Overheard a guy in a Lisbon cafe say he's been here 8 months without a visa

I was working from a cafe in Lisbon yesterday and the guy at the next table was telling his friend he'd been in Portugal for 8 months on a tourist visa that only allows 90 days. He was laughing about how easy it is to just hop a border and come back. It got me thinking... I've heard a lot of nomads talk about this kind of thing like it's no big deal. But what happens if you get caught? Has anyone actually faced real trouble, like a fine or a ban, for overstaying in a Schengen country? I'm planning my next move and this stuff makes me nervous.

2 comments

2 Comments

aaronallen8d ago

Honestly I've done it a few times myself and it's fine. The border checks are so random, I mean they barely even look at your passport half the time. I know a bunch of people who've overstayed for months and nothing happened, no fines, no bans, they just got a stamp on the next entry. It's really not a big deal if you keep your head down.

kai4638d ago

Man, that's playing with fire though.