90/180 rule and Andora

[Portofino]

Just to muddy the already opaque waters .
This summer we traveled on U.K. P ports entered schengan at Rotterdam ( Hull ferry ) 15/6/23 .
Stamped in etc .Wife just bungled the PP back in handbag .
A few weeks later while sat in the tunnel Q , she noticed my U.K. PP had a 5 not a 6 .Read 15/5/23 .

We had obviously previous booking refs , receipts for fuel going through Germany etc .

Brit customs guys told us they don’t do dates and the “ scan “ doesn’t either .The “ scan “ is to see if you appear on a interested persons list .There isn’t a central list each states uses it own btw .

To do the date tot up it still requires a manual thumb through.
My PP ( like many others ) looks like a 3 yr old with a potato stamps randomly stamps , different pages , different angles , some upside down .
Uk border guy a helpful chap , said we should take it up with the Dutch .
Back in the U.K. wife contacts P+O the ferry operator , who pass us on to Dutch eq of border force in Rotterdam.

Guess what came back ?

“ take a red pen and turn the 5 into a 6 “ .That stamp was red btw .

Not saying nor advocating anything , before I get my head bitten off !

So a 5 to a 6 , a 6 to an 8 …….you do the maths !

Obviously one day with the advent of ETIES , that joined up computer thingy it will be all sorted .


Turns out the ink from the 6 did not quite come through and made a 5 .
I did ask the U.K. chap about the reliability of the stamps .I can’t be the only one , the very first that’s this happened to .
Occurs often he told me .They do use the same manufacture for the stamps if that’s any conciliation.

 

[Alicatt]

take it up with the Dutch .
Back in the U.K. wife contacts P+O the ferry operator , who pass us on to Dutch eq of border force in Rotterdam.

Guess what came back ?

“ take a red pen and turn the 5 into a 6 “ .That stamp was red btw .

Not saying nor advocating anything , before I get my head bitten off !

So a 5 to a 6 , a 6 to an 8 …….you do the maths !

Obviously one day with the advent of ETIES , that joined up computer thingy it will be all sorted .


Turns out the ink from the 6 did not quite come through and made a 5 .
I did ask the U.K. chap about the reliability of the stamps .I can’t be the only one , the very first that’s this happened to .
Occurs often he told me .They do use the same manufacture for the stamps if that’s any conciliation.

Leaving from Ijmuden to Newcastle on a British passport + Belgian residency card for my self and a Belgian passport and ID for the wife, the Dutch border officer stamped mine and as he was handing it back said "Jammer", took out a pen and scribbled over the stamp.
So far my wife's passport has not been stamped either entering or leaving the Schengen or entering and leaving the UK, we normally travel on a single journey ticket as we never know how long we are staying in the UK.

 

[John100156]

This calculator might give an accurate check on days spent. It may be that you do actually have more, or less days, taking into account the comment in the quote above. I suggest that you read the users guide as well
Schengan calculator
When I was in |Dieppe last week I went & had my passport stamped saying I was leaving that day. I actually stayed 2 days longer due to ill health but no body came to check. I nearly stopped at Boulogne on the way back to Dover & would have given the same excuse. On the way to Dieppe I was in Boulogne for 3 days & saw no officials. I rolled my ensign around the poI don’t need the calculator as I setup my own excel spreadsheet to look back 180 days and calculates how many days I have spent which on this occasion would have been 92/180. Now 88 of course.

This calculator might give an accurate check on days spent. It may be that you do actually have more, or less days, taking into account the comment in the quote above. I suggest that you read the users guide as well
Schengan calculator
When I was in |Dieppe last week I went & had my passport stamped saying I was leaving that day. I actually stayed 2 days longer due to ill health but no body came to check. I nearly stopped at Boulogne on the way back to Dover & would have given the same excuse. On the way to Dieppe I was in Boulogne for 3 days & saw no officials. I rolled my ensign around the pole

I don’t need the calculator as I setup my own excel spreadsheet after Brexit that looks back 180 days and calculates how many days I have spent and have left, which is a useful record as I also enter flights and ferry references, which on this occasion, would have taken me to 92/180. Now 88/180 of course, so safe.

I probably could have (totally uninformed guess) got away with it, but it’s not really worth the risk.

If you do get caught, I suspect you would go on a list to be scrutinised every time you go back, that is if not banned from entry for a time.

I did read Andora would stamp if asked. I believe it would have worked OK that way.

 

[blampied]

So far as I know Gibraltar is not part of Schengen. There was a preliminary agreement on its possible membership, but I think talks have ground to a halt because of disagreements over which agencids should be responsible for controlling border access into Schengen territory.

Following Brexit, there were various agreements in place between Spain and Gibraltar regarding movement of people between the two countries, and in particular for cross-border employees, but these were intended to be temporary and are in the process of unravelling because of intransigence on both sides.

It’s perhaps worth mentioning that similar to the situation that exists with US immigration and the 90-day visitor’s visa, the Schengen rules provide for the possibility that a short departure from the Schengen area followed by immediate return can be disregarded if it’s sole or main purpose is to reset the clock on physical presence.

Gibraltar is not in schengan, I repeat not in schenga.
it is negotiating to join, has been ever since Brexit, but has not and hopefully will never join. (i suspect the negotiations on the Gib side are more to do with dragging it out as long as possible, as the Spanish would throw a hissy fit closing the border if Gib comes out and said we’re not going to join, so just keeping Spain stringing along thinking they will get their hands on Gib)
The Spanish insisting on daft things like having their border control dudes stationed in Gib, ending of duty free status etc. at the moment people from the UK can go and live unrestricted, eu nationals can’t. Sbengan would turn that on its head UK nationals would be restricted to 90 days while Spain and eu citizens have unrestricted, it would in effect be handing Gib to Spain.
I have just returned having been living on my boat in Gib for the last year and a half