EU re entry after overstay?

"Let me say first that I think questions like this are IMO better asked directly to the local authorities, as only they can give you the answers based on their latest regulations. Well-intended as people on this forum are, we are no experts on immigration matters so estimated guesses are the best you can expect to get."

I agree 100%. I see no value in asking us to guess what your chances are.

Let me say first that I think questions like this are IMO better asked directly to the local authorities, as only they can give you the answers based on their latest regulations. Well-intended as people on this forum are, we are no experts on immigration matters so estimated guesses are the best you can expect to get.

That said, even for guessing I think you'll have to provide a little more info, such as what happened when you left France after your overstay. Did you get a stamp in your passport saying that you're banned? Do you know if they registered you in some computer?

Will the fact that I am married to an American persuade them to allow me re entry?
Why do you think that would have anything to do with it? Technically you broke the rules (I know, I know - you didn't kill someone, but...) and even if you would marry a local that wouldn't increase your chances of being allowed in. American citizens AFAIK do not get any preferential treatment in this respect.

Call the French embassy and explain the situation. You may be told that you're in trouble, but better safe than sorry (for flying to France and being told there that you can leave to the States on the next plan). Good luck.

When you left France, on a passport from what country did you leave? I'm guessing it wasn't a US passport and you did not overstay as a US citizen.

1) Did they actually notice you overstayed, i.e. were you fined, reprimanded etc ? If not, chances are that EU immigration never noticed you overstayed and you won't have any problems. If you were previously deported, then you will be barred from entry for a certain period of time, which you will have be told at the time of your deportation. If so, there is no way around that ban.

2) I wouldn't go talking to an embassy about this. Chances are that if they didn't have you in the computer up to this point, they'll enter your details into it, when you point out you overstayed previously. You're better off talking to an immigration lawyer first if you are unsure.

3) In the end likely no one will be able to give you a definitive answer. Immigration officers have a great deal of leeway on whether to admit a person or not. It will most likely come down to whether or not the individual officer on the day you arrive deems you likely to overstay again - if indeed he knows by virtue of a computer entry that you have overstayed previously.

Sarah228, you probably won't welcome this but thanks for highlighting the folly of overstaying. Questions about overstaying in the Schengen Area come up time after time and you can never predict with certainty what you might want to do in the future.

Be that as it may, Aribo has said all there is to say on this. Just follow his advice.

As this is my wedding and we have already sent deposits to our vendors, I am heartbroken that we may be denied entry.
It's a bit late to be asking now, but it's better to lose just the deposits than to waste all those air fares as well. Do what Aribo says.

Will the fact that I am married to an American persuade them to allow me re entry?
Interesting question. Why do you think it would?

George5 (and Sarah), there's no such thing as "EU immigration". I think Sarah has enough intelligence to not to have planned a wedding in France if she had been banned. A more likely scenario is that the passport was scanned electronically and the immigration officer turned a blind eye to the offence. However, we'll never know and Sarah probably didn't even see her passport being scanned. I do, however, agree with your point (3) completely.

Call an embassy, but invent a name, date of birth and passport number so that if they ask for these details you avoid drawing attention to yourself.

You might find it easier to speak to a human being and get an intelligent answer by approaching the Austrian embassy: they are part of Schengen and so will operate broadly the same policies as the French, but seem to be rather more serious about attracting visitors (tourism is a massively important part of the Austrian economy). My experience with London embassies: the French do not respond to e-mail, while the Austrians give rapid and intelligent replies.

George5 (and Sarah), there's no such thing as "EU immigration"

You are technically right, Tony. However I was refering to the EU Schengen immigration system, which does exist. And it's computer system is where all matters relating to vsia issuance/refusal etc are entered into.

George5, I don't want you to think I'm nitpicking but it's not a technicality. There is no "EU Schengen immigration system". There's a big difference between the EU and the Schengen Area and it's important to recognise the distinction otherwise you're going to confuse posters.

There are countries that are members of the Schengen Area that are not members of the EU, just as there are members of the EU that are not in Schengen. (There's plenty on the internet about this and Google will be your friend.)

As far as tourism is concerned, the EU has no immigration policy or controls so it's pointless talking about the EU in that context. The Schengen Area certainly does have an immigration system and that is what concerns the the OP here.

were you fined, reprimanded etc ? If not, chances are that EU immigration never noticed you overstayed and you won't have any problems
That's what I was wondering too. I assume not, because if OP had been reprimanded for her overstaying she would have been informed.
It could indeed be that French immigration didn't scan OP's passport when she left France and therefore she got out of the country without trouble, but isn't it possible that her name/dob/passport number may still be in the system as someone who entered France but never left? That could cause an interesting situation when she returns.
Just out of curiosity: why did you overstay 6 months Sarah? If you have a good reason and can back that up (e.g. medical condition that made it impossible for you to leave within 3 months) I don't see why you shouldn't call the French embassy to sort things out. If it's not such a good reason, like you overslept and woke up 6 months later or didn't know (would that be possible????) about your stay limit, it's a different story though.

Call an embassy (e.g. Austrian as #6 said), just say that you're inquiring for a friend or so who is scared to call the French embassy herself directly because she doesn't know the consequences, whatever.