Many British tourists will be taking their first holidays in the Schengen area of the EU since Brexit this summer. Coronavirus restrictions have been relaxed in countries across Europe and airlines are laying on extra services to cope with demand.
Since the UK left the EU at the end of 2020, new rules have applied to UK passport holders holidaying within the EU and the Schengen zone covering most of the EU (but not Ireland). Now, Brits can go to Schengen countries for a maximum of three months without having to apply for a visa. Before Brexit, UK passport holders benefited from freedom of movement and could remain in the EU and Schengen for as long as they wanted.
Under the new rules, Brits can travel to the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. And, unlike before Brexit, their passports will be stamped when they enter and leave Schengen countries.
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A passport stamp is more than a nice souvenir, having one should stop you from being held up by border guards when you try to leave. If there is no record of when you entered the EU, you could be accused of overstaying.
Why it's important to get a passport stamp for holidays in EU
If you are heading on holiday to a country in the Schengen area of the EU - and they include most of the European Union - then it is important to make sure your passport is stamped as you enter and leave the country. Popular destinations like Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Malta and Cyprus are all in the Schengen area.
It is important because there is now a limit on the amount of time UK passport holders (who don't also own EU nation passports) can spend in the European Union and Schengen area without having to get a visa. Brits can spend up to 90 days in a 180-day period in the Schengen area visa-free.
The entry stamp on your passport will tell border guards when you arrived in Schengen. Getting an exit stamp will confirm you have departed within the three-month time frame.
The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office explains : "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."
Those caught overstaying can be fined and faced with stricter border checks next time they try to enter the Schengen area. They can even be banned from coming back, although that punishment is usually only for extreme overstayers.
What to do if you have no passport stamp
If border guards stop you and say they suspect you of overstaying and you do not have a passport stamp there are ways you can prove you have played by the three-month rule.
The FCO says: "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."
If I go through an e-gate, do I need to get my passport stamped?
There are e-gates at three Portuguese airports that UK Passport holders can use. They are separate from the EU e-gates used by EU passport holders.
If you go through a UK passport holder e-gate at Lisbon, Faro or Funchal airports, you do not need to get your passport stamped, although you could ask for one if you are worried, especially if you are leaving Schengen from a different airport to the Portuguese one you arrived through.
The FCO says: "On arrival or departure, check you are eligible to use the e-gates and that you are in the right queue. When using an e-gate, your entry/exit is recorded on the computer system.
"A border officer may also stamp your passport after you have passed through the e-gate; this is for airport operational reasons. If you use a manned booth, check that your passport is stamped by the border officer when you enter or exit as a visitor."
