it’s not a single experience…… I’ve flown dozens of times in and out and not had one single stamp. I know others who have had stamps at other airports. My point is that you are not tracked by stamps you are tracked electronically either through a gate or the scan of your passport by the border agent or indeed your check in. ….. it’s a myth that immigration rely on stamps to track you. I’m not suggesting stamping passports is a myth. Two different things.

Just checked and yes, mine was stamped last week - UK passport entering at Madrid from LHR.

I admire your faith in the Spanish ( EU ) Border Control system , which by the way is not scheduled to come online until November next year . As a non resident property owner I always make a point of getting stamps in and out of EU and I keep a record of boarding passes , flight reservations and a current Schengen 90/180 calculation . I also regularly wave to passengers still in line at the electronic gates who were previously ahead of me . I also carry bank statements from my British and EU banks , my latest property tax receipt and utility receipt . It's their country , they make the rules , which unfortunately they are not very good at enforcing . Happy Days , no problems .

Tracking electronically does seem far more effective for the authorities than relying on passport stamps to tell the story. Whether a passport should be stamped and isn't or whatever depends on the human factor of the immigration official. It's no matter to me if I get a stamp or not but I keep records of my travels nevertheless. I can easily imagine at some stage being accused of overstaying but it is then my responsibility to prove I haven't to their satisfaction.
But as it is, this Spring I was in Bosnia and drove via Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, and France to get into Spain. Leaving Bosnia my passport was looked at, but not stamped. Entering Croatia I offered my passport and was just waved through. Same into Slovenia. From then on no checks or stops at all, as expected, into Spain.

On leaving Spain I drove through France and Luxembourg to northern Germany and then through Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia back into Bosnia.
At borders there were either no checks, just saw the passport and waved through or at last, into Bosnia a stamp was made and passport scanned but nothing said and handed back.
The point being, no matter what the system should be, the human factor of immigration officials may have other ideas.

If the passport is stamped and physically checked by a border official and found to be over the number of days it won't be ignored. The scan of the passport will not show entry exit dates as no one other than UK passport office can add or remove data to the chip. The scan is merely details held on the passport. Spain or other countries would need their own data base to register in and out dates. Bit of pot luck at the moment but eventually ETIAS will make it one standard. As people say main thing is if not resident keep records to help prove entry exit a passport stamp helps re evidence.

Whaaaaa??

You mean the stamps actually serve a purpose? They're not just there on the whim of a border official who fancies a spot of arm exercise and a satisfying "clunk"?

I suppose next you'll be suggesting that when the new EU-wide EES system is implemented, the passport stamping will cease .

You may be right I don't know but to suggest to people that stamps are totally ignored by border officials to me isn't good advice. It would obviously depend on the diligence of the official.

My British partner (resident in the EU) travelled to the UK from Malaga airport last week and noticed some recent changes.

Firstly, Malaga airport have improved their lanes and have created far better and more stringent segregation for non-EU nationals. Exiting through Malaga, my partner had to go through the non-EU lane and show proof of EU residency but the border official still wanted to stamp the passport. However, I suggested my partner travelled with my Irish passport and proof of civil partnership and that was viewed sympathetically by the Spanish border official and the UK passport was not stamped. Luckily my partner speaks good Spanish.

Coming back into Malaga airport, my partner was greeted by the deafening sound of British passports being stamped. The same thing happened again so they showed the Irish passport and proof of civil partnership and the UK passport was not stamped.

EU nationals are now directed to separate e gates.

So it looks like things have improved and EU states are getting ready for EES and ETIAS to be implemented. My understanding is that third country nationals will have separate e gates and will automatically be tracked via EES so no need for manual stamping to check on overstayers.

Sounds reasonable to me.

I will find out next month as we are taking our first trip back to UK via Malaga since the new system came in.

I've not come across this before. Does this mean my wife can enter Spain on my Irish passport if we have our marriage certificate with us?

Could we get around the 90/180 day rule with this method?

My partner had not travelled to the UK without me since the wretched Brexit and we obviously noticed the massive advantage of having an EU passport for ease of travel. So my partner travelled with their UK passport but even without my being present, the Irish passport and civil partnership proof made life much easier and swayed the border official re the passport stamping.

Your case sounds slightly different. You have an Irish passport so you are very definitely not restricted to the 90/180 day rule. Your wife is British and presumably not resident in an EU state like my partner BUT if she is travelling with you and you can prove you are married or in a durable partnership, your wife can stay with you in the EU for 180 days. I did write to the EU for clarity and they confirmed it but you may wish to seek confirmation from the Commission yourself.

I hope that helps.

Brilliant, thank you. That's the best bit of news we've had for a while. Yes she is British

My wife is in the process of getting an Italian passport, but it's painfully slow, so this will be a great stopgap

Thanks again

Oh good, I'm glad to be the bearer of positive news.

My advice is get the Italian passport as soon as possible. I know it's slow, my Irish passport took a while, but it's the best thing I ever did!

So to recap, your wife must travel with you, you must prove you are married and you will have to go through the manual passport gate together, even when EES kicks in next year.

Good luck and happy travels!

I was being facetious!

I entirely agree with you. Stamping is commonplace and it obviously serves a purpose to a border official in a booth (regardless of whatever means of tracking people might or might not be available through other channels) or it wouldn't continue. When it is no longer necessary, it will cease.

​​​​​​Ye p agree. My understanding is at the airport's that do allow UK citizens to use the E Gates that is for passport check they are then required or should be required to go to another desk for passport stamp if non resident. I accept practice may be different as always. I will just take it as it comes when we go back next month being resident I'm hoping for no stamp to enter at Malaga but I will wait and see.