Visa runs and Spain

Sep 7, 2007 · miycael · 6 replies · 2983 views

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"Then the other day I met an American girl who?s been working in Spain 3 years at an English school (no papers), and just been going in and out of the country on tourist visas..."

So then THIS was my question. I posted this elsewhere but didn't get a reply. It is possible to go back and forth, like to Portugal or France and then back to Spain over and over? When I lived in Thailand, I was there with the Peace Corps working legally, but I knew a lot of people who were teaching (some for years) going to Myanmar, Laos, or Cambodia every few months, staying for a day or so, then coming back over on a new tourist visa. So people do that in Spain also? The Thai border patrol didn't ask questions. It was as though they expected it. Is it the same with the Spanish, or is there a prohibition against doing that that anyone knows of?

Sep 7, 2007 · Expatriator

Yep, if you dig further on the site you'll see that a non EU national (from most Western countries) can only stay 180 days of the year total. That means visa runs aren't going to work, and they don't. When you enter into the EU you don't get a departure card that you have to carry with you and then hand over when you leave; you only get a stamp, and travel between EU countries is like staying in the same country - no stamp, no customs.

Some people head off to Morocco but, in the end, there's really no point either. There are a LOT of Americans/Canadians/Aussies that come into Spain, work under the table, reside illegally for years and never have problems. In fact I've never heard of anyone getting caught that wasn't from Latin America or Africa. You look like a tourist, even after two years (who woulda thunk?).

Sep 7, 2007 · miycael

Thank you. That's what I needed to know.

But then (forgive me if this is naive), how do they stay illegally if that stamp only allows 180 days? Or rather, I understand how they stay, since they just stay. But how do they get out? Conveniently lose their passport? I've seen a lot about losing passports on here. Is that what they mean?

Sep 7, 2007 · Expatriator

Since this is going way off topic I split the thread.

Miycael, have you read the visas page (http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/information/visas_in_spain_for_work_or_holiday/).

You can only stay 90 days at a time, then you have to leave and come back, you get another 90 days, then you leave and can't come back till 365 days since you first entered the country. By "have to" I mean legally; this is what they tell you.

In Europe there are no departure customs. You just leave, so no one is going to stop you and check your passport till you arrive at your extra-European destination. Those who conveniently lose their passport are, IMHO, paranoid (but maybe better off).

Sep 8, 2007 · miycael

Sorry...

I did read it. I guessed I missed this. But you answered my question perfectly here. This is where I was confused.

Thank you...

Sep 21, 2007 · Adrian

> Since this is going way off topic I split the thread.

Miycael, have you read the visas page (http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/information/visas_in_spain_for_work_or_holiday/).

You can only stay 90 days at a time, then you have to leave and come back, you get another 90 days, then you leave and can't come back till 365 days since you first entered the country. By "have to" I mean legally; this is what they tell you.

In Europe there are no departure customs. You just leave, so no one is going to stop you and check your passport till you arrive at your extra-European destination. Those who conveniently lose their passport are, IMHO, paranoid (but maybe better off).

I don't know why you keep giving people erroneous advice on this topic.

There ARE departure customs. When I flew out from Frankfurt on my to Toronto, my passport was CHECKED. AND I was asked by the immigration officer as to where I was going.