Well, not a real visa, more like an implied tourist visa. The State Dept. says most of the European countries have this rule for US visitors: “Visa not required for tourist stay of up to 90 days.” Would this 90 day limit ever be enforced, as long as you continued to do touristy things?
Bonus question: it actually says (**90-day period begins when entering Schengen countries.) Huh?
Overstaying a visa is up to the individual country’s laws and enforcement of said laws.
As for your second question, …
It’s not like anyone’s going to start checking your passport if you stay too long, but they do check when you leave (I almost got in trouble because a German guard couldn’t be bothered to stamp my passport near the other stamps). As for what they do to you…I have no idea.
It would be up to the country; however, as long as you hadn’t tried to take a job while you were there, it’s unlikely you’d get anything more than a warning. The purpose of the limit is to keep people from setting up in the country and taking jobs away from natives and as using services, like Welfare, that you aren’t paying taxes for.
They might say something when you leave when you go through the gates. But, I was in Czech Rep for one year with no visa saying such and i went to a few countires where I got stamped in but not out and returned back in much later (over 90 days) and once again nothing was said to me.
Its one of those catch-all’s. If they catch you and you are being more than a tourist that they can kick you out or report you to your embassy.
Also, if you are planning on going to a school or work for someplace for more than 90 days, you will, more than likely, have to file for a visa to stay longer. It’s a little harder to “lay-low” so to speak.
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