British holidaymakers are being advised by the Foreign Office to carry two documents when jetting off abroad, or risk being denied entry to a European country.
EES rules for British passport holders
One shift saw that British passport holders can stay in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, with this automatically logged by the Entry/Exit System (EES), which was fully implemented in April this year.
The new digital border system requires Brits to register their biometric data, including fingerprints and a photograph, on arrival in a Schengen area. The EES has replaced manual passport stamping and records the date and time of entry into the EU, as well as the date and time of exit.
Delays and tracking errors
While the EES is set to make it easier to track the length of a Brit's stay in the EU, the Telegraph reported that some holidaymakers have seen their duration tracker continue to add up even after arriving back in the UK. This may be due to their exit from the EU not being correctly logged in the digital system, whereas their entry into the EU was.
This is likely to have been caused by travel chaos, as since the EES was rolled out in April, there have been numerous reports of significant travel delays at EU airports, with thousands of holidaymakers attempting to navigate the new system. Some have experienced delays of up to four hours, while others have missed flights, prompting some airports to temporarily suspend EES checks or revert to manual passport stamps.
Advice and penalties
This, in turn, might prevent a British passport holder from having their exit from the EU properly recorded, and, if unaware, could easily exceed their 90-day limit. This can land holidaymakers in some serious hot water, with a risk of being refused entry when returning to the EU, or face a whopping fine of up to €10,000 (£8,550) - the maximum penalty for Brits overstaying in Spain without a visa.
In a bid to prevent any mix-ups, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises Brits to keep travel documents such as their boarding passes and booking records in case their time in the EU is incorrectly recorded. This will help provide evidence of the duration of the stay.
Earlier this month the FCDO updated its advice to include EES requirements across Schengen Area countries including Spain, France, Greece. This includes a warning on what to do if you think there was an error in processing your information. The advice explains: "If you believe you have been incorrectly entered into EES or your record of time spent in the Schengen area is incorrect, approach border officials when you next cross the Schengen border and request a correction."
"If you are exempt, carry documentation confirming your status. If you believe your time spent in the Schengen area has been recorded incorrectly, raise this with border officials and be prepared to provide supporting evidence if requested."
