EU Border Errors Could Block British Holidays
Some British visitors are being wrongly flagged as overstayers after the EU’s digital border system failed to register their departures. The errors can make it appear that holidaymakers have exhausted their 90-days-in-180 allowance, even when they travelled legally. Consumer group Which? says it has received dozens of complaints, including cases of border questioning and people uncertain whether they can return to the Schengen area.
Novelist Jojo Moyes was stopped at Marseille airport in October after her May departure from Portugal went unrecorded. She had spent just 23 days in the Schengen area over six months. Jane Nolan and her husband reported another discrepancy: despite spending only 40 days in France, the EU checker showed no days remaining. Their passports had been stamped manually when they left in June.
The Entry/Exit System (EES) began rolling out in October 2025 and became fully operational on 10 April 2026, replacing passport stamps with digital records and biometric checks. Some border posts temporarily suspended EES checks during summer queues, potentially leaving departure records incomplete. Moyes told Which? a French officer warned her of a possible €10,000 fine and two-year ban if she returned before correcting the error.
How to Check Your EU Travel Record
- Check the EU stay tool for an unexpected "not OK" result or zero remaining days.
- Compare the answer with your own Schengen travel dates.
- Keep boarding passes, tickets and stamped passport pages proving departure.
- Identify the country where you last crossed the Schengen external border.
- Email its EES data controller with a passport copy and supporting evidence.
- Leave time for a reply before travelling.
An incorrect EES result does not establish that a visitor has broken immigration rules, but it may still cause difficulties at the border. The EU’s online checker excludes time spent on Schengen stays that began before 10 April 2026, so its remaining-days figure is not a complete calculation. Anyone finding an unexplained shortfall should request a record correction and carry proof of their departure dates. Penalties vary by country.
