My academic chapter in France has come to a close, and my student residence permit officially expired yesterday. I have a deep desire to visit a friend in Italy for a final farewell before I return to the verses of my life in Lahore. If I exit the Schengen area now—perhaps to the UK—can I immediately re-enter on a tourist basis to conclude this journey? Or will the border officials see my expired permit and bar the gates against me?
History lives here, but the rules of the present are rigid. You must look closer at your situation. Since your long-stay visa has expired, you are currently in a precarious position. While time spent on a student visa usually does not eat into your 90-day tourist allowance, the ability to re-enter depends entirely on your nationality. If your passport does not grant you visa-free access to the Schengen zone, you cannot simply return without applying for a new visa from your home country. Ancient wisdom suggests verifying this immediately to avoid deportation.