Hey guys:

I have a question that has been bothering me
a lot these days. I will arrive in Madrid on June 16 (from USA) with only a tourist visa and a one-way plane ticket. I plan to stay a year, but may be returning home within my given three months, but I am not certain. I realize that if I plan to stay longer than my visa I could be in trouble. I don't necessarily want to discuss the ethics of this topic, but am concerned what the Spanish immigration will tell me upon my arrival as I only have a one-way ticket. Can anyone give me advice, words of comfort or caution or share any personal experiences? Any information will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Cat

While Spain has been cracking down on "illegal immigration" it is rather selective and focuses primarily on the illegal immigrants coming in from Africa and Latin America.

I know many Americans who have done exactly what you are thinking about doing and have not had any problem with immigration.

The difficulty comes once you get here and find that your employment opportunities will be limited. Because you will first be here on a tourist visa and then illegally (if you plan to stay beyond the 3 months) you will find that no business will be able to hire you.

If you plan to teach English, there is always a demand for qualified native English Speakers. However it´s wise to bear in mind that the better paying jobs will always go to those that are here on a permanent, legal basis.

With that said, there are businesses that will you hire under the table (and pay you in black money), but you will always run the risk of being cheated out of pay or some other "desgracia". While the Spanish law will come to your defense, many illegal immigrants are not aware of this and find themselves in difficult situations, both economically and socially.

Your decision to make is a difficult one and the best that you can do is make it being fully informed.

Good luck

Chica,

Thank you for the information and the words of advice. My main concern is when I walk through immigration with only a one-way plane ticket. Do you have any idea what will happen with that? The reason I ask is because I once arrived in London and the immigration lady would not let me through immigration without seeing my return ticket, which I had of course. Might I encounter the same sort of situation in Spain?

Thanks........Cat N.

Cat- its possible that they don't let you through without a return ticket. There really is no way of knowing. They could be cracking down really hard- or maybe it just depends on the mood of the person who is processing you. Maybe they'll let you through after only answering some questions. There is always the possibility of them turning you around and make you go back- unless you have the proper papers- airlines are not supposed to sell one-way tickets but they do, and if you get turned around its a return trip home at their expense!

You're not going to know until you go.

Espe3:

Yikes! That isn't really what I wanted to hear, but it does make sense. Thanks for being open and honest. Here's to hoping for the best and being prepared for the worst.....
Does anyone else have an opinion/story/advice/etc????
Cat

I´ve come to Spain on a one-way ticket before without any problems. I think I entered the EU in France that time, my connecting France-Spain flight was an inter-EU flight so there weren´t any passport problems. The biggest problem I had was when I was getting my boarding pass. They kept asking me about things and whatI was going to do there and why I only had a one-way ticket(it was also less than a year after september 11). I just told them that I was going to go study Spanish and I didn´t know if I was going to return directly after my course or maybe travel around Europe and then go to another European country and book a flight then. That seemed to work. They aren´t worried about americans too much, what happens to us is just an unintended side effect of their immigration policy.

A related question: I'm an American here on a tourist visa as well. I'm working remotely in the US and being paid there so finding a job isn't really an issue for me. I am worried about overstaying, and then not being allowed back in the country.

As I understand it, I have to leave the Schengen area before my 90 days is up and then I can return. Flights back to the US are pretty cheap right now, but for the sake of time and hassle I think I would rather do something same-day. Switzerland is a candidate, I know, but Andorra seems to be a bit of a grey area. A few hours in the car is preferable to a flight to GVA or ZRH.

Does anyone have experience with Andorra? Will they stamp my passport, and will it "count"?

Thanks everyone,

-alan in sitges

There are other threads related to this topic. I think someone mentioned that there is an amount of time you must spend outside of the country for the "go somewhere and get a stamp" maneuver to work.

About your question, catn2002, I too was questioned once but that was from England. My friend had trouble with air france. The possibility is there and I think, like Roe said, the boarding pass is the most difficult. It really just depends on who is ticketing you if they care about enforcing the rules or not. I had to buy a refundable one-way ticket and when I went to try and check in again, the lady didn't even ask me for the return ticket, the same return ticket the other agent forced me to buy. So, if all else fails, try going to another ticket counter (not easy if there are few agents)! Or, suck it up and buy a refundable one way. Just exchange it when you get to Madrid (or whenever). Most likely they won't bat an eye, but be prepared for the worst.

I'm a US citizen, and while I live and work in Spain legally, I generally don't show my residence card when going thru Spanish immigration 'cos I like the stamps in my passport and if I show the card they don't even open my passport.

I've never had an issue coming into Spain without a ticket to leave - never even been asked. They barely even look at my passport most times