Consequences of overstaying in the EU

[Twogirls]

This was posted on the British Expats in Portugal FB forum today, seems they were fined but no long term consequences. It's FB so it's not gospel but I thought it may be of interest here.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Cash! That sounds dodgy AF! Scam alert!

 

[Twogirls]

Cash! That sounds dodgy AF! Scam alert!

Yes that's what I thought, but certainly here in Portugal police have fined people for minor road traffic offences, demanded cash, and taken them to cash point to get it! It's not uncommon, and in fact it's referred to by expats as the police christmas bonus. Where the cash ends up is anyone's guess !

 

[NicandJay]

Due to a counting cock up and a rearranging of crossing times/dates, wife and I found out this afternoon in Calais that we had overstayed.... by one day. We were sternly warned by French Border Control to "be very careful next time". Considering ourselves warned!

 

[jumar]

Due to a counting cock up and a rearranging of crossing times/dates, wife and I found out this afternoon in Calais that we had overstayed.... by one day. We were sternly warned by French Border Control to "be very careful next time". Considering ourselves warned!

A Warning given, but a Stamp in the passport could be different.........only time will tell..........don't answer the door to anyone on a bike, wearing a beret with a string of onions around his neck......

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[Tykatem]

......don't answer the door to anyone on a bike, wearing a beret with a string of onions around his neck.....

or to this guy

Pete

 

[Garry - June]

The problem with this post is that it will give some the impression that "overstaying" is nothing to worry about and a fine like that isn't too bad, which would be a huge mistake .. believe me they got off extremely lightly..

 

[Twogirls]

The problem with this post is that it will give some the impression that "overstaying" is nothing to worry about and a fine like that isn't too bad, which would be a huge mistake .. believe me they got off extremely lightly..

Well you'd like to think that people make their own decisions, not take FB posts as gospel as I pointed out in the OP. Purely posted here as it may be of interest. I wouldn't personally risk it but others might, up to them.

 

[Tombola]

Receipts anyone ????
what ?

 

[Kozikot]

Cash! That sounds dodgy AF! Scam alert!

So what was the other Option, Refuse ?

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[Kozikot]

This was posted on the British Expats in Portugal FB forum today, seems they were fined but no long term consequences. It's FB so it's not gospel but I thought it may be of interest here.

Do you know how long the overstay was ?

 

[Twogirls]

Do you know how long the overstay was ?

No idea, I don't think they told us in the post.
Edit: I've just looked at all the comments under her post and she doesn't say how long they overstayed by. She does that that they queried why that particular amount, and the girl in the booth told them that she doesn't know about fines, it's up to the police, and if that's what they say that's what you have to pay!!! Again, I stress this is FB so take from it what you will.

 

[Twogirls]

Receipts anyone ????
what ?

No but the poster does say that their passports were stamped with the amount of the fine and "paid". That what she says, but again I stress its FB, not gospel truth necessarily.

 

[popotla]

Something dishonest is going on. It cannot be (legally and morally) correct that a police officer arbitrarily defines/decides - in this circumstance of overstaying, at least, and in other circumstances too, it seems to me - the amount of a fine. There must be (legally and morally, I think) a fixed scale of penalties. Someone knows this and the offender (the overstaying person, in this case) has a right to see it.

If it's "up to the police" then they can levy the amount they think they can get away with. (One person is an an old car, another in a bus-sized luxury motorhome, and so on and so on.) "The police decide" and/or "come with us to the machine" is not 'fishy', it reeks of a Peruvian anchovy factory at the height of summer. I have quite a lot of experience of living in and/or travelling in corrupt countries and have many times been confronted by corrupt practices.

I read on another forum this morning the comment that the UK is fast becoming a banana republic without bananas. Perhaps France is already there.

 

[Kozikot]

Something dishonest is going on. It cannot be (legally and morally) correct that a police officer arbitrarily defines/decides - in this circumstance of overstaying, at least, and in other circumstances too, it seems to me - the amount of a fine. There must be (legally and morally, I think) a fixed scale of penalties. Someone knows this and the offender (the overstaying person, in this case) has a right to see it.

If it's "up to the police" then they can levy the amount they think they can get away with. (One person is an an old car, another in a bus-sized luxury motorhome, and so on and so on.) "The police decide" and/or "come with us to the machine" is not 'fishy', it reeks of a Peruvian anchovy factory at the height of summer. I have quite a lot of experience of living in and/or travelling in corrupt countries and have many times been confronted by corrupt practices.

I read on another forum this morning the comment that the UK is fast becoming a banana republic without bananas. Perhaps France is already there.

Only a guess, but as we don't know the length of the overstay, the €190 may marry up to the Number of days Overstayed ? don't think a fishy official would enter the amount paid and Officially stamp it in the Overstayers Passport...
Just because it smells fishy,and it doesn't compare to our own squeeky clean Police/BF Procedures !, it doesn't mean it's fishy all the time, only some of the time, and remember this is France we're talking about....

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[Tykatem]

I read on another forum this morning the comment that the UK is fast becoming a banana republic without bananas. Perhaps France is already there.

A day did not go by on social media in 2021 without some high-profile performative outrage about Boris Johnson and the hell hole he has bequeathed us. Britain is a 'banana republic' apparently. We live in a 'tinpot dictatorship' and are an 'international embarrassment'. This sort of thing is most often touted by talk radio hosts, former Labour spin doctors, actors and anyone who’s ever appeared on Live At The Apollo. The consequences of this language, both for the health of the nation and for those wishing for some especially humiliating deposition in Number Ten, is that it achieves nothing. It merely legitimises the idea of reverse exceptionalism: that Britain’s historic mission is to be irredeemably awful.

There is a clear distinction between justified criticism of the government – sometimes on issues of life and death – and the assumption that Britain is a basket case doomed to deserved decline. This fatalism is poor politics, ceding this ground to opponents who need no encouragement to weaponise patriotism.

Read on.......

Banana republic Britain and the curse of reverse exceptionalism

A day did not go by on social media in 2021 without some high-profile performative outrage about Boris Johnson and the hell hole he has bequeathed us. Britain is a ‘banana republic’ apparently. We live in a ‘tinpot dictatorship’ and are an ‘international embarrassment’. This sort of thing is...

www.spectator.co.uk

Pete

 

[Minxy]

Lets leave the 'politics' out of this otherwise we all know what will happen to this thread!

 

[L' Hobo]

Only a guess, but as we don't know the length of the overstay, the €190 may marry up to the Number of days Overstayed ? don't think a fishy official would enter the amount paid and Officially stamp it in the Overstayers Passport...
Just because it smells fishy,and it doesn't compare to our own squeeky clean Police/BF Procedures !, it doesn't mean it's fishy all the time, only some of the time, and remember this is France we're talking about....

Back in the 70/80's when I, and my Coach Drivers, used to do the camping holiday runs to Italy, Yugoslavia, Spain and the Southern France, they were all told to buy, on the ferry, 200 cigarettes and a bottle of Brandy to ease Customs entering, especially, Italy and Yugoslavia and to a lesser amount, Spain. (A few were honest enough to return the unused stuff to the office and started my liking for Brandy )

In France, especially towards the end of the summer, drivers had to watch there speed limits between Autoroute Toll Booths as the tickets were timed and an 'on the spot' CASH 'deposit' (until the speeding offence went to court, most never did) had to be paid.

It was said, that even the honest Gendarmes, got a percentage of all fines as an incentive? Perhaps they still do??

 

[Twogirls]

Something dishonest is going on. It cannot be (legally and morally) correct that a police officer arbitrarily defines/decides - in this circumstance of overstaying, at least, and in other circumstances too, it seems to me - the amount of a fine. There must be (legally and morally, I think) a fixed scale of penalties. Someone knows this and the offender (the overstaying person, in this case) has a right to see it.

If it's "up to the police" then they can levy the amount they think they can get away with. (One person is an an old car, another in a bus-sized luxury motorhome, and so on and so on.) "The police decide" and/or "come with us to the machine" is not 'fishy', it reeks of a Peruvian anchovy factory at the height of summer. I have quite a lot of experience of living in and/or travelling in corrupt countries and have many times been confronted by corrupt practices.

I read on another forum this morning the comment that the UK is fast becoming a banana republic without bananas. Perhaps France is already there.

I can't speak for France but I can speak fir my experience of Portugal and police corruption (in the sense of taking cash for fines, no argument, no receipt etc) is well known here. As a foreigner I'm afraid I wouldn't be in a position to argue with them and neither would most foreigners here, the Portugese themselves will tell you that the police are corrupt, there's less trust for them than there is for Metpol in the UK at the moment!

 

[Northernraider]

Im not getting the connection why the " you must have proof of residency " was mentioned what has that to do with any overstay. Was the fine perhaps not for being in france when not a resident when they had banned all travel there a while back.

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[Twogirls]

Im not getting the connection why the " you must have proof of residency " was mentioned what has that to do with any overstay. Was the fine perhaps not for being in france when not a resident when they had banned all travel there a while back.

Don't know, unless if you had French residency then there would be no fine?

Edit: just gone back and re-read it, the reason they ask for "proof of residency to hand" is so you don't get your passport stamped, I went to UK by ferry last June and had to give my residency papers so they didn't stamp passport, and same again by air in December.

 

[Northernraider]

Don't know, unless if you had French residency then there would be no fine?

Edit: just gone back and re-read it, the reason they ask for "proof of residency to hand" is so you don't get your passport stamped, I went to UK by ferry last June and had to give my residency papers so they didn't stamp passport, and same again by air in December.

Ah ok ..that makes sense.

I wonder if french border control are going to flick through my passport to see all the ins and outs of shengen or if it will automatically come up on their computer.

 

[Twogirls]

Only a guess, but as we don't know the length of the overstay, the €190 may marry up to the Number of days Overstayed ? don't think a fishy official would enter the amount paid and Officially stamp it in the Overstayers Passport...
Just because it smells fishy,and it doesn't compare to our own squeeky clean Police/BF Procedures !, it doesn't mean it's fishy all the time, only some of the time, and remember this is France we're talking about....

From the OP, the lady in the border control booth had nothing to do with imposing the fine, that was the police, once they told her the fine had been paid she merely stamped it in their passport, she told the passenger it was up to the police, her job was purely to identify they had overstayed and tell the border police to deal with it. That's my understanding of it.

 

[Kozikot]

From the OP, the lady in the border control booth had nothing to do with imposing the fine, that was the police, once they told her the fine had been paid she merely stamped it in their passport, she told the passenger it was up to the police, her job was purely to identify they had overstayed and tell the border police to deal with it. That's my understanding of it.

Realise that, but OP also states, passport stamped with amount of fine, marked Paid and leaving date...so the Police must have told the the lady the Amount of the fine and to insert it Marked paid in the Passport... Yes ?...

Otherwise how did the lady know how much the fine was, had it been paid and to insert it in the Passport ? Assuming as she had nothing to do with imposing the fine, the Police must have told her what to do....

 

[Twogirls]

Realise that, but OP also states, passport stamped with amount of fine, marked Paid and leaving date...so the Police must have told the the lady the Amount of the fine and to insert it Marked paid in the Passport... Yes ?...

Otherwise how did the lady know how much the fine was, had it been paid and to insert it in the Passport ? Assuming as she had nothing to do with imposing the fine, the Police must have told her what to do....

Agreed. But the question was asked how did the police come up with that amount, nobody knows, least of all the lady in the booth who appears to have just done what she was told by the police.

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[Minxy]

What Happens If I Overstay My Visa in France?

In our articles, we regularly talk about the importance of making sure that temporary migrants to the UK never allow themselves to be considered over…

www.lexology.com

The penalty will depend on the circumstances and the length of overstay. As such, if you have overstayed by a matter of a few days, it is more likely that a fine will be levied. Long periods of overstaying may result in deportation.

Looks like the amount was about right:

British visitors to France: €198 fine over 90/180-day rule

Britons travelling to France should understand the the Schengen area’s rules and be proactive in showing proof of residency to avoid €198 fine

www.connexionfrance.com

 

[jumar]

Ah ok ..that makes sense.

I wonder if french border control are going to flick through my passport to see all the ins and outs of shengen or if it will automatically come up on their computer.

I'm sure they will, it's going to be a great read....that's providing they have time....

 

[Minxy]

I'm sure they will, it's going to be a great read....that's providing they have time....

Just get the poser Milo out and get him to give them one of his cute looks ... the canine equivalent of 'Puss in Boots'.

 

[Northernraider]

I'm sure they will, it's going to be a great read....that's providing they have time....

Just get the poser Milo out and get him to give them one of his cute looks ... the canine equivalent of 'Puss in Boots'.

View attachment 580659

Im just curious as there seems to be no comsistency with border patrols the buggers just stamp it anywhere so you have to shuffle back and forth the pages to follow the ins and outs. Just wondering if their computer will already have totted up days in and out so they dont need to .

 

[jumar]

Im just curious as there seems to be no comsistency with border patrols the buggers just stamp it anywhere so you have to shuffle back and forth the pages to follow the ins and outs. Just wondering if their computer will already have totted up days in and out so they dont need to .

Well who knows....you may be the one who tells the rest....how does it feel to be the leading light for everyone else to follow...The formula could be named after your goodself...
The-nothernraider-way....you could receive royalties or even more...

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