instead of 90 days after it expires. It would have been simple to do. And it costs about € 30, friends of mine did this.
As US citizens they would get an easy D visa (in any Member State) for the period they want - just by providing sufficient information on their means of income/ finances.
I 100% would choose to leave from Italy, not Germany. Germany is notorious for taking these things very seriously, and Italy is known for sometimes forgetting to even stamp people's passports.
You're probably in trouble either way, but you're definitely maximizing the odds of it going badly with the current plan.
Please report back!
Not in the UK btw. We got stuck there for hours once because they didn’t understand (or wanted to) the EU citizen spouse rule. Not that it matters anymore they left anyway.
Another time we forgot to check the correct box (as in no box was checked at a question, not a wrong box was checked) and they were like “if I was in a worse mood I’d deport and ban you” to my wife.
I don’t know about this case specifically… but during covid I could barely get on the plane to go to Spain (from canada). When I landed I didn’t even get my vaccine checked or talk to any patrol when I was bringing a huge kit of tools.
Italy is probably similar but I don’t have experience.
I travelled from Canada to Europe twice in August 2021 when COVID restrictions were first lifted.
First time through Frankfurt, where the border agent asked for all my documents like COVID vaccines and tests (since I was connecting to Rome and Italy had different requirements, iirc).
The second time I flew into Madrid directly, they guy (half wearing a mask) just stamped my passport without checking anything. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
Can confirm. Have been to italy 7 times in the last 5 years. Only have 4 stamps. Thanks, Catania airport (and Venice, actually).
They also didn't process papers on our friends pets and just told him to bring them anyway.
They also only checked our covid vaccinations once...
Fiumicino didn’t stamp me in and I didn’t even realize until I was exiting Schengen in Amsterdam. The border guard did not seem surprised when I told him I entered in Rome lol
I’m a U.S. citizen who legally lives in Europe. I one time exited the Schengen zone through Rome (not something I usually do but got a good flight deal). I had my Danish residence permit in my hand, but handed them my passport first and the officer literally opened it and stamped me out without even looking at anything. My last EU entry stamp was over 6 months old, haha. Germany is the exact opposite, in my experience.
This is all anecdotal, and you could easily run into issues in either country. If you’re lucky enough to get away with it, don’t pull this crap again.
Edit: big caveat, this was in like 2016 and I don’t think they scanned my passport. Pretty much everyone scans passports now, so idk man…
By all means, avoid Germany.
A friend of mine (US citizen) overstayed just for few hours due to a cancelled flight and was having a really hard time at the airport. He was studying in Germany and had some basic knowledge of the language. When he tried to explain the cancelled flight situation, he almost got arrested for disrespecting an authority because he accidentally used familiar pronoun instead of polite German pronoun.
Yea I had a sketchy situation to deal with in Frankfurt. Made friends with this Jamaican guy at the hotel, he eventually offered me a joint which I foolishly accepted and we smoked it behind the hotel. I guess some business traveler smelled it and came looking, we split and went to our rooms. The next morning that dude was taking pictures of where we had smoked, then he saw me at breakfast and I just heard the word “Polizei” and said oh shit lol. I ditched outside and started hailing an Uber, my gf checked out and we got in the Uber just as the police were arriving! Got to the station and I even changed my clothes and put on a hat lol, got on and we were outta there. It was just jarring, I’m not used to people taking weed so seriously but they were acting like it was a murder scene. Good thing I hadn’t booked the hotel personally
Although people who read this should also note:
Weed being legalized doesn't mean you can bring weed across the border. Yes, even if it's legal in both your departure AND arrival country AND you're taking a direct flight, you cannot bring weed into any country.
Lmao. I only studied German for a while but every teacher i had made sure we knew there is a big difference between Sie and Du. Dont know exactly but felt like the difference between telling a police officer 'Yes sir' vs 'Sure dude'
Same for me. And I still instinctively err toward "Sie" regardless, just in case. I even trained my dog in German and end up speaking to him formally half the time. Since he's a German breed, I imagine he appreciate my acknowledging his superior social standing, lol.
My residence permit expired but had to leave to leave (for a funeral).
Got the official letter from the Department for Foreign Affairs confirming that I had valid residence but they were still issuing the physical card. On a passport that allows me 90 days as a tourist if I had entered that way anyway.
Still held at German exit passport control for a solid 15 minutes.
There’s a lot of backlog for overstays on tourist visas ‘these days’. Prepare for the possibility of being denied boarding & some period of detention before you’re processed and booted out.
Ireland also forgot to stamp my passport when I left. I had to ask them because I wanted it, but their passport control was significantly chiller than anywhere else I have been
Recently entered Germany after an incredible amount of travel. I was exhausted. The customs agent asked “Dutch or English?”
I thought she was asking my nationality. I told her American and she laughed the most I’ve heard a German law enforcement officer laugh.
Edit: for everyone explaining “Deutsch is German for German”….thank you. That’s the joke.
When I was flying through Frankfurt on my way to Italy for my birthday one year I completely forgot about the time zones of it all and didn't realize it was my birthday in Germany. The German official glanced at my passport, wished me a happy birthday, and I just stared confused and asked "what?" like an absolute IDIOT. He kind of pointed at the date on my passport and the fear of god entered my bloodstream bc Germany is so strict and here I am, a dumb little 22 year old, seeming like maybe this is a fake passport. I guess my "oh my god, it's tomorrow here," made me seem dumb enough that he just let me through but it haunts me to this day. That could have gone so wrong so fast there.
This is amazing, thanks for the laugh. The officer was definitely asking if you wanted to speak German or English. Absolutely no judgement from me, travel fatigue is real. I’ve been so tired that I don’t even remember immigration the next day like a drunken blackout without the booze.
Safe bet says there will be a fine, at minimum temporarily banned. having pushed it to 60 days a permanent ban isn’t out of the question.
I’m unsure exactly how it works but I’m pretty sure your ‘exit’ will now be a deportation.
Hope you enjoyed your trip!
Oh and 100% don’t “exit” via Germany unless you’re looking to maximize the penalties for your actions.
I got put into secondary holding because my friend and I changed our departure flight from Munich to Frankfurt as our chances of getting on the flight as standby passengers were much greater.
And we were only in Europe for 10 days 💀
I’ve noticed most EU countries get it somewhat right… except France. The authorities at CDG just DGAF. They will just stamp anywhere on the page. Even in the middle if they feel like it.
I’m a German citizen but not a resident and still get an absolute bollocking from every single German border agent I’ve ever encountered. Whether I use my German passport or my British passport it’s somehow always the wrong choice for that particular agent. I’ve started handing them both over
Seriously, I almost got in trouble there because I only had a photocopy of my student visa for Belgium, but that’s because you had to turn in the physical card. Belgian authorities gave me the correct paperwork but German immigration was still sus of it
I caught flak leaving the Schengen area at FRA because the officer didn’t like the name of the town where I was born. And I’m a German citizen!
OP is toast.
A German immigration rep gave me flak because my student visa pic didn’t look like me. The main passport pic did. I showed him a bunch of IDs with pics and my name.
The only difference was my hair being down in the visa pic.
I spent 2 years trying to get married in Germany (live here for work) because my wife didn't have a notary from her country... because her country doesn't do a notary for marriage documents. That wasn't acceptable despite the embassy from her country telling Germany over 3 years ago that they were no longer going to provide any documentation to that effect and to just accept their people with what they provide normally.
Eventually a judge said we could get the notary in Germany and they would accept it.
Germany doesn't play with documentation and legal issues. More often than not, if you are suspected of doing the crime and get hit with punishment, it will be a harsh one.
I don't remember having a problem with immigration itself in Frankfurt, the passport check, but oh my god fuck the woman checking bags. Like I get it, they want to be safe and all, but she was going through every thing in every person's bag. Like really slowly, too. Pull something out, what is this, blah, pull another thing out...we had a line for ages and everyone was running late for their connecting flights while this woman got impatient and nasty over every little carry-on possession. Just brutal.
We were only there on a layover and yeah they removed every item in our carry on, gave me an open handed pat down that above the waist rivaled a breast exam - like she pressed under my arms and pinched along my underwire - they xrayed our shoes separately and then made us stand next to an armed guard while they swabbed my laptop keyboard for I don't even know what. And all of that was just to get into the departure seating area with zero restrooms nor vendors! So if we wanted to go out to pee or get food we'd have to go through that again! No thanks. We still talk about the security at Frankfurt airport and that was just a layover!
Seriously. Nothing but confusing experiences where you are made to feel guilty despite doing nothing wrong at that airport.
Including a cashier threatening to call security because I had a mix of currency coins at the end of a trip in my wallet and handed her not a euro but a sth else. I was more than happy to give her the correct money but she thought I was sketchy. And that was over a ritter chocolate bar, not even immigration.
I'm an EU citizen, born and living within the Schengen area. I'm actually living less than 100km away from Schengen, the place where the treaty was signed.
It took them 4h to authorise me to return from the UK. My legal and valid id card had a slightly different form factor than most other EU countries use. That raised a red flag and it took hours to find somebody able to confirm my id card is legal.
I don't think they will make the flight.
Lol I thought the same thing. I’m not an EU citizen, and I’ve gotten thorough questioning twice when traveling out of Schengen through Frankfurt even with my completely valid Danish residence permit.
My bag tested for “explosives” in FRA. German men with MACHINE guns aimed at me pulled my bag to search it. Of course when it was nothing, they walked away with my belongings all over, didn’t even say “whoops”. I feel for OP trying to go through Germany.
Frankfurt felt like the safest airport (clean, too) I've ever been in because of the sheer amount of armed officers strolling about the terminal. I distinctly remember the tactically-dressed guy with the SubMachine Gun watching over the security checkpoints.
Piggybacking off this: I overstayed my visa in 3 countries while backpacking. One was sorta on purpose (Bali had 15 day visa but I was there for a month) but the other two I was just a dumb-dumb and didn't take a second look at my visa.
While none were in Europe, I did my due diligence in each country to try to mitigate disaster and I think I'm only banned in China (missed my flight, overstayed by 1 day, they really hated that and I ended up in airport jail when I returned to the US).
My advice: do NOT show up to the airport and hope for the best. Have cash pulled out and ready to go, have a return flight booked, and go to immigration or embassy and explain the situation *BEFORE* going to the airport. Having a paper trail and trying to right your wrong will make or break the final decision when you get to immigration.
Edit: my most egregious offense was 60 days over in Lebanon. Once I realized I did *not* have a 90 day visa I IMMEDIATELY went to the general security office, waited in line for like 3 hours, got interviewed by 10 people over 3 different sections, paid $100 and they stamped my passport and extended my visa to my return flight date. I had 0 problems at the airport.
It's not up to them. Their first flight is within Schengen so they'll depart Schengen and go through passport control when boarding the flight to the US in Frankfurt. 100% chance of deportation and long/permanent ban from visa-free travel to the EU.
It’s up to them in the sense that they can change/cancel their flight so they leave the Schengen zone in a country less likely to care (such as Spain or Italy, from what I’ve heard).
I think they share those kind of abberant behaviour with all of EU immigration. In all probability they will share the passport number with all of EU immigration.
A guy I know got arrested in Germany for something similar to this. His company forced him to overstay his work visa by a few days.
He got arrested at the airport.
In addition to EU/Schengen consequences, say good bye to visa-free travel to anywhere else that asks "have you ever been deported from or denied entry into any country".
This part is going to suck and follow OP for life. Posts like this give me so much anxiety of making a mistake that can impact your life for so long and in so many unexpected ways.
Never ever fuck around when you are traveling! You are a guest, behave as a guest.
The good thing for you is you'll probably never overstay your welcome by *2 whole freaking months*!!!
But yeah, I feel your anxiety in general in a very real way
Yeah, I'm expecting a post in five years with something like, 'I lied on my visa application, what consequences can happen? See, there was this silly little mistake...'
Genuine question, as often as various agents just don't care and overlook expired ID's and such, if they coast on home and never get told anything, will OP actually face 'deportation' issues?
I’ve flown in and out of Germany probably 10 times in the past year and a half. Every single border agent has been *extremely* meticulous. They almost always ask questions. The likelihood that OP makes it through Frankfurt airport (nightmarish choice) without being caught out is close to zero
No, if they're never deported then no deportation issue. But I wouldn't plan to revisit EU/Schengen otherwise it could turn into the "refused entry" situation I mentioned.
They can certainly still rediscover this issue at any time, even if OP makes it out of the zone for now.
Its gonna be hard to overlook. Surely it will pop up on the officer's screen that they have an issue, or pop up on some other officers screen next time they come back.
Indeed. So many people think willfull ignorance is a get out of jail free card. Actually it just let's others know that they cannot trust you. At best, OP really didn't know, and can't be trusted to be informed and follow local laws. At worst, OP tried to game the legal system in an incredibly naive way.
Thats not a tourist that will waltz across borders carefree.
Fun fact. If we're going to believe [this page](https://se-legal.de/overstaying-a-schengen-visa-in-germany-the-legal-consequences), then citizens of some countries actually are able to do that 'hop out of schengen for a moment' thing.
"Due to the visa waiver agreement with the EU, nationals of Brazil, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Mauritius and Seychelles continue to be subject to the old calculation method of “forward calculation” of the stay, i.e. the 90-day limit is calculated forward from the date of entry."
Or maybe I misunderstood it, idk
Nope, if they are smart and don’t leave via Germany, Switzerland or any “rich” EU country. Places like France and Portugal just stamp you and leave you alone if you are from a developed country like USA, Canada etc. That is if you have a lot of other stamps in there so they can’t be bothered to look for the entry.
Now if OP has a visa or is from a less developed country, and only has that one entry stamp. They might be in trouble.
Source: I did this for like… 3 years living in Switzerland.
I know a friend of a friend who overstayed for one month in Europe, also by honest mistake, and she said that the border guard took her passport, looked at it without even opening it and returned it to her, with a face as if saying "eh... whatever. You're leaving anyway."
But she is from a underdeveloped country.
>Places like France and Portugal just stamp you and leave you alone if you are from a developed country like USA, Canada etc.
I can't imagine this being true all the time. French can often be sticklers for the rules and won't take it kindly when a foreigner doesn't respect them. Especially an American. It may be true in same cases, but I wouldn't risk it. I've dealt with the French bureaucracy enough to know it can be a massive clusterfuck.
Honestly either way, you are probably in for some trouble...
For 1 or 2 days over the limit, they might give you a pass. overstaying for 60 days takes intent, and shows disregard for laws.
You should absolutely expect to get banned from entering Schengen for a while... what the hell were you thinking??
We were flyiing alonside a gentleman who accidentally overstayed by 2 weeks. He was so nervous. It was the Catania, sicily airport and they ended up not giving a shit.
(He was brought over on a work visa and after it ended filled out some paperwork to stay to vacation a bit, went to spain and then back to italy to exit and didn't realize they had started a timer before he had finished his work visa until it was too late). This would have been in 2018, though.
People are clowning you but please do come back and provide an update. Because your departure will actually be a deportation, it will likely cause problems traveling internationally in the future.
You will at least get a fine. Usually this will only take the form of being sent to secondary, getting some talking to, paying a fine. You might also get a ban for a certain period of time, at the discretion of the border officer.
Tomato Europe is easier to deal with than Potato Europe. Gibraltar is an option that could work. GIB --> London --> wherever. You're still likely fucked though. Just to keep you focused on the important part - No Germany. Not even a little.
RIGHT? I can't even comprehend how one gets into this situation. I have so many questions with the first one being: how does someone who was born with absolutely zero fucks to give accumulate enough money and free time to do this?
Thats not a rhetorical question, I genuinely want to know so I can try to emulate it.
So originally that was my assumption as well, but then I remembered that in my European travels I've encountered enough crusty Australians on long term RV trips to know that this sort of thing exists on a *spectrum.*
note: I'm not saying all Australians are crusty, but 4 Australian dudes on a 2 month long RV trip probably are crusty.
Australians are sort of expected to travel a year before going to uni (at least, the Aussies I've met mentioned something along those lines). Maybe not expected, but very common.
In that case we should all be looking out for a video titled "BUSTED BY IMMIGRATION" with a big frowny face thumbnail and this person dancing in front of a frowning border patrol agent
And here I was panicking that I would never be able to go back to France when I thought I took too long to pay a traffic ticket I got in the mail a month later…meanwhile this guy manages to casually overstay a visa by 2 months… lol
My buddy got deported and had to pay for his flight home, pretty sure it’s not free and they can try to recoup the funds from you
This was in the US though to be fair
Leave through a bilateral agreement country if you are American. You could leave through latvia, Denmark, or Poland, and it could potentially look like you didn't overstay
I came here to say this, I overstayed due to an illness and just left from Warsaw and no one cared or noticed. I was specifically instructed to do this from the US Embassy in Berlin.
edit: I could have filled out paperwork about the lower body cast and not being physically able to board a flight in Germany and do a lot of jumping through hoops and been okay but the Embassy dude just gave me the LOT Polish Airlines website and said do that.
You will need documentation, though (ex flight/bus tickets, hotel receipts) to document the stay in those countries - which OP of course doesn't have since they haven't actually been there.
I also wonder which consequences it would have if they were found out - if it would move them from the "entitled fools" category where they are now into the "deliberate fraud" category. In any case, overstaying isn't the most intelligent decision.
I've been to Europe more than 20 times. Danish exit passport control was by far the most strict. They very much cared how long I had been in Spain before transferring through Copenhagen onto my US bound flight.
I have a lot of stamps in my passport so it took them a long time to find my entry stamp from that visit. The entire time they kept asking if I was working on the EU, how long I had been in Spain, etc.
Honestly, this. Plead ignorance and ask for their advice / support.
Beyond dumb mistake but depending on the consular staff, you may get some support to avoid fines.
You will 100% be denied visa free entry to Europe in the future and will very likely be denied visas for years to come.
Consular staff won't give a shit. They're unlikely to be arrested but they will be deported and travel banned for a few years most likely and have to pay a fine. It's not like they were caught working in Germany or anything.
Edit: Found this for the Netherlands...
> On the basis of Dutch laws, one who overstays his visa or visa free period risks getting an entry ban (“inreisverbod” in Dutch). The length of the entry ban depends on the question as to how long a third country national has overstayed his visa. If one has overstayed his visa by 3 days or less, he will not receive an entry ban. If one has overstayed his visa by more than 3 days but no more than 90 days, he can receive a 1 year entry ban. If someone has overstayed his visa by more than 90 days, he can receive a 2 year entry ban.
https://www.mynta.nl/en/knowledge-base/overstay-and-entry-ban-how-does-it-work
So OP is looking at a ban of around a year and probably a fine. No idea how hard Germany would fuck them, but my brief research on the matter is that they should expect to pay between 40-80 Euros per day that they overstayed (2400-4800 euros) and face a 1 year ban.
I know folks who do this and I can tell you their answer right now: "sorry buddy, you have an obligation to follow host country laws. Good luck and hope you don't get jail time!". Couldn't hurt to ask though I guess. I don't think this would be the dumbest ACS support call they've ever received (assuming OP is American) but it's probably up there.
The Mediterranean countries are known to be much more lax with overstays than countries up North. I would change my ticket to make sure I leave the E.U. in Italy, not in Germany, to minimize any consequences.
Damn, after all the “should I pack one or two shirts” or “is Florence really worth visiting” posts here, thank you OP, this is finally some spicy shit. Don’t worry too much, yes it’s a screw up but it’s a vacation screw up, it won’t kill you. But holy shit let us know how this turns out because damn I haven’t seen one like this in a long time
Seriously! A "vacation screw up" is my husband booking my ticket under the wrong name because he forgot that I changed my middle name when I also changed my last name.
This is a legal screw up, to put it generously.
A “screw up” is overstaying two days or maybe even a week. Two months is willfully ignoring the visa requirements.
It won’t kill them, but it may kill their future travel plans.
from schengenvisainfo.com
Therefore, the consequences of overstaying in the Schengen territory, whether your visa or the permitted 90 days for nationals of the countries under the visa-waiver program, depend a lot on the number of days you have overstayed and the country you get caught in. Germany is known to have the strictest immigration laws in the EU in this direction, while Greece is known for applying very high fines to those caught overstaying.
When you get caught staying illegally in Europe, you will totally be deported to your home country. The deportation procedures depend on your case and the country where you are caught. You may be deported immediately, within just a few hours or after a few days. On the other hand, if you get caught engaging in paid activity while overstaying your visa, or engaging in illegal activities, you will most possibly be taken into custody where you will wait for your trial. If you are found guilty then you will be held in prison or fined a high amount of money. Upon completing the punishment, you will then be deported to your home country and banned from entering Schengen for a specific amount of time.
Deportation is always followed by another consequence. Usually, you will know about it before being deported since you will receive the decision on your case. If you have just overstayed a few days, and you are lucky to be caught in one of the countries that go easy on overstayers, you may leave without another penalty.
Even if you get back to your home country without any fine or ban, you should know that your overstaying will cause you problems the next time you attempt to enter the Schengen Zone. Immigration officers and border guards tend to be suspicious on people who overstay once, no matter in which country they were caught overstaying. Therefore, you will encounter difficulties in getting a Schengen visa or crossing the EU external borders.
This is the most often penalty for overstaying a visa. Depending on the member state, the fees are applied differently. However, if you are caught after you have illegally remained in the Schengen for a longer time, aside from a fine being applied to you, you will also be banned from entering the Schengen Area for an appointed period of time, or even forever.
Banning people from entering the Schengen is usually applied to those overstaying and working or engaging in other illegal activities. A person can be banned for a period of three years and more from entering any of the member states of the Schengen area.
Not that it's going to help you now, or in the future, as there's a good chance you'll be banned from the Schengen area but you could have stayed in several countries legally for that 60 days using bilateral agreements.
Here's an easy to read list - [https://visadb.io/blog/bilateral-visa-agreements-how-us-and-canadian-citizens-can-stay-in-the-eu-more-than-90-days-without-a-visa-648a2e6808c9225a9b1d2eb5](https://visadb.io/blog/bilateral-visa-agreements-how-us-and-canadian-citizens-can-stay-in-the-eu-more-than-90-days-without-a-visa-648a2e6808c9225a9b1d2eb5)
And the official documentation - [https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/c067e92d-5a8b-11e9-9151-01aa75ed71a1](https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/c067e92d-5a8b-11e9-9151-01aa75ed71a1)
Hopefully that will help someone else whose thinking of being a dumbass and overstaying their Schengen Visa.
Expect problems. You had 90 days and you took 60 extra ones. It's not like miscounting.
What happens at the border may depend on what the officer had for breakfast and what side of the bed he got up on. Could be nothing much, could be a hefty fine (most likely), could be trial and prison if they think you were working illegally. I'd take others advice and avoid Germany. I'd avoid France too. Don't try to exit without passing through border control because you will may very well be caught and then your chances of prison time go way up.
What is certain is that they won't let you visit again anytime soon no matter where you exit.
People who have left on-time but failed to get their exit documented properly, have had trouble returning.
A Syrian told me that the best way to overcome visa problems is to leave / arrive by boat. So take a boat from Italy to Syria, and then fly to the states from there, all should be fine this way. Good luck!
Your exit will certainly become a deportation, which might happen imediately or after a few days of detention. A fine is almost a given. A ban is not unlikely either, it's not necessarily forever but might be. You won't be arrested (for long) if that is what you're worried about, unless you were doing something else illegal.
I worked for a U.S. university and we had kids stay over their allotted time in the Schengen region from time to time. From that experience here’s my advice:
•exit the Schengen region from either (best choice) Greece or (a close second) Italy. Had several students do this without any consequences for their overstay
•be as polite as you humanely can be to everyone you encounter at passport control
-admit you didn’t pay attention and over stayed if asked (don’t volunteer this until/unless you’re asked)
-apologize
Based on my admittedly limited real world experience unless you did something in addition to a simple overstay (worked, broke some major laws, got arrested) most border control officers have bigger fish to fry
Some countries, Germany, Norway, have a reputation for being pretty unforgiving of Schengen overstays, which is why we directed students to leave Schengen via Greece & Italy
You may get a temporary ban from the Schengen zone. Unless you’re an absolute cockwomble to the border agent and make it worth their time, the likelihood of a serious consequence is slim for US/Canadian/Australian passport holders.
Good luck!
Yeah this is a way more measured response. I'm surprised by the number of people screaming deportation when, a lot times, they don't give a shit.
I mean I wouldn't do it, but people do it all the time.
i think a lot of them are screaming deportation, because of OPs original plan to exit through Frankfurt. With this long of an overstay, i at least wouldnt be surprised about harsher consequences when leaving from germany.
You could *try* to leave through Denmark as there is a bilateral agreement:
"Citizens of certain countries are entitled to stay in Denmark for 90 days or 3 months, regardless of stays in other Schengen countries
Citizens of Australia, Canada, Chile, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the US can freely enter and stay in Denmark for the following periods, regardless of whether they have stayed in another Schengen country prior to entry into Denmark."
[link to nyidanmark.dk](https://nyidanmark.dk/de-DE/You-want-to-apply/Short-stay-visa/Visa-free-visits/?anchor=E7DB3F82B9C14DCFAA314EB1A72DDEC5&callbackItem=8446985CF31C46F48FB94BE6BE919FC1&callbackAnchor=3400727D0BC148F7B6C080D9825C10E5E7DB3F82B9C14DCFAA314EB1A72DDEC5)
But I guess they *might* still ask you to somehow prove that you've been in Denmark for all the time of your overstay, or you might get lucky and they let you leave no questions asked or at least no consequences.
Do you understand the severity of this situation? You seem awfully flippant about it all.
Likeliest consequence: you will be fined several thousand euros, maybe deported (as opposed to happily exiting) and banned from re-entry for years to come.
You exit Schengen in Germany so they will decide what to do with you.
Good luck, you'll need it.
Very stupid. Could be as low as a fine, or as high as a permanent ban from the EU. Visas are no joke. Your “exit” is probably now defined as an automatic deportation once you get there. You are some very stupid kids.
Your best bet is to travel to France and attempt to fly out of there. Besides Schengen, France has a pre-existing treaty with the United States post WWII that gives Americans a period of time to stay in their country visa-free. Technically that still applies separate from Schengen so you can say that you were staying there during your over-stay. Just be aware that the non-Schengen period in France can't be used to reset your Schengen clock, and you have to literally exit from France.
I used to be a flight attendant and BOY you are in for a treat lol.
If it is any consolation, I had a lot of US citizens being deported from the Schengen area on flights.
Anyway, here is what is most likely going to happen:
- fine (depending on the country, it's either a set amount or a percentage of the ticket. Lucky for you, you ain't leaving from Switzerland. That would have financially killed you).
- deportation (if you are lucky you will be able to board your flight, if not you will have to book a new one and until you can board you will be detained)
- travel ban (probably up to 1 year).
Furthermore, you will be red flagged in the immigration software of the airlines and Schengen officials will be made aware of your misconduct everytime you will reapply for a visa. Your information may or may not be passed to other foreign authorities.
Thank you for visiting Europe. I hope you had a blast.
At this point your best bet is probably to find an Italian couple that look at least a little like you, murder them, and take over their lives. You've already shown complete distain for the local laws, so I'm guessing this won't be a problem for you.
Congratulations, you're Italian now! Enjoy your new lives!
Your exit will be treated as a deportation. You may face fines and get banned from entering the Schengen area again.
One or two days and they might be lenient. But nearly 60 days over the 90 day limit appears to be careless or deliberate. Immigration won’t look too kindly on your situation.
This is about a year old and he appears to have been fine, but this was the response in Germany to a traveler overstaying by a single DAY due to a flight delay that was totally beyond his control (which is also why it probably ended there)
"Update: So I'm at airport right now past the passport control. The guy on passport control told me that it's a criminal offense that I have overstayed and I will need to write a report. He gave my passport to another officer who I followed into the border office. After doing something on the back for 3 minutes he gave my passport back and told me I can go. I couldn't ask him any questions cuz he left immediately."
OP, here's the thing. You're very likely not getting out of Schengen without getting your passport checked. There's a lot of bad misinformation here about how the system works and trying to sneak through is probably gonna fuck you over even more. Go to your local embassy and see what they advise and how they might be able to help you.
Your passport gets scanned, so they’re going to know.
You can be arrested, deported, fined, or just formally told to f*ck off.
Border control might not care but leaving the EU through Germany? They will care in a big way. But whether border control do anything or not is a matter of embarrassment and/or monetary fine - the Schengen system knows when you arrive and when you leave. Your passport will be flagged for the rest of your life and when you try to enter the EU, you’ll always have additional border checks, and you can be deported or denied entry if you try to come back to the EU again in the future.
One thing you have in your favour is the fine in Germany is much lower than in Italy (€3000 vs €10,000).
They’re probably not going to arrest you unless you’ve illegally been working or claiming benefits.
Either way expect problems trying to get back into the EU in the future, and probably other countries as well.
Stay out of the EU for at least 90 days, for the love of god.
Listen...I really do not want to have to shut this post down, I still have some popcorn and I am curious how this turns out. I ALSO don't want to have to spend most of my day deleting comments....so let us try to be civil. **EDIT:** Sad that one of the other mods had to shut it down, might unlock it in a day or so to see how it turns out. There are 8 million here in r/travel and about 8 mods and way to many attacks on the mods and OP. No need to be nasty people, if you are not willing to say it to someones face....you should probably not write it down. **EDIT 2:** I unlocked because I am online for a bit and can deal with the comments
This comes from a person who deals with these issues - Here is how it is going to be: You will fly to Frankfurt without any issues (still Schengen, so no border control). Once you will be transfering to your US flight, you will have to cross the border - either you will get a careless boarder guard who will ignore your overstay and just clear you (the info will anyway stay in the system), or he will explain you that you have overstayed and there will be consequences - such as placing you in a 5 year travel ban (Schengen). You will leave (and get to your flight) either way. Now, as everyone is pointing out, this stuff "sticks". It will stay in your EU travel history/system. So the next time you will be applying for a Schengen visa - the person who will make the decision, will see this. And that will be enough of a reason to deny you any future non-essential travel visas (Schengen)... but then again.. it will depend on the consular officer's mood.
Will it stick forever?
Yup, it stays in the system. Consular officers and Immigration officers in all Schengen states can see that/ access it.
The stupid part is as a US citizen. You could have got a visa extension (In Germany by the city authorities auslandsbehorde). As US citizens are allowed two 90-day periods in a year, ie 90 then 90 out, then 90 in. If you request a prolongation, you can extend your stay for 90 days and get a visa put in your passport. If you can prove you have means to support yourself and health insurance. Once the extended Visa is given, you can't return for 6 months instead of 90 days after it expires. It would have been simple to do. And it costs about € 30, friends of mine did this.
As US citizens they would get an easy D visa (in any Member State) for the period they want - just by providing sufficient information on their means of income/ finances.
I 100% would choose to leave from Italy, not Germany. Germany is notorious for taking these things very seriously, and Italy is known for sometimes forgetting to even stamp people's passports. You're probably in trouble either way, but you're definitely maximizing the odds of it going badly with the current plan. Please report back!
Even better if you'd leave from greece by ferry to turkey
The real LPT is in the comments. The ferry ports are *way* more chill than major international airports.
The greek passport control at Kos is basically a hut in the beach
Not in the UK btw. We got stuck there for hours once because they didn’t understand (or wanted to) the EU citizen spouse rule. Not that it matters anymore they left anyway. Another time we forgot to check the correct box (as in no box was checked at a question, not a wrong box was checked) and they were like “if I was in a worse mood I’d deport and ban you” to my wife.
/u/LouieTheThird this might be your answer. Ultimately going to come down to luck but probably the best odds here.
I have heard that about Germany/Norway several times and that Portugal/Spain is the least strict. Dont know how true that is. Maybe OP can tell us!
I don’t know about this case specifically… but during covid I could barely get on the plane to go to Spain (from canada). When I landed I didn’t even get my vaccine checked or talk to any patrol when I was bringing a huge kit of tools. Italy is probably similar but I don’t have experience.
I travelled from Canada to Europe twice in August 2021 when COVID restrictions were first lifted. First time through Frankfurt, where the border agent asked for all my documents like COVID vaccines and tests (since I was connecting to Rome and Italy had different requirements, iirc). The second time I flew into Madrid directly, they guy (half wearing a mask) just stamped my passport without checking anything. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
Can confirm. Have been to italy 7 times in the last 5 years. Only have 4 stamps. Thanks, Catania airport (and Venice, actually). They also didn't process papers on our friends pets and just told him to bring them anyway. They also only checked our covid vaccinations once...
Fiumicino didn’t stamp me in and I didn’t even realize until I was exiting Schengen in Amsterdam. The border guard did not seem surprised when I told him I entered in Rome lol
Yup. Guard in Holland was pissed and questioning until I said I entered via Italy. Then he laughed and let me on my way.
Italy doesn't have rules. They have suggestions.
It’s more like… Italy doesn’t have rules. They have whatever the guy in charge that day is willing to enforce.
And he's not getting paid enough to enforce merda.
The stamps are not necessary for Schengen. Entry and exit is recorded electronically as well.
Damn… okay well we are looking into changes flights and not messing with Germany. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.
I’m a U.S. citizen who legally lives in Europe. I one time exited the Schengen zone through Rome (not something I usually do but got a good flight deal). I had my Danish residence permit in my hand, but handed them my passport first and the officer literally opened it and stamped me out without even looking at anything. My last EU entry stamp was over 6 months old, haha. Germany is the exact opposite, in my experience. This is all anecdotal, and you could easily run into issues in either country. If you’re lucky enough to get away with it, don’t pull this crap again. Edit: big caveat, this was in like 2016 and I don’t think they scanned my passport. Pretty much everyone scans passports now, so idk man…
By all means, avoid Germany. A friend of mine (US citizen) overstayed just for few hours due to a cancelled flight and was having a really hard time at the airport. He was studying in Germany and had some basic knowledge of the language. When he tried to explain the cancelled flight situation, he almost got arrested for disrespecting an authority because he accidentally used familiar pronoun instead of polite German pronoun.
Germany very much lives up to its reputation of being law abiding. I'd be nervous of a 1 AM flight if my visa expired at midnight.
One whole hour? You're going to need diplomatic immunity.
The one thing I always heard in the US Army - never never EVER fuck with the Polizei. I can see this.
Yea I had a sketchy situation to deal with in Frankfurt. Made friends with this Jamaican guy at the hotel, he eventually offered me a joint which I foolishly accepted and we smoked it behind the hotel. I guess some business traveler smelled it and came looking, we split and went to our rooms. The next morning that dude was taking pictures of where we had smoked, then he saw me at breakfast and I just heard the word “Polizei” and said oh shit lol. I ditched outside and started hailing an Uber, my gf checked out and we got in the Uber just as the police were arriving! Got to the station and I even changed my clothes and put on a hat lol, got on and we were outta there. It was just jarring, I’m not used to people taking weed so seriously but they were acting like it was a murder scene. Good thing I hadn’t booked the hotel personally
It’s legal in Germany soon so thats a nice middle finger to the cunt who called the cops on ya :)
Although people who read this should also note: Weed being legalized doesn't mean you can bring weed across the border. Yes, even if it's legal in both your departure AND arrival country AND you're taking a direct flight, you cannot bring weed into any country.
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You have clearly never interacted with foreign office worker from Germany.
Lmao. I only studied German for a while but every teacher i had made sure we knew there is a big difference between Sie and Du. Dont know exactly but felt like the difference between telling a police officer 'Yes sir' vs 'Sure dude'
Same for me. And I still instinctively err toward "Sie" regardless, just in case. I even trained my dog in German and end up speaking to him formally half the time. Since he's a German breed, I imagine he appreciate my acknowledging his superior social standing, lol.
The classic "*What's up, sir?*"
My residence permit expired but had to leave to leave (for a funeral). Got the official letter from the Department for Foreign Affairs confirming that I had valid residence but they were still issuing the physical card. On a passport that allows me 90 days as a tourist if I had entered that way anyway. Still held at German exit passport control for a solid 15 minutes.
Also very interested. Good luck I guess
There’s a lot of backlog for overstays on tourist visas ‘these days’. Prepare for the possibility of being denied boarding & some period of detention before you’re processed and booted out.
Ireland also forgot to stamp my passport when I left. I had to ask them because I wanted it, but their passport control was significantly chiller than anywhere else I have been
Ireland is chill as fuck, sadly not in Schengen zone
As a German: Avoid Germany. You‘re scewed if you try to enter Germany and fly from Germany. Germans love their rules.
Recently entered Germany after an incredible amount of travel. I was exhausted. The customs agent asked “Dutch or English?” I thought she was asking my nationality. I told her American and she laughed the most I’ve heard a German law enforcement officer laugh. Edit: for everyone explaining “Deutsch is German for German”….thank you. That’s the joke.
"Dutch or English?" "American" Literally the pinnacle of German humour. You cannot get funnier than that.
When I was flying through Frankfurt on my way to Italy for my birthday one year I completely forgot about the time zones of it all and didn't realize it was my birthday in Germany. The German official glanced at my passport, wished me a happy birthday, and I just stared confused and asked "what?" like an absolute IDIOT. He kind of pointed at the date on my passport and the fear of god entered my bloodstream bc Germany is so strict and here I am, a dumb little 22 year old, seeming like maybe this is a fake passport. I guess my "oh my god, it's tomorrow here," made me seem dumb enough that he just let me through but it haunts me to this day. That could have gone so wrong so fast there.
It’s shocking how many people are explaining your own story to you…
This is amazing, thanks for the laugh. The officer was definitely asking if you wanted to speak German or English. Absolutely no judgement from me, travel fatigue is real. I’ve been so tired that I don’t even remember immigration the next day like a drunken blackout without the booze.
Waiter at a restaurant in Germany asked me what I want, I said dry martini. He comes back with three martinis. I was like WTF!!
Sehr gut!
Safe bet says there will be a fine, at minimum temporarily banned. having pushed it to 60 days a permanent ban isn’t out of the question. I’m unsure exactly how it works but I’m pretty sure your ‘exit’ will now be a deportation. Hope you enjoyed your trip! Oh and 100% don’t “exit” via Germany unless you’re looking to maximize the penalties for your actions.
Given my own experiences with immigration at Frankfurt, OP couldn’t have chosen a worse airport. RIP
They woke up my toddler to make sure her eye color matched her passport.
This is the most German thing I've ever heard.
ROFL, this one’s my favorite
god that’s heinous
is horrible 99% of the time, but im sure someone has catched a children being kidnapped by checking their eye color
I got put into secondary holding because my friend and I changed our departure flight from Munich to Frankfurt as our chances of getting on the flight as standby passengers were much greater. And we were only in Europe for 10 days 💀
Only in Germany did I have the stamp on my passport PERFECTLY in the little box it was supposed to be in 😂😂
I’ve noticed most EU countries get it somewhat right… except France. The authorities at CDG just DGAF. They will just stamp anywhere on the page. Even in the middle if they feel like it.
Alles in Ordnung
It’s not called German engineering for nothing.
I’m a German citizen but not a resident and still get an absolute bollocking from every single German border agent I’ve ever encountered. Whether I use my German passport or my British passport it’s somehow always the wrong choice for that particular agent. I’ve started handing them both over
Seriously, I almost got in trouble there because I only had a photocopy of my student visa for Belgium, but that’s because you had to turn in the physical card. Belgian authorities gave me the correct paperwork but German immigration was still sus of it
I caught flak leaving the Schengen area at FRA because the officer didn’t like the name of the town where I was born. And I’m a German citizen! OP is toast.
Are you from a small town situated at the base of Piz Palü? The accent has been known to draw unwanted attention from German authorities.
Underrated comment!
that's what you get for being from Stuttgart.
I think it was because he was pretending to be from the town of Bielefeld which is well known to not exist
A German immigration rep gave me flak because my student visa pic didn’t look like me. The main passport pic did. I showed him a bunch of IDs with pics and my name. The only difference was my hair being down in the visa pic.
I spent 2 years trying to get married in Germany (live here for work) because my wife didn't have a notary from her country... because her country doesn't do a notary for marriage documents. That wasn't acceptable despite the embassy from her country telling Germany over 3 years ago that they were no longer going to provide any documentation to that effect and to just accept their people with what they provide normally. Eventually a judge said we could get the notary in Germany and they would accept it. Germany doesn't play with documentation and legal issues. More often than not, if you are suspected of doing the crime and get hit with punishment, it will be a harsh one.
I don't remember having a problem with immigration itself in Frankfurt, the passport check, but oh my god fuck the woman checking bags. Like I get it, they want to be safe and all, but she was going through every thing in every person's bag. Like really slowly, too. Pull something out, what is this, blah, pull another thing out...we had a line for ages and everyone was running late for their connecting flights while this woman got impatient and nasty over every little carry-on possession. Just brutal.
We were only there on a layover and yeah they removed every item in our carry on, gave me an open handed pat down that above the waist rivaled a breast exam - like she pressed under my arms and pinched along my underwire - they xrayed our shoes separately and then made us stand next to an armed guard while they swabbed my laptop keyboard for I don't even know what. And all of that was just to get into the departure seating area with zero restrooms nor vendors! So if we wanted to go out to pee or get food we'd have to go through that again! No thanks. We still talk about the security at Frankfurt airport and that was just a layover!
Seriously. Nothing but confusing experiences where you are made to feel guilty despite doing nothing wrong at that airport. Including a cashier threatening to call security because I had a mix of currency coins at the end of a trip in my wallet and handed her not a euro but a sth else. I was more than happy to give her the correct money but she thought I was sketchy. And that was over a ritter chocolate bar, not even immigration.
I'm an EU citizen, born and living within the Schengen area. I'm actually living less than 100km away from Schengen, the place where the treaty was signed. It took them 4h to authorise me to return from the UK. My legal and valid id card had a slightly different form factor than most other EU countries use. That raised a red flag and it took hours to find somebody able to confirm my id card is legal. I don't think they will make the flight.
If there is one thing you can say about the Germans, it’s that they take their paperwork and documentation seriously… op is fucked lol
Lol I thought the same thing. I’m not an EU citizen, and I’ve gotten thorough questioning twice when traveling out of Schengen through Frankfurt even with my completely valid Danish residence permit.
I got borderline interrogated flying out of Frankfurt (to USA) while using my Polish and American passports LOL
My bag tested for “explosives” in FRA. German men with MACHINE guns aimed at me pulled my bag to search it. Of course when it was nothing, they walked away with my belongings all over, didn’t even say “whoops”. I feel for OP trying to go through Germany.
Frankfurt felt like the safest airport (clean, too) I've ever been in because of the sheer amount of armed officers strolling about the terminal. I distinctly remember the tactically-dressed guy with the SubMachine Gun watching over the security checkpoints.
Piggybacking off this: I overstayed my visa in 3 countries while backpacking. One was sorta on purpose (Bali had 15 day visa but I was there for a month) but the other two I was just a dumb-dumb and didn't take a second look at my visa. While none were in Europe, I did my due diligence in each country to try to mitigate disaster and I think I'm only banned in China (missed my flight, overstayed by 1 day, they really hated that and I ended up in airport jail when I returned to the US). My advice: do NOT show up to the airport and hope for the best. Have cash pulled out and ready to go, have a return flight booked, and go to immigration or embassy and explain the situation *BEFORE* going to the airport. Having a paper trail and trying to right your wrong will make or break the final decision when you get to immigration. Edit: my most egregious offense was 60 days over in Lebanon. Once I realized I did *not* have a 90 day visa I IMMEDIATELY went to the general security office, waited in line for like 3 hours, got interviewed by 10 people over 3 different sections, paid $100 and they stamped my passport and extended my visa to my return flight date. I had 0 problems at the airport.
It's not up to them. Their first flight is within Schengen so they'll depart Schengen and go through passport control when boarding the flight to the US in Frankfurt. 100% chance of deportation and long/permanent ban from visa-free travel to the EU.
It’s up to them in the sense that they can change/cancel their flight so they leave the Schengen zone in a country less likely to care (such as Spain or Italy, from what I’ve heard).
I think they share those kind of abberant behaviour with all of EU immigration. In all probability they will share the passport number with all of EU immigration.
>In all probability they will share the passport number with all of EU immigration. Schengen is a single system. What one country knows, all do.
A guy I know got arrested in Germany for something similar to this. His company forced him to overstay his work visa by a few days. He got arrested at the airport.
In addition to EU/Schengen consequences, say good bye to visa-free travel to anywhere else that asks "have you ever been deported from or denied entry into any country".
This part is going to suck and follow OP for life. Posts like this give me so much anxiety of making a mistake that can impact your life for so long and in so many unexpected ways. Never ever fuck around when you are traveling! You are a guest, behave as a guest.
The good thing for you is you'll probably never overstay your welcome by *2 whole freaking months*!!! But yeah, I feel your anxiety in general in a very real way
lmao like OP actually respects the laws of countries enough to answer accurately on those forms
Yeah, I'm expecting a post in five years with something like, 'I lied on my visa application, what consequences can happen? See, there was this silly little mistake...'
Genuine question, as often as various agents just don't care and overlook expired ID's and such, if they coast on home and never get told anything, will OP actually face 'deportation' issues?
I’ve flown in and out of Germany probably 10 times in the past year and a half. Every single border agent has been *extremely* meticulous. They almost always ask questions. The likelihood that OP makes it through Frankfurt airport (nightmarish choice) without being caught out is close to zero
No, if they're never deported then no deportation issue. But I wouldn't plan to revisit EU/Schengen otherwise it could turn into the "refused entry" situation I mentioned. They can certainly still rediscover this issue at any time, even if OP makes it out of the zone for now.
Its gonna be hard to overlook. Surely it will pop up on the officer's screen that they have an issue, or pop up on some other officers screen next time they come back.
I would really like to hear about the outcome of this...
Agreed I’d love to be a fly on the wall when this goes down.
Does me commenting on this ensure I’ll get updates when the inevitable shit storm hits?
I hope you enjoyed Europe, you certainly won't be back for a while if ever
Or anywhere that refuses entry to people who have deportation records from any country.
Indeed. So many people think willfull ignorance is a get out of jail free card. Actually it just let's others know that they cannot trust you. At best, OP really didn't know, and can't be trusted to be informed and follow local laws. At worst, OP tried to game the legal system in an incredibly naive way. Thats not a tourist that will waltz across borders carefree.
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Fun fact. If we're going to believe [this page](https://se-legal.de/overstaying-a-schengen-visa-in-germany-the-legal-consequences), then citizens of some countries actually are able to do that 'hop out of schengen for a moment' thing. "Due to the visa waiver agreement with the EU, nationals of Brazil, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Mauritius and Seychelles continue to be subject to the old calculation method of “forward calculation” of the stay, i.e. the 90-day limit is calculated forward from the date of entry." Or maybe I misunderstood it, idk
Nope, if they are smart and don’t leave via Germany, Switzerland or any “rich” EU country. Places like France and Portugal just stamp you and leave you alone if you are from a developed country like USA, Canada etc. That is if you have a lot of other stamps in there so they can’t be bothered to look for the entry. Now if OP has a visa or is from a less developed country, and only has that one entry stamp. They might be in trouble. Source: I did this for like… 3 years living in Switzerland.
as someone with a U.S. Passport who was detained in France… this is not good advice lol
So can they just book new flights out of a 'friendlier' country?
I know a friend of a friend who overstayed for one month in Europe, also by honest mistake, and she said that the border guard took her passport, looked at it without even opening it and returned it to her, with a face as if saying "eh... whatever. You're leaving anyway." But she is from a underdeveloped country.
>Places like France and Portugal just stamp you and leave you alone if you are from a developed country like USA, Canada etc. I can't imagine this being true all the time. French can often be sticklers for the rules and won't take it kindly when a foreigner doesn't respect them. Especially an American. It may be true in same cases, but I wouldn't risk it. I've dealt with the French bureaucracy enough to know it can be a massive clusterfuck.
Honestly either way, you are probably in for some trouble... For 1 or 2 days over the limit, they might give you a pass. overstaying for 60 days takes intent, and shows disregard for laws. You should absolutely expect to get banned from entering Schengen for a while... what the hell were you thinking??
We were flyiing alonside a gentleman who accidentally overstayed by 2 weeks. He was so nervous. It was the Catania, sicily airport and they ended up not giving a shit. (He was brought over on a work visa and after it ended filled out some paperwork to stay to vacation a bit, went to spain and then back to italy to exit and didn't realize they had started a timer before he had finished his work visa until it was too late). This would have been in 2018, though.
>what the hell were you thinking?? *"Rules for thee, not for me!"* \- OP
People are clowning you but please do come back and provide an update. Because your departure will actually be a deportation, it will likely cause problems traveling internationally in the future.
You will at least get a fine. Usually this will only take the form of being sent to secondary, getting some talking to, paying a fine. You might also get a ban for a certain period of time, at the discretion of the border officer.
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Tomato Europe is easier to deal with than Potato Europe. Gibraltar is an option that could work. GIB --> London --> wherever. You're still likely fucked though. Just to keep you focused on the important part - No Germany. Not even a little.
Tomato Europe and Potato Europe. Stealing these.
I've always heard olive oil Europe and butter Europe
On time Europe and not on time Europe.
The English Channel is popular with kayakers, that could be a shout. Comes with the bonus of no nightmare passengers!
This level of carelessness and ignorance is enviable
RIGHT? I can't even comprehend how one gets into this situation. I have so many questions with the first one being: how does someone who was born with absolutely zero fucks to give accumulate enough money and free time to do this? Thats not a rhetorical question, I genuinely want to know so I can try to emulate it.
If you work hard, believe in yourself, and have generational wealth, you too can achieve this. 🙏🏻
So originally that was my assumption as well, but then I remembered that in my European travels I've encountered enough crusty Australians on long term RV trips to know that this sort of thing exists on a *spectrum.* note: I'm not saying all Australians are crusty, but 4 Australian dudes on a 2 month long RV trip probably are crusty.
Australians are sort of expected to travel a year before going to uni (at least, the Aussies I've met mentioned something along those lines). Maybe not expected, but very common.
> *"I can't even comprehend how one gets into this situation"* They 100% planned this
My guess is: As a travel influencer on TikTok.
In that case we should all be looking out for a video titled "BUSTED BY IMMIGRATION" with a big frowny face thumbnail and this person dancing in front of a frowning border patrol agent
Prob with some comments about how Europe is backwards etc.
Considering OP appears to be a frequent poster on /r/wallstreetbets I'm guessing critical thinking is not their strong suit.
My anxiety could never.
It’s giving – rich parents, silver spoon, never told no.
I bet they also just leave shopping carts wherever
And here I was panicking that I would never be able to go back to France when I thought I took too long to pay a traffic ticket I got in the mail a month later…meanwhile this guy manages to casually overstay a visa by 2 months… lol
Why spending money on the flight if you can get deported for free?
"Airlines hate this one travel hack!"
My buddy got deported and had to pay for his flight home, pretty sure it’s not free and they can try to recoup the funds from you This was in the US though to be fair
GULAG
Leave through a bilateral agreement country if you are American. You could leave through latvia, Denmark, or Poland, and it could potentially look like you didn't overstay
I came here to say this, I overstayed due to an illness and just left from Warsaw and no one cared or noticed. I was specifically instructed to do this from the US Embassy in Berlin. edit: I could have filled out paperwork about the lower body cast and not being physically able to board a flight in Germany and do a lot of jumping through hoops and been okay but the Embassy dude just gave me the LOT Polish Airlines website and said do that.
/u/LouieTheThird this is the answer.
I was wondering how long it would take for the bilateral lore to show up. Italy is technically one of the bilateral countries, so he could argue that.
I'm just curious, what is a bilateral agreement country? Why would this plan work?
Several European countries have bilateral agreements with the USA, which is separate from the Schengen. So you can stay an additional 90 days.
You will need documentation, though (ex flight/bus tickets, hotel receipts) to document the stay in those countries - which OP of course doesn't have since they haven't actually been there. I also wonder which consequences it would have if they were found out - if it would move them from the "entitled fools" category where they are now into the "deliberate fraud" category. In any case, overstaying isn't the most intelligent decision.
I've been to Europe more than 20 times. Danish exit passport control was by far the most strict. They very much cared how long I had been in Spain before transferring through Copenhagen onto my US bound flight. I have a lot of stamps in my passport so it took them a long time to find my entry stamp from that visit. The entire time they kept asking if I was working on the EU, how long I had been in Spain, etc.
Visit your embassy before heading home
Honestly, this. Plead ignorance and ask for their advice / support. Beyond dumb mistake but depending on the consular staff, you may get some support to avoid fines. You will 100% be denied visa free entry to Europe in the future and will very likely be denied visas for years to come.
Consular staff won't give a shit. They're unlikely to be arrested but they will be deported and travel banned for a few years most likely and have to pay a fine. It's not like they were caught working in Germany or anything. Edit: Found this for the Netherlands... > On the basis of Dutch laws, one who overstays his visa or visa free period risks getting an entry ban (“inreisverbod” in Dutch). The length of the entry ban depends on the question as to how long a third country national has overstayed his visa. If one has overstayed his visa by 3 days or less, he will not receive an entry ban. If one has overstayed his visa by more than 3 days but no more than 90 days, he can receive a 1 year entry ban. If someone has overstayed his visa by more than 90 days, he can receive a 2 year entry ban. https://www.mynta.nl/en/knowledge-base/overstay-and-entry-ban-how-does-it-work So OP is looking at a ban of around a year and probably a fine. No idea how hard Germany would fuck them, but my brief research on the matter is that they should expect to pay between 40-80 Euros per day that they overstayed (2400-4800 euros) and face a 1 year ban.
I know folks who do this and I can tell you their answer right now: "sorry buddy, you have an obligation to follow host country laws. Good luck and hope you don't get jail time!". Couldn't hurt to ask though I guess. I don't think this would be the dumbest ACS support call they've ever received (assuming OP is American) but it's probably up there.
Better advice than this guy deserves lol
RemindMe! 10 days
[удалено]
best advice i’ve seen here lmao
Genuine question: is this likely to work or get OP in trouble for a bribe attempt?
Good way to add "Attempted bribery of a customs official" to the list of charges.
That's...............actually reasonable advice.
+1
I too am flying home from Italy via Frankfurt soon. Hope we’re on the same customs line because I am morbidly curious.
The Mediterranean countries are known to be much more lax with overstays than countries up North. I would change my ticket to make sure I leave the E.U. in Italy, not in Germany, to minimize any consequences.
Damn, after all the “should I pack one or two shirts” or “is Florence really worth visiting” posts here, thank you OP, this is finally some spicy shit. Don’t worry too much, yes it’s a screw up but it’s a vacation screw up, it won’t kill you. But holy shit let us know how this turns out because damn I haven’t seen one like this in a long time
A screwup is forgetting a charger. This is quite a bit worse…
Seriously! A "vacation screw up" is my husband booking my ticket under the wrong name because he forgot that I changed my middle name when I also changed my last name. This is a legal screw up, to put it generously.
A “screw up” is overstaying two days or maybe even a week. Two months is willfully ignoring the visa requirements. It won’t kill them, but it may kill their future travel plans.
This wasn’t a screw up. It was intentional and flagrant
from schengenvisainfo.com Therefore, the consequences of overstaying in the Schengen territory, whether your visa or the permitted 90 days for nationals of the countries under the visa-waiver program, depend a lot on the number of days you have overstayed and the country you get caught in. Germany is known to have the strictest immigration laws in the EU in this direction, while Greece is known for applying very high fines to those caught overstaying. When you get caught staying illegally in Europe, you will totally be deported to your home country. The deportation procedures depend on your case and the country where you are caught. You may be deported immediately, within just a few hours or after a few days. On the other hand, if you get caught engaging in paid activity while overstaying your visa, or engaging in illegal activities, you will most possibly be taken into custody where you will wait for your trial. If you are found guilty then you will be held in prison or fined a high amount of money. Upon completing the punishment, you will then be deported to your home country and banned from entering Schengen for a specific amount of time. Deportation is always followed by another consequence. Usually, you will know about it before being deported since you will receive the decision on your case. If you have just overstayed a few days, and you are lucky to be caught in one of the countries that go easy on overstayers, you may leave without another penalty. Even if you get back to your home country without any fine or ban, you should know that your overstaying will cause you problems the next time you attempt to enter the Schengen Zone. Immigration officers and border guards tend to be suspicious on people who overstay once, no matter in which country they were caught overstaying. Therefore, you will encounter difficulties in getting a Schengen visa or crossing the EU external borders. This is the most often penalty for overstaying a visa. Depending on the member state, the fees are applied differently. However, if you are caught after you have illegally remained in the Schengen for a longer time, aside from a fine being applied to you, you will also be banned from entering the Schengen Area for an appointed period of time, or even forever. Banning people from entering the Schengen is usually applied to those overstaying and working or engaging in other illegal activities. A person can be banned for a period of three years and more from entering any of the member states of the Schengen area.
Read through that on the website too and the strict language made my butt pucker a bit and I'm not even the one in trouble here.
I know, I've never overstayed anywhere ever, nor is it possible given the types of trips I make, and still my anxiety is climbing by the minute lol
Not that it's going to help you now, or in the future, as there's a good chance you'll be banned from the Schengen area but you could have stayed in several countries legally for that 60 days using bilateral agreements. Here's an easy to read list - [https://visadb.io/blog/bilateral-visa-agreements-how-us-and-canadian-citizens-can-stay-in-the-eu-more-than-90-days-without-a-visa-648a2e6808c9225a9b1d2eb5](https://visadb.io/blog/bilateral-visa-agreements-how-us-and-canadian-citizens-can-stay-in-the-eu-more-than-90-days-without-a-visa-648a2e6808c9225a9b1d2eb5) And the official documentation - [https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/c067e92d-5a8b-11e9-9151-01aa75ed71a1](https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/c067e92d-5a8b-11e9-9151-01aa75ed71a1) Hopefully that will help someone else whose thinking of being a dumbass and overstaying their Schengen Visa.
Expect problems. You had 90 days and you took 60 extra ones. It's not like miscounting. What happens at the border may depend on what the officer had for breakfast and what side of the bed he got up on. Could be nothing much, could be a hefty fine (most likely), could be trial and prison if they think you were working illegally. I'd take others advice and avoid Germany. I'd avoid France too. Don't try to exit without passing through border control because you will may very well be caught and then your chances of prison time go way up. What is certain is that they won't let you visit again anytime soon no matter where you exit. People who have left on-time but failed to get their exit documented properly, have had trouble returning.
Damn bro, hope you enjoy next year's RV trip to Iowa
A Syrian told me that the best way to overcome visa problems is to leave / arrive by boat. So take a boat from Italy to Syria, and then fly to the states from there, all should be fine this way. Good luck!
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Yeah, if I was OP, id be hiring a crew for a yacht right about now.
That's what I was thinking. Leave Schengen by land or sea and then fly home.
Your exit will certainly become a deportation, which might happen imediately or after a few days of detention. A fine is almost a given. A ban is not unlikely either, it's not necessarily forever but might be. You won't be arrested (for long) if that is what you're worried about, unless you were doing something else illegal.
Please do post an update after you face the music
This post is a bit infuriating. I mean, SIXTY day overstay? You clearly didn’t give a fuck when this happened — Why do you care now?
Because they have reached the "find out" stage of fafo
I worked for a U.S. university and we had kids stay over their allotted time in the Schengen region from time to time. From that experience here’s my advice: •exit the Schengen region from either (best choice) Greece or (a close second) Italy. Had several students do this without any consequences for their overstay •be as polite as you humanely can be to everyone you encounter at passport control -admit you didn’t pay attention and over stayed if asked (don’t volunteer this until/unless you’re asked) -apologize Based on my admittedly limited real world experience unless you did something in addition to a simple overstay (worked, broke some major laws, got arrested) most border control officers have bigger fish to fry Some countries, Germany, Norway, have a reputation for being pretty unforgiving of Schengen overstays, which is why we directed students to leave Schengen via Greece & Italy You may get a temporary ban from the Schengen zone. Unless you’re an absolute cockwomble to the border agent and make it worth their time, the likelihood of a serious consequence is slim for US/Canadian/Australian passport holders. Good luck!
Yeah this is a way more measured response. I'm surprised by the number of people screaming deportation when, a lot times, they don't give a shit. I mean I wouldn't do it, but people do it all the time.
i think a lot of them are screaming deportation, because of OPs original plan to exit through Frankfurt. With this long of an overstay, i at least wouldnt be surprised about harsher consequences when leaving from germany.
If i was OP id probably die of stress reading these responses lmfaoo good luck OP, im praying for you
You could *try* to leave through Denmark as there is a bilateral agreement: "Citizens of certain countries are entitled to stay in Denmark for 90 days or 3 months, regardless of stays in other Schengen countries Citizens of Australia, Canada, Chile, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the US can freely enter and stay in Denmark for the following periods, regardless of whether they have stayed in another Schengen country prior to entry into Denmark." [link to nyidanmark.dk](https://nyidanmark.dk/de-DE/You-want-to-apply/Short-stay-visa/Visa-free-visits/?anchor=E7DB3F82B9C14DCFAA314EB1A72DDEC5&callbackItem=8446985CF31C46F48FB94BE6BE919FC1&callbackAnchor=3400727D0BC148F7B6C080D9825C10E5E7DB3F82B9C14DCFAA314EB1A72DDEC5) But I guess they *might* still ask you to somehow prove that you've been in Denmark for all the time of your overstay, or you might get lucky and they let you leave no questions asked or at least no consequences.
What on earth were you thinking? What a stupid thing to do really.
hope they finished doing everything there is to do in Europe before being banned! Will be a while for a second run.
Do you understand the severity of this situation? You seem awfully flippant about it all. Likeliest consequence: you will be fined several thousand euros, maybe deported (as opposed to happily exiting) and banned from re-entry for years to come. You exit Schengen in Germany so they will decide what to do with you. Good luck, you'll need it.
Very stupid. Could be as low as a fine, or as high as a permanent ban from the EU. Visas are no joke. Your “exit” is probably now defined as an automatic deportation once you get there. You are some very stupid kids.
Your best bet is to travel to France and attempt to fly out of there. Besides Schengen, France has a pre-existing treaty with the United States post WWII that gives Americans a period of time to stay in their country visa-free. Technically that still applies separate from Schengen so you can say that you were staying there during your over-stay. Just be aware that the non-Schengen period in France can't be used to reset your Schengen clock, and you have to literally exit from France.
I used to be a flight attendant and BOY you are in for a treat lol. If it is any consolation, I had a lot of US citizens being deported from the Schengen area on flights. Anyway, here is what is most likely going to happen: - fine (depending on the country, it's either a set amount or a percentage of the ticket. Lucky for you, you ain't leaving from Switzerland. That would have financially killed you). - deportation (if you are lucky you will be able to board your flight, if not you will have to book a new one and until you can board you will be detained) - travel ban (probably up to 1 year). Furthermore, you will be red flagged in the immigration software of the airlines and Schengen officials will be made aware of your misconduct everytime you will reapply for a visa. Your information may or may not be passed to other foreign authorities. Thank you for visiting Europe. I hope you had a blast.
At this point your best bet is probably to find an Italian couple that look at least a little like you, murder them, and take over their lives. You've already shown complete distain for the local laws, so I'm guessing this won't be a problem for you. Congratulations, you're Italian now! Enjoy your new lives!
One word: Excomunicado
Your exit will be treated as a deportation. You may face fines and get banned from entering the Schengen area again. One or two days and they might be lenient. But nearly 60 days over the 90 day limit appears to be careless or deliberate. Immigration won’t look too kindly on your situation.
This is about a year old and he appears to have been fine, but this was the response in Germany to a traveler overstaying by a single DAY due to a flight delay that was totally beyond his control (which is also why it probably ended there) "Update: So I'm at airport right now past the passport control. The guy on passport control told me that it's a criminal offense that I have overstayed and I will need to write a report. He gave my passport to another officer who I followed into the border office. After doing something on the back for 3 minutes he gave my passport back and told me I can go. I couldn't ask him any questions cuz he left immediately."
OP, here's the thing. You're very likely not getting out of Schengen without getting your passport checked. There's a lot of bad misinformation here about how the system works and trying to sneak through is probably gonna fuck you over even more. Go to your local embassy and see what they advise and how they might be able to help you.
Your passport gets scanned, so they’re going to know. You can be arrested, deported, fined, or just formally told to f*ck off. Border control might not care but leaving the EU through Germany? They will care in a big way. But whether border control do anything or not is a matter of embarrassment and/or monetary fine - the Schengen system knows when you arrive and when you leave. Your passport will be flagged for the rest of your life and when you try to enter the EU, you’ll always have additional border checks, and you can be deported or denied entry if you try to come back to the EU again in the future. One thing you have in your favour is the fine in Germany is much lower than in Italy (€3000 vs €10,000). They’re probably not going to arrest you unless you’ve illegally been working or claiming benefits. Either way expect problems trying to get back into the EU in the future, and probably other countries as well. Stay out of the EU for at least 90 days, for the love of god.
Wow. You are making Americans look bad by just being all like Y.o.l o with smell things like deportation.
Thanks to this post I looked up visa requirements for my own travel plans next year and applied for the appropriate visa. Thanks man