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Best Western European airport to fly back to USA to avoid Schengen penalty

Posted by (Boulder, CO, USA) on

My girlfriend and I have overstayed the legal amount of time that a USA citizen can stay in the Schengen Zone without a longterm visa or residency permit (90 days is the maximum stay in any 180 day period). And soon it will be time to fly back to the USA.

At the risk of sounding crass and ignorant, I wanted to know if anybody has advice on what airport in Western Europe would allow us the best opportunity of getting through customs without getting fined and formally deported.

I apologize if this sounds offensive to any Europeans, but the Schengen Agreement has made it very difficult for tourists such as myself to go on longterm sabbatical to travel Europe. There is no such thing as a longterm tourist visa and most governments don't believe that people like myself, who saved money for 8 years to do this, can afford to stay traveling this long without doing something illegal (e.g. working illegal or illegal activities). Prior to the Schengen Agreement, an American could tour country to country in Europe as long as she/he didn't stay longer than 90 days in any one country. Now that doesn't work anymore. I understand what the Schengen Agreement is targeting (illegal immigration of non-tourists into the Schengen Zone, instead of fighting it country-by-country), but it leaves most tourists like myself no option but to travel illegally.

Thanks, in advance, for any advice.

Posted by
2779 posts

"The Schengen Agreement has made it difficult for tourists ... to go on longterm sabbaticals..." Well, the US INS has made it difficult for us to do the same in your country. It's just fair that way.

Posted by
3 posts

Thanks for your information, folks. As I thought I would, the European contingent is offended by my question. I don't blame you guys. As I said in my post, "I understand why the Schengen Agreement is necessary". I'll definitely admit that I did not understand the Schengen Agreement before I had already broken it. I'm traditionally a by-the-book type of guy when it comes to these things. But, of course, now that I'm in a spot, my spirited side wants to see if I can avoid the consequences. Guilty, as charged.

Posted by
505 posts

Sorry, you're not going to get information to help you break the law. You overstayed...tough.

The laws are there for a reason. And you do have options - like spending part of a trip in the UK (which until recently allowed Americans to stay for 6 months) or applying for an extended visa. European countries have NO responsibility to provide you with work or entertainment. And 99.99% of tourists find perfectly legal ways to be a tourist.

As someone who's jumped through numerous hoops and paid thousand of dollars for visas to stay in Europe legally, I have zilch sympathy. And it's people like you that cause our fees to be so hi - we pay for the paperwork and deportations of you folks.

You're going to have to face up to what you did...you will have to give a passport number to get on a plane, so there's no way to escape the penalties.

Kate

Posted by
2779 posts

Actually I was under the impression that US citizens can get a Schengen visa extension from inside the Schengen zone as long as they approach the authorities of the very country they're in within the legal stay's time frame...

Posted by
805 posts

I had a friend who did the same thing (he overstayed a student visa by six months) post-Schengen and what he did, which worked out well, is went to the nearest US consulate and explained to them what happened. They then helped him out and he got home. One thing to be aware of, this got him on the security watch list, meaning he still gets wanded every time he goes through a checkpoint.

Posted by
281 posts

Scooter:

Well, it sounds like a bit of a predicament.

But really, how much are you going to spend trying to secret your way out of Europe vs. the fine you might have to pay?

Maybe this is one of those cases where your parents were right, "honesty is the best policy." Give your Mea Culpa and beg forgiveness for your error, and maybe it shall be granted.

The real issue here is that we (the U.S.A.) have so poorly treated our guests from Europe for years, treating all of them as though they were attempting to illegally immigrate, that now our payback is making our travels a bit more challenging.

Good Luck,
Kevin

Posted by
7569 posts

First things first. How long have you been in Europe? 100 days? 190 days? a Year? more? that will make a difference. Did you visit any non-Schengen coutries that may have not counted towards your 90 days? (UK, Ireland a number of Eastern European countries prior to Dec. 2007, Turkey, etc.) Point being, make sure you know you actually did violate the visa and how badly before you talk to someone.

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