A ‘long’ time ago… (oh back in my youth of the 80’s)...
I was travelling with a US companion. We had been to Spain and back to the UK. On arrival in UK I went thru ‘European’ channel for immigration - he went US.others.  The other side he didn’t appear, didn’t appear - and finally I had to go ask where he was/what was happening.  I was ‘interviewed’ and asked how he had been paying his way.  (He had not one cent in his pocket and I had actually loaned him money on our travells as I knew he would pay me back as/when).  But the authorities decided as he had no work permit for the UK, had been there over 6 months etc, etc.. They changed his 12 month return ticket to the next week and gave him just 24hrs to say his goodbyes and report back to the airport.
He had no way of showing he could support himself. 

I feel a bit stupid now and wished I had said he was my BF… But I was a licencee of a PH and didn’t want to get into trouble!

They ARE watching.

I have just got my new biometric passport and altho it was not scanned on return to Sp - the airline insist on your passport no - so I have a good idea my movements are in a computer somewhere!

BIG BRO IS ALWAYS WATCHING!

Personal experience anecdote: I am, for going on TWO YEARS NOW, waiting for my residency paperwork to make it through the system (no, it’s not lost, and yes, my lawyer is working on it). Fortunately, I have to go in and out so often for my job anyway that it hasn’t been an issue.

However, in May I became seriously ill (spent a week in the hospital, then faced 6-8 weeks of home recuperation) and my doctors flat out refused to permit me to travel by plane till August (I had weakened lungs from the illness and with the prevalence of germs in airplanes, including H1N1, they didn’t want me to risk it). I had been in Spain since the end of February, was originally supposed to travel to the U.S. (I’m an American citizen) in May-June, and instead ended up overstaying the tourist visa.

I obtained a letter from my doctors stating that I hadn’t been permitted to travel and left Spain on August 19 on a round-trip ticket scheduled to return in September.

I was not questioned, detained, or even looked at askance. No one needed to see the letter. I had zero problems. No one gave a damn why I’d been in the country so long.

I’ll follow up upon my return and let you know what happens.

Hey all,
I’m the original poster and left Spain without difficulty. Thanks for all the advice!

Seth - 15 July 2009 06:24 AM

Any update on this?  Curious to see if people have been getting checked out while leaving Spain via commercial airlines.

My advice is to go to the US Embassy. If you are caught up in the Customs (on the way your Airplane gate) of yours was detained and questioned and have all the possible Court Case between your passport the plate depends on what you can prove you stayed up and they worked. No illegal Immigrant now classed as a visa that is not valid with any health insurance and so on!

I’m also curious about illegals leaving Spain… My husband and I are taking an extended gap year. We have been staying in my parents’ apartment (legally owned, taxes paid, etc.) and with family. We’re not working either (though we might try to find some work if possible… topic for another thread). We are rapidly approaching the end of our 90-day tourist visa, but we would still like to travel around Europe (both in and out of the EU). If we are just 20-something backpackers, will they give us a hard time while traveling? Would we really be significantly detained, fined, or flagged when we return to the US?