14

I have overstayed a Schengen tourist visa in Hungary by about 2 months, due to just incredible foolishness and not checking visa rules thoroughly. I was denied entry back in, not fined or banned, but my passport was marked. I'm lucky, I know, and Ill never make that mistake again.

My question is, how long do I have to wait before I can enter the area again? I am a bit confused, as some information I found said 90 days should be fine, but another told me I have to wait for the entire length that I was in Schengen area (so in this case, about 150 days).

I was going to apply for a work permit before discovering the overstay, which is why I want to return to Hungary as soon as I can.

11
  • Where are you from?
    – Flimzy
    Aug 21, 2014 at 14:46
  • Were you given a paper informing you of the reason why you were refused entry? What does it say?
    – Relaxed
    Aug 21, 2014 at 14:57
  • 1
    @Noelle You don't have visa then.
    – Relaxed
    Aug 21, 2014 at 15:07
  • 3
    @MikeV No, it's not a visa. US citizens do not need and cannot get a short-stay visa for the Schengen area, certainly not at the border. What they get is an entry stamp.
    – Relaxed
    Sep 30, 2014 at 21:16
  • 4
    @MikeV Not at all, the people who do need a visa sure know the difference. They can't just show up and hope to get in, they have to pay for it, do a lot of paperwork and are still at the mercy of bureaucrats. They can face issues like this or this. It's precisely because they don't need a visa that US citizens are spared all this trouble.
    – Relaxed
    Sep 30, 2014 at 22:11

1 Answer 1

7

You only need to wait at most 90 full days to avoid falling foul of the Schengen area rules on maximum stay (Whether you need to stay 90 days out of the Schengen area or less depends on how your previous stay was divided, if it was one block of 150 days, then you do need to wait exactly 90 days after the day you left the Schengen area.)

The reason cited to deny you entry is not based on the overstay but merely on the fact that it's not possible for you to reenter without violating these rules. Thus, you would also need to wait 90 days or risk being denied entry for the same motive (“˝has already stayed 90 days in the preceding 180 day period”) even if you left on the 90th day of your previous stay and hadn't overstayed at all.

After that, you could still be refused entry of course, but it would be for another motive, there is nothing special about these 150 days. On the other hand, waiting even longer could be prudent as border guards in other countries might be more suspicious of your intentions if you repeatedly try to enter the Schengen area for long periods of time.

2
  • Thank you. I suppose this is more a question for lawyers, but do you happen to know if a work visa could be issued before the 90 days are up, or do I have to/ should I wait the 90 days anyway?
    – Noelle
    Aug 21, 2014 at 15:13
  • 2
    @Noelle A work visa can be issued before. Your history of overstay might or might not be an impediment but that's up to the consulate that will process your application, there is no general rule against getting a long-stay visa immediately after a short stay in the Schengen area.
    – Relaxed
    Aug 21, 2014 at 15:16

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .