World · Europe · 1 hr ago
EU border system errors leave UK travellers at risk of overstaying penalties
EU border system errors are wrongly flagging some UK travellers as overstayers.
The system records travellers’ biometric details instead of relying on passport stamps, but some departures have not been logged.
Since Brexit, UK visitors can spend up to 90 days in the Schengen area in any 180-day period.
Jojo Moyes was detained in France despite spending only 23 days in the EU over six months.
A French border official warned her not to return until the error is fixed, or she could face a fine of up to €10,000 and a two-year ban.
Other travellers say inaccurate records have blocked trips or led to detention, and some countries have used manual passport checks during system problems.
The EU is suing three firms over the system’s failures, while travel representatives are calling for a clear way to correct inaccurate records.
UK travellers say glitches in the EU’s digital Entry/Exit System have wrongly recorded them as overstaying in the Schengen area.
The system can fail to record travellers’ departures, making it appear that they have used more than their 90-day allowance in a rolling 180-day period.
Writer Jojo Moyes says she was detained by French border guards and warned she could face a €10,000 fine and a two-year EU travel ban.
Other travellers have reported inaccurate stay records that could prevent travel or lead to problems at the border.
Travel representatives and Which? have called for accountability and a way to correct inaccurate records.
- Who
- UK travellers, including writer Jojo Moyes, say the EU system has recorded their trips incorrectly.
- What
- Glitches in the Entry/Exit System have left travellers at risk of being treated as overstayers and facing penalties.
- When
- The system launched last year. The article was published on 10 November 2026.
- Where
- Schengen countries in the European Union.
- Why
- Some travellers’ departures were not recorded after their biometrics were collected on arrival.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The EU’s digital Entry/Exit System launched, replacing passport stamps with biometric records at Schengen border control.
Jojo Moyes travelled from Portugal, but says her departure was not recorded.
Some countries suspended the system and returned to manual passport checks because of technical glitches and staff shortages.
Jane Nolan and her husband returned to the UK with their passports manually stamped after France suspended the system.
- System
- EU Entry/Exit System (EES)
- Stay allowance
- 90 days in a rolling 180-day period
- Potential penalty
- Up to €10,000 and a two-year EU travel ban, as warned to Moyes
- Jojo Moyes’s EU travel
- 23 days over six months
- Nolan couple’s France trip
- 40 days in April
- France return
- The couple’s passports were manually stamped in June
1 source
What people are saying
The clock had been ticking ever since
The lack of care and accountability shown towards travellers, who risk being locked up and fines of thousands of pounds for rules they have not broken, is utterly indefensible.
Travellers should not be penalised for failures in a system that is entirely outside their control.
We should have 50 days remaining, but the EU’s ‘check how long you can stay’ tool says: ‘Authorised stay: not OK,’ and zero remaining days.