In-laws in a bind in Greece -- please help
 

Hi,
My in-laws have been in Greece since May 12 and are scheduled to come home Sept. 23. They have been going to Greece every three years for this length of time -- my mother in law is native Greek and has a Greek ID but not my father in law -- and have never had a problem previously but are aware only now that 90-day stay rules are being enforced. Her Greek ID apparently exempts her; it is him that we are worried about.
Triple AAA says the ticket shouldn't have been issued without visas and refuses to make any changes to them.
They have an hour-and-change layover in Frankfurt or Munich from Athens. I forget which right now. Is this enough time to pay the 1200 euro fine they will make my father in law pay? Or should they count on staying overnight there and having to get rebooked? Will United have no problem rebooking on a flight the next day?
They were also under the distinct impression from friends that it was not Greece that would give them problems but Germany, which makes sense since it is the EU exit country for them. But say they rebooked on SwissAir with a connection in non-EU Zurich, I have trouble believing Greece won't give them issues.
They are old and I am worried about them. I want them to be prepared. Thank you flyertalkers for any help!
Jackie

Switzerland is a Schengen Zone country...meaning they would get in trouble there too, I believe. Easiest solution: have them leave the EU and visit Turkey so that the 90 days in the EU per 180 day time is not affected...have them make a trip out of it!


This site has everything you need to know about the Schengen Zone, and they should not exceed their visa stay, the German's actually check now, unlike they used to.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_4361.html

And since they are going to be 45 days over the limit, throw in a few more countries. Should have read those visa requirements before hand!

But it has already been over 90 days that they have been there. How will going to Turkey now help?

Anyone know what the fine "process" would be like in Germany? Just a slip of paper in his passport listing the fine to pay by such-and-such date?

How do you think that's going to work?

To quote from the web site that you mentioned:

So, clearly, a trip to Turkey isn't going to work - especially as they have overstayed already.

In response to the OP - who told you there was going to be a fine, and that it was going to be exactly 1200 Euro? My understanding was that the penalty was a ban on entering Schengen again for a certain number of years (only for the non-Schengen citizen, of course). But that's only based on what other people have posted here.

That is what my mother in law told me, that they either impose a steep fine (I'm prett sure she said 1200 euro) or ban you from the EU/Schengen zone for 10 years. Thanks for pointing out that Switzerland would not mean a way out.
Ugh I don't know what to do.

If I'm understanding right he's already over the limit.

Would they rather the 1200 euros go towards a Gov't fine or use it to change the flight/rebook a flight via a non-Schengen point?

Look, he's already overstayed his permitted time. Schengen is Schengen. The reason it's one big happy continent is because the entry/exit and visa requirements are harmonized between all the countries. Whether they depart the Schengen zone from Greece or Germany or France or wherever, he'll be flagged on exit.

Would a "lost passport" help?

Sorry, I don't know simple math!

That is true but some modes of transportation and some countries are less stringent about this. So a trip to turkey and flying out to the US from there without entering the EU again could save them the hassles and possibly some money.

This.

How do they get to Turkey without exiting the Schengen zone? :confused:

The other way around but presumably the same rules: http://www.feribot.net/feribot/?partnerid=Mzg=&lang=en

Wherever they exit, and wherever they exit to, it will be found that they've overstayed. Unless they leave Greece/enter Turkey illegally, which leads to all sorts of other problems, including the fact that their exit from the EU won't be recorded, so the next time they try to visit they'll have problems.

OP, if it were me, I would advise them to (a) leave as soon as possible, admitting that they've only realized their mistake but are making an effort to fix it right away, and (b) try to leave directly from Greece to a non-Schengen point so that they can have this difficult conversation in a language and setting where your MIL is comfortable.

I second the suggestion that it would be better to leave through Greece, as the spouse of an elderly Greek citizen. Germany and Switzerland are likely to be strict, especially with certain nationalities or ethnic backgrounds, just as they historically have been tough on gastearbeiter.