I'm a bit curious when reading all the posts here and elsewhere on the web regarding overstaying a 90-day tourist visa.

People talk a lot about stamps in passports instead of computer records of entries and exits. When I left Spain I watched the immigration officer and when he typed in the person's name, a varying amount of lines came up on the screen on his computer, in green. My guess is that maybe sometimes those lines a red or something and that means trouble. They must keep computer records, it's not exactly rocket science...

Maybe they still don't care, but I wonder if things have changed much since all the recent terrorism. If anyone has recent experience, maybe the last year or so, of overstaying your tourist visa, please reply.

Hi Doug,

I'm by no means an expert on this, but I would guess that things could be a little serious if one overstayed their visa. I have a friend who two years ago did that in France, and was literally kicked out of the country by the police.

I just returned from Madrid, and everything (at least in Barajas Int'l Airport) was done on computer concerning passports. I am sure that is all logged into a record of some sort, but I too wonder where all that information goes.

I would also imagine that maybe if you overstayed a tourist visa, the US (or your home country) may want some answers too.

I doubt very much the US cares if a US citizen overstays their permited stay in another country. Remember, if you're coming to Spain (or other Schengen country) for 90 days, you don't have a visa, so you really can't talk about "overstaying" your visa. Rather you are traveling visa free and have fewer (or no) rights to extend your stay or protest an expulsion.