How far should the 180 days be pushed?

Hi!

I will get my visa on the 29th of December and plan to leave on the 9th of January. I intend to squeeze the visa for all its worth, so I'd like to know on what date I should come back on. Should I calculate 170 days from the date the visa is issued or can I calculate something more like 175, even 179, without worry of getting into a lot of trouble if there are problems with my flight home (shouldn't happen, but we never know..) and such?

Thank you, it's an interesting forum you all have here . This is one thing I couldn't find an answer with via search.

In theory you can leave on the 180th day .... (Since day of issue) but I would allow a few days in case of delays, flight cancellations etc.

SteamBuff is correct. 180 Days is what you get (er, provided that's what your visa says), from the date of issue. Exceeding it is unwise, and may lead to fines at best, a whole lotta trouble at worst (not being allowed to leave being one of them; possible imprisonment another). There are arrangements for emergency situations, which should best be reserved for just that: Emergency situations, and they'll involve the typical bureaucratic hassles, not exactly fun. These will not go beyond allowing you the time to get the hell out of there. Other than that, you don't need to worry if you leave on the 180th day (er, or the 179th? )

And again and as you already realize, but for others: From date of issue, not from date of entry. With a view to airlines screwing up or you missing the last train and so on, I guess allowing for some leeway won't hurt, indeed. On that note: Make sure your last connection to your exit point isn't some impossible journey where if it falls through for some reason you don't have the time to arrange and catch an alternative means of transport.

I decided to leave a few days earlier, as I didn't want to risk a screw-up in the time-zones and such .

But yes, the "date of issue" problem cost me 250$. I admit thinking of asking my travel insurance if they covered deportation costs... .

Thank you for the help!

Hey, on a half year, what's a few days.

Have a safe journey in any case

180 days is what you buy; 180 days is what you get!

For so many people, the actual trip is going to be a fraction of that anyway.

But, if your return flight is booked for the 180th day, and something goes wrong, you can expect some hassle, probably varying from little or none if it results in you sitting in a fog-bound airport for two days, to quite a lot if you simply overslept!

I think Mach's point in the previous post is best!