Has anyone ever overstayed your visa for a significant amount of time and paid a fine at the Guatemalan airport. We are current volunteers in Guatemala and are thinking about overstaying our visa by 45 days when we leave by plane for home in November. I know you can pay the 10Q fine at the immigration office at the center, but if they catch us at the airport, can you pay there too!?! Or will they just not let us on the flight. We have friends who say they never check visa status as you're leaving at the airport (not like at the border)...so you can leave on an expired visa pretty easily. Has anyone had this experience?? Thanks so much.
2
latina alma
Okay, here's the real deal.....sometimes you can get through without paying the fine at the airport. I have, more than once. Usually I have been only a few days over...and I TRY not to do that. If they DO catch it, they send you to pay the fine at the bank inside the airport...no big deal, just allow an extra hour at the airport in case you DO get caught and have to work your way through lines!
3
brihavey
I have lived here for years and fly out all the time when my visa is way expired. One time it was 3 months over. They never look at your stamp at the airport for some reason. If you leave over land, it is a problem, but at the airport they never look. Your friends are correct!!
Good luck
4
delmonte
I guess the reason why #3 hasn't had any problems is because at the airport in guatemala,when you depart, you don't go through immigration any more, like it used to be. You present your passport and plane ticket to the airline ticket agent. So, I don't think the airline cares whether or not you have overstayed your visa. The agent only wants to make sure that you have paid the airport departure tax and that you are in compliance with the inmigration requirements of your destination. I could be wrong, but that's what I seen. Now, if they catch you then do as Latina Alma suggests. Good luck.
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
trusted partner
trusted partner