British nationals coming to the EU have previously not needed to have their passport stamps but Brexit and the end of freedom of movement has changed things somewhat.
But while visitors are now subject to the Schengen area's 90-day rule, meaning they can spend a maximum of 90 days out of every 180 in the Schengen area, those Britons living in the EU are not and therefore should not have their passports stamped.
However reports have emerged in recent days that scores of Britons returning from a Christmas break in the UK have had a date stamped into their passport by border officials in EU countries.
There are reports that French border officials are routinely stamping all passports, while The Local has been contacted by Britons returning to Sweden, Germany and other EU countries who have also had an entry date stamped in their passport.
Travelling back to Paris from London for the first time since Jan 1 I see an unfamiliar stamp in my passport. Despite the new checks, all went smoothly at Eurostar – though probably because there were barely enough passengers to fill a minibus, let alone an entire train pic.twitter.com/RnnlnZQ0yX
— Peter Conradi (@Peter_Conradi) January 4, 2021
'Contact a lawyer'
Catherine Keens, who returned to Munich from Manchester, said her passport was stamped on arrival in Germany despite her asking border officials not to do so.
“The border control agent seemed unsure whether to stamp our passports or not and asked his colleague, who also seemed unsure. I asked that they didn't stamp our passports, but they were stamped nonetheless,” she said.
If you are a ?? national resident in ??, you shouldn't need your passport stamped on arrival in France. But if it is, don't worry- see here for more details: https://t.co/b0CN97e46p
— British in France (@BritishinFrance) January 4, 2021
I’m American with a French residence/titres de séjour, and normally show both my passport and Titres de Séjour at the border. Occasionally I get stamped, but mostly not. The stamp itself doesn’t seem to be a problem, given that the Titres de Séjour proves my residency, so I’ve never had issues getting home to France. I would suspect Britons will eventually fall into the same rhythm that every other non-EU person in Europe faces. Good luck to all those stranded.
Just goes to prove that all British Embassies are a waste of time, are only there for entertaining, for the employees to live and work in opulence.
As a UK citizen and Swiss residency permit holder (B), does that give me the right to travel throughout the entire Schengen region without have to worry about the 90/180 days restriction? Or does the clock start ticking the moment I leave Switzerland into e.g. Germany/France/Italy? Obviously there is no passport stamping going to happen when travelling between Schengen countries, so my assumption would be that my Swiss permit effectively exempts me from the Schengen time limitation because they wouldn’t be able to police it? It’s totally not clear though!
I travelled within Western Europe from 1970 upwards and I never ever had my passport stamped. I also lived and worked in the Netherlands for a year from 1974. I cant understand all this passport stamping.
Regarding policing – yes most of the time nobody is stopped however the 90 day rule legally applies but if not stopped on at the border on the way out of Switzerland you could say any date you wanted if asked later
5.1 Do third-country nationals (non EU/EFTA) with a Swiss residence permit require a visa for the other Schengen states
Third-country nationals (non EU/EFTA) in possession of a Swiss permit B, C, L and Ci may visit the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, provided they have a residence permit and a valid travel document
You simply need to take your ID card with you… in fact, it is probably valid for travel within the EU. If you show a passport, that document doesn’t certify that you are resident, so you will be treated exactly the same as all other UK passport holders as citizens of a non-EU country now. The passport authorities are NOT going to take your word that you are EU resident… but if you bring your proof (ID card) you won’t have any problems.
This isn’t true. We had our Italian ID cards with us today but the Slovenia border patrol stamped our passports anyway .
As British Subjects have a limited stay in EU countries, it seems quite logical that their passports should be stamped on entry to Schengen countries. If someone has German residence this does not give him/her unlimited stay in France, Austria or other EU Schengen countries. However it would be difficult to check how much time is spent in the other countries. If the authorities want to be difficult the onus would be on the individual to prove how long he has spent there.
Robert, UK cits do not have ID cards.
As a serial immigrant, I can tell you that border personnel all over the world have a varying level of antipathy towards foreigners. The best I experienced was Canada, the worst without doubt the USA – incredibly aggressive and, frankly, rude apart from one exceptionally nice chap at the Buffalo crossing from Canada.
It doesn’t surprise me at all that a lot of border staff are ignorant of the requirements. They are not well paid and, well, ‘peanuts/monkeys’.