What Happens If Your Visa Expires?
One of the scariest things that can happen while traveling is your visa being overdue. An overstay on your visa means that you have exceeded the days allotted for the visa you applied for or the deadline indicated on the stamp you received from the country of entry. Even if you did not apply for one, if you are only allowed to stay in the country for a certain number of days and you stay beyond those days, it is also classified as delayed, which could mean penalties.
You can pay a fine
Several years ago my husband and I went to China for the first time. China requires American travelers to apply for a visa prior to travel, and he thought he had obtained a visa that allowed him to stay 60 days. Unfortunately, the visa had only 30 days to stay, and by the time he realized this, he had sat for almost a whole week.
While trying to catch the flight, he was stopped and dragged aside. He was told that he would have to pay for each day the visa was delayed. The fine is RMB 500, or about $ 70 per day. Fortunately, since they were able to establish that this was his first visit to China and that he was not a repeat offender, his punishment was just a fine, not worse.
However, due to a long wait between rounds of questions, we missed our flight to Thailand and we had to rebook all new flights.
You can go to jail
Imprisonment for a late visa is often the result of more extreme circumstances, such as:
- Overdue for a period of more than a certain time. For example, you decided to stay for a full year and you were allowed between 30/60/90 days and 6 months.
- Recurring criminal
- Refusal to pay a fine
Here are some (but not all) countries where you can go to jail for late payment:
- Saudi Arabia
- China
- United Kingdom (you will need a good reason to explain why you were delayed, such as childbirth, death, or a global pandemic)
All countries are different and you may be treated differently depending on the customs office you are dealing with.
You may be banned in the country
A delay in your visa may result in a re-entry ban. This ban can be a matter of years or a lifetime ban.
For example, an overdue stay in South Africa of less than 30 days will result in a ban for up to 12 months. However, if you overstay your visa by more than 30 days, the ban period will be at least five years. With this ban, you will be flagged as “unwanted” and the chances of you being able to get another visa or re-entry back into the country will be minimal.
Consequences of COVID-19
Many expats and travelers are stuck abroad due to border closures, flight cancellations or insanely high last-minute fares. According onlinevisa.com , many governments provide travelers with an automatic grace period, while some require you to re- filed a request for an extension.
If you happen to be abroad and are not sure about the current restrictions:
- Call the US Embassy / Consulate for advice.
- Send an email to the embassy / consulate as a backup to show that you have not deliberately overstayed your visa.
Since the pandemic is out of everyone’s control, it is unlikely that you will be punished for a late visa right now, but always double-check, just in case. Also, keep in mind that the start and end dates do not need to be measured with a stamp or visa sticker. When your passport is scanned at customs, biometric data is measured and automatically calculates the time you have been in the country. Your job is to keep track of the days you are in the country.