How long after the infection do genital warts appear?

Usually it takes a few weeks or up to several months from the day of the infection until visible lesions appear (4 weeks to 8 months).

You may, however, be infected and never get visible warts. In rare cases, warts may appear years after the infection. HPV can remain latent in some people for years or decades before developing warts or cervical disease.

In these cases we presume that something went wrong with the immune system and the virus was re-activated.It is not possible to determine exactly when, or from whom, an individual contracted the virus.