90/180 days

sailaboutvic

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Just to up date my info across Europe .
Copenhagen to Netherlands no passport check , no Covid check and this time we was aloud to get out boarding pass on line .
Just goes to show ever EU country so far did things differently.

But there been no passport checks so far,
still no one knows when I arrived in the EU or how long since the last time I left .
 

sailaboutvic

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This morning we left the EU for the UK and having a clean passport so far I have admin was a bit nervous about getting it stamped, which would mean I couldn't enter the EU again for 90 days when our intention is to return to Sicily within a few weeks if the covid rules aloud us to do so .
I know some will be thinking that my biggest problem is not having any entrance stamp to show when I entered the EU.

But experience from other cruiser that been in the same position has been passport control wasn't interested especially when you explain your a cruiser and the boat is some where in the EU

I needed not had been concerned ,
scan my passport at Amsterdam airport then waved on by the boarder control,
Just leave one more boarder contol in the UK to get throught .
 

Fr J Hackett

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This morning we left the EU for the UK and having a clean passport so far I have admin was a bit nervous about getting it stamped, which would mean I couldn't enter the EU again for 90 days when our intention is to return to Sicily within a few weeks if the covid rules aloud us to do so .
I know some will be thinking that my biggest problem is not having any entrance stamp to show when I entered the EU.

But experience from other cruiser that been in the same position has been passport control wasn't interested especially when you explain your a cruiser and the boat is some where in the EU

I needed not had been concerned ,
scan my passport at Amsterdam airport then waved on by the boarder control,
Just leave one more boarder contol in the UK to get throught .

It's your return to the EU where you will get the stamp and the clock will start ticking.
 

Kelpie

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My wife and son got stamped on exit in both Spain and Portugal. Lack of entry stamp on Spain (we had sailed there) was frowned upon but there didn't seem to be any repercussions.
 

Poignard

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I doubt the stamp is really what decides the issue any more. If it did you would have to have existing stamps from an expired passport transferred to a new one; and that would clearly be impractical.
 

Fr J Hackett

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I doubt the stamp is really what decides the issue any more. If it did you would have to have existing stamps from an expired passport transferred to a new one; and that would clearly be impractical.

I had a visa which was valid after the passport it was in had expired and I was able to use it by presenting both passports.
 

greeny

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My wife went to Germany from UK 3/4 weeks ago. She is a UK citizen but Portuguese resident. She gave the man at passport control at Hamburg her Residence document and passport. He said she didn't need stamping because she was resident in the EU. ???????????? He even commented on the residence document being Portuguese.
My son who is a German resident and travels fortnightly for work, has to fly Hamburg Schiphol Uk and return that way. Every time he transits Holland he gets stamped, into and out of the EU even though he is resident in Germany and clearly in transit in Holland.
In Portugal, different passport officers on different days will tell you different things. Two trips ago we got told to go to the EU passport control with our UK passports because we were residents. We've done that on the last 2 entries and dodged the "other" passports queue.
It becomes more obvious by the day that they don't seem to have their act together on this throughout Europe.
The bottom line is that you cannot plan your stamps and know for sure who will stamp you and where and why they do it.
 

Mistroma

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My wife went to Germany from UK 3/4 weeks ago. She is a UK citizen but Portuguese resident. She gave the man at passport control at Hamburg her Residence document and passport. He said she didn't need stamping because she was resident in the EU. ???????????? He even commented on the residence document being Portuguese.
My son who is a German resident and travels fortnightly for work, has to fly Hamburg Schiphol Uk and return that way. Every time he transits Holland he gets stamped, into and out of the EU even though he is resident in Germany and clearly in transit in Holland.
In Portugal, different passport officers on different days will tell you different things. Two trips ago we got told to go to the EU passport control with our UK passports because we were residents. We've done that on the last 2 entries and dodged the "other" passports queue.
It becomes more obvious by the day that they don't seem to have their act together on this throughout Europe.
The bottom line is that you cannot plan your stamps and know for sure who will stamp you and where and why they do it.
Sounds about right, EU officials have had problems interpreting their own rules from way before UK left EU. No reason to believe they will all suddenly have perfect, universal interpretation of the rules.

I'm a bit puzzled by your son having his passport stamped. I thought he'd present a German resident's ID card and not show his passport at all. I'd exit UK on my UK passport and enter EU on my Irish passport to avoid getting a stamp. I was expecting people with Greek residence cards to do something similar next year.

Was you wife asked to show her passport in Germany? I thought she'd be able to use her Portuguese card and not even offer a passport unless someone insisted. I've only checked the situation in Greece and presenting a Greek residence card is an acceptable document to allow entry. I thought that many EU citizens regularly used their ID cards and didn't even bother taking a passport.
 
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greeny

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Sounds about right, EU officials have had problems interpreting their own rules from way before UK left EU. No reason to believe they will all suddenly have perfect, universal interpretation of the rules.

I'm a bit puzzled by your son having his passport stamped. I thought he'd present a German resident's ID card and not show his passport at all. I'd exit UK on my UK passport and enter EU on my Irish passport to avoid getting a stamp. I was expecting people with Greek residence cards to do something similar next year.

Was you wife asked to show her passport in Germany? I thought she'd be able to use her Portuguese card and not even offer a passport unless someone insisted. I've only checked the situation in Greece and presenting a Greek residence card is an acceptable document to allow entry. I thought that many EU citizens regularly used their ID cards and didn't even bother taking a passport.

My son is puzzled as well but no amount of reasoning will sway them he says. His main concern is that his passport will get full and he'll need a new one before long.
My wife was travelling from UK to Germany and had to show her passport. She gave them her residencia document as well just to see what they did. She was extremely surprised when he said he wasn't stamping her passport as she was a resident of EU.
 

Sandy

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As said in an earlier post, it's the carrier that will be held responsible, it will filter down to the ...no jab /test no ticket.
I think they are going to have to come up with a solution at the door of the plane.
Already happening. Back in July a couple trundled up to the check in desk at Roscoff to board a Brittany Ferries boat without a PCR test within 48 hours of departure. After a lot of English shouting, apparently that means that every language can understand them, the lovely French lady behind the desk gave a beautifully executed gallic shrug and said, in perfect English, 'I am sorry Monsieur, no test no boarding card.' Watching the chap explode was the highlight of the trip home.
 

sailaboutvic

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What surprised me was the lack of checking for our QR code only once flying in and out 3 EU country and then into the UK was our QR code checked by the airlines or anyone , that was flying from Sicliy to Netherlands.

At UK passport control over half of there scanning machines wasn't working , after waiting several mins waiting for a passport to be scan you then had to stand in line to show it to a officer and behind them stood a line of men and women in plan clothes with shiny badges hanging over their neck , what's all that about .

Add to that we still waiting for our PCR test kits to arrive even thought they been ordered some time now and there where supposed to be sent out the same day .

Shambles come to mind
 

syvictoria

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What surprised me was the lack of checking for our QR code only once flying in and out 3 EU country and then into the UK was our QR code checked by the airlines or anyone , that was flying from Sicliy to Netherlands.

But Schengen has no internal borders and inter-EU travel is open again. Therefore it's perhaps not surprising at all that nothing is being checked on internal flights. You are really only crossing one border during your current travels - the one from the Netherlands to the UK.

I've always been of the opinion that (for a certain period of time) any British passport holder would most likely be allowed out of the EU following 31/12/20 despite their length of stay, mostly due to the complications that covid has caused travel-wise, as well as perhaps a period of goodwill. It will be interesting to see if you get a stamp in your passport upon re-entering the EU (as others, myself included, have), and that's when I think the 90 day clock will sadly start ticking. To work out where each overstaying individual has been locked down this year, and had travel options reduced or removed entirely, is too difficult and too lengthy a process to carry out at border control, and the Schengen rules do after all make allowance for such issues that are out of the individual's control (I forget the exact wording). When will this truce will end? Perhaps 31/12/21? Who knows with covid still ever present. As the number of overstayers gradually reduces over time however, they will likely become more of a target unfortunately.
 

westernman

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As a British passport holder I travelled a couple of weeks ago from an EU country (France) which is in Schengen to another EU country (Cyprus) which is not.

EU Sanitary pass checked both ends on flying to Cyprus. Also PCR test done on arrival (very efficiently). No checks going back.

Passport stamped 4 times (arrival/departure stamps for France and Cyprus).

I am resident in France, but did not show my residence card nor was it asked for, but I am sure that at least the French passport scans flag it.
 

sailaboutvic

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But Schengen has no internal borders and inter-EU travel is open again. Therefore it's perhaps not surprising at all that nothing is being checked on internal flights. You are really only crossing one border during your current travels - the one from the Netherlands to the UK.

I've always been of the opinion that (for a certain period of time) any British passport holder would most likely be allowed out of the EU following 31/12/20 despite their length of stay, mostly due to the complications that covid has caused travel-wise, as well as perhaps a period of goodwill. It will be interesting to see if you get a stamp in your passport upon re-entering the EU (as others, myself included, have), and that's when I think the 90 day clock will sadly start ticking. To work out where each overstaying individual has been locked down this year, and had travel options reduced or removed entirely, is too difficult and too lengthy a process to carry out at border control, and the Schengen rules do after all make allowance for such issues that are out of the individual's control (I forget the exact wording). When will this truce will end? Perhaps 31/12/21? Who knows with covid still ever present. As the number of overstayers gradually reduces over time however, they will likely become more of a target unfortunately.
You may had miss read the posting or I wasn't clear , it was the covid certificate/QR code to say I had been jab that was only ever check onces ,
Everything I read as been that unless you have had the jab you be unable to fly .

As for returning back to the EU I agree that's when I guess first stamp will appear in my passport .
 

grumpygit

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As for returning back to the EU I agree that's when I guess first stamp will appear in my passport .

My wife has returned to Greece from the UK via Germany with no stamps in her UK passport but she does have the Greek residency card. Both these were scanned and scrutinised by the German passport control. She didn't expect to have to show her passport or card in Germany as she was just going from gate to another but when she had to show her passport they seemed to know and they asked for the residency card so it looks as though big brother is up and running!
 

BurnitBlue

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You may had miss read the posting or I wasn't clear , it was the covid certificate/QR code to say I had been jab that was only ever check onces ,
Everything I read as been that unless you have had the jab you be unable to fly .

As for returning back to the EU I agree that's when I guess first stamp will appear in my passport .
Without residency in a Schengan state, that stamp will end any chance of you staying under the radar. You will definitely need an exit stamp within 90 days or be certain of being flagged as overstay. You have on many previous posts declared that the days of freedom while cruising are over. I agree yet there are still areas in the world where the old freedoms still exist. But they exist on borrowed time. The blame are the data bases and computors that allow easy automatic tracking of individuals. The human race has built itself an open air prison.
 

BurnitBlue

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For those who spend all their time on anchor, it may still be possible to stay under the radar for extended periods by checking out of a country and then "forgetting" to check in new one after a move.
Yes indeed, but an exit stamp within 90 days (or visa extension) will still need to bracket the entrance stamp. To use the anchor you would need to "forget" to enter the country legally. A serious deportable offence worse than overstaying.

It would be interesting to examine various work-around systems or dodges. If any.
 

BurnitBlue

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I have been trying to think of a work-around or dodge but I cannot think of one. They all have flaws. The best I can think of is to enter illegally, then send the passport off to Petty France with the postage reciept. Show that to the customs boat. Then use the intervening time (max of a month or two) to "get the hell out of dodge" before the customs boat comes back. The flaw is that you may be asked to present yourself with the returned passport at their office.

I believe residency of a member state is the only way to stand a chance of evading overstay. Of course, a particular member state could perhaps formulate a circumstance that will allow 360/360 to support their tourist industry. The EU rules may prohibit that avenue though.
 

newtothis

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I believe residency of a member state is the only way to stand a chance of evading overstay. Of course, a particular member state could perhaps formulate a circumstance that will allow 360/360 to support their tourist industry. The EU rules may prohibit that avenue though.
EU countries, contrary to the beliefs of some, are able to set their own immigration /visitor regulations. A number, for example, have bilateral agreements with NZ, and others with Aus, that allow a six-month extension over the Schengen 90-day limit. These are between the two countries, and not related to 'the EU'.
Whether any are likely to sign up deals with perfidious Albion remains to be seen. As you say, tourist dollars may make a difference, but I suspect most tourist dollars come from the two-week summer break types and not the far smaller number who would stay longer than three months.
 
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