WARNING ISSUED BY FOREIGN OFFICE ON SCHENGEN PASSPORT STAMPS
12TH NOVEMBER 2021 – SOURCE FCDO
The Foreign Office (FCDO) is warning UK passport holders to ensure they get their passports stamped when visiting countries within the Europe’s Schengen area.
Check your passport is stamped if you enter or exit the Schengen area as a visitor. Border guards will use passport stamps to check you’re complying with the 90-day visa-free limit for short stays in the Schengen area. If relevant entry or exit stamps are not in your passport, border guards will presume that you have overstayed your visa-free limit.
You can show evidence of when and where you entered or exited the Schengen area, and ask the border guards to add this date and location in your passport. Examples of acceptable evidence include boarding passes and tickets.
- you can travel to countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. This applies if you travel as a tourist, to visit family or friends, to attend business meetings, cultural or sports events, or for short-term studies or training
- if you are travelling to Schengen countries without a visa, make sure your whole visit is within the 90-day limit. Visits to Schengen countries within the previous 180 days before you travel count towards your 90 days
- to stay longer, to work or study, for business travel or for other reasons, you will need to meet the country’s entry requirements. Check with the Embassy to see what type of visa and/or work permit you may need.
You may also need to:
- show a return or onward ticket
- show you have enough money for your stay
The 26 Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Any time spent in Schengen countries before 1 January 2021 does not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit
UK nationals who are resident in a Schengen country should not have their passport stamped.