EES Error Sends British Tourist Home - How to Check Your Record Before Travel
A British tourist was refused entry to Italy on 6 September after the EU Entry/Exit System recorded her as having exceeded the Schengen 90-day limit, although her previous trips totalled only 22 days. Paula Pugh, 61, had flown from London Stansted to Reggio Calabria for a five-day holiday. She was escorted out, returned to the UK the same day and later faced around £2,000 in lost travel costs.
Pugh had made three short trips to Spain and one to France before travelling to Italy. According to reports, an earlier exit had not been recorded correctly in EES, making her stay appear far longer than it was. Border officers refused her entry, transferred her to Lamezia Terme and placed her on a Ryanair flight to Stansted. Her passport was held during the return journey and handed back after landing.
British visitors can normally spend up to 90 days in the Schengen area within any rolling 180-day period. EES now records short-stay entries and exits digitally, and a missing exit can therefore create an incorrect overstay record. EU rules give travellers the right to request correction of inaccurate EES data. Genuine overstays can lead to removal, fines, detention or future entry restrictions depending on the country involved.
How to Protect Your EES Record
- Check your remaining authorised stay using the EU’s official EES tool.
- Keep travel records showing previous exits, such as boarding passes.
- If your EES history is wrong, ask border officials to correct it.
- Bring documents proving any EES exemption or residence status.
- Remember the tool does not count Schengen stays that began before 10 April 2026.
The case matters most to frequent Schengen visitors, because a digital record can affect the border decision even when the traveller has counted their days correctly. Do not rely on the EES calculator alone if earlier travel falls outside the period it tracks. Keep evidence of recent exits until your record is accurate, and raise any discrepancy at the next Schengen border or with the competent authority before another trip.