Passport stamps
#1
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Passport stamps
I read the story about the woman in Gibraltar being refused entry to Spain because of no exit stamp therefore border staff assumed she had overstayed. Also head stories of passengers returning back to the UK through Alicante airport and NOT receiving an exit stamp. What is going on. Also does anyone know what is happening to British nationals that have gone over the 90 days. I know what the rules written down are but so far I can’t find examples of fines or entry bans to British nationals. Where I live is absolutely full undocumented British. Surly by now people should be falling foul of This rule. And if the stamps are so important for entry/exit then why are some airports not doing them.
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 287
Re: Passport stamps
I read the story about the woman in Gibraltar being refused entry to Spain because of no exit stamp therefore border staff assumed she had overstayed. Also head stories of passengers returning back to the UK through Alicante airport and NOT receiving an exit stamp. What is going on. Also does anyone know what is happening to British nationals that have gone over the 90 days. I know what the rules written down are but so far I can’t find examples of fines or entry bans to British nationals. Where I live is absolutely full undocumented British. Surly by now people should be falling foul of This rule. And if the stamps are so important for entry/exit then why are some airports not doing them.
#3
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 74
Re: Passport stamps
I read the story about the woman in Gibraltar being refused entry to Spain because of no exit stamp therefore border staff assumed she had overstayed. Also head stories of passengers returning back to the UK through Alicante airport and NOT receiving an exit stamp. What is going on. Also does anyone know what is happening to British nationals that have gone over the 90 days. I know what the rules written down are but so far I can’t find examples of fines or entry bans to British nationals. Where I live is absolutely full undocumented British. Surly by now people should be falling foul of This rule. And if the stamps are so important for entry/exit then why are some airports not doing them.
#4
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#5
Re: Passport stamps
Also does anyone know what is happening to British nationals that have gone over the 90 days. I know what the rules written down are but so far I can’t find examples of fines or entry bans to British nationals. Where I live is absolutely full undocumented British. Surly by now people should be falling foul of This rule.
How do you know your area is "absolutely full" of undocumented British?
#7
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,613
Re: Passport stamps
I think this may be the link
https://m.facebook.com/groups/Lovely...0063099073887/
https://m.facebook.com/groups/Lovely...0063099073887/
#8
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Re: Passport stamps
As has been said on a number of other occasions when you've mentioned this, it is highly unlikely that anyone will be pulled up for overstaying until they cross a Schengen border. If they're living in Spain and don't ever holiday outside the Schengen area, or want to return to the UK for anything, they could remain undetected for yonks, unless they did something silly or got caught out on some other administrative omission which occasioned a look into their immigration status.
How do you know your area is "absolutely full" of undocumented British?
How do you know your area is "absolutely full" of undocumented British?
#10
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Re: Passport stamps
I don’t think the usual police that don’t work at the ports and aero ports are dealing with visas. Even people I know who have to sign on at a police station don’t really get bothered on the overstaying. There are third country nationals that reside in Spain and have done for years and years no bother as long as you don’t go through the ports. Plenty of Americans and Russians in Spain. Not for me that Though I couldn’t fully commit to staying in any country forever.
#12
Re: Passport stamps
...There are third country nationals that reside in Spain and have done for years and years no bother as long as you don’t go through the ports. Plenty of Americans and Russians in Spain. Not for me that Though I couldn’t fully commit to staying in any country forever.
However, the difference between them and UK nationals who have been living in Spain for years is that the latter have not necessarily committed any offence which could lead to their automatic expulsion - certainly not on the residency documentation issue alone - whereas the former have.
Last edited by Red Eric; Oct 27th 2021 at 5:08 pm.
#13
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Re: Passport stamps
An interesting development on the dreaded Brexit passport stamping saga for the British.
We arrived back in Malaga this evening from our third unavoidable trip back to the UK in quick succession. On the way out, my (British) partner was about to have their passport stamped so we intervened and the border official made a phone call to their boss who said the passport should not be stamped because my partner is resident in Portugal. So we dodged that bullet but on the way through immigration at Malaga this evening, the border official ignored us and stamped the passport. When we objected, he asked if we were family so we produced our civil partnership certificate and he crossed out the stamp. This was solely on the grounds that I am an Irish national and we have a civil partnership - he took a photo of the certificate. Meanwhile, the queue behind us was really building up.
I sense the Spanish officials have very little sympathy because the British brought these problems upon themselves but one thing is for sure, if you overstay, you will be caught and punished.
We arrived back in Malaga this evening from our third unavoidable trip back to the UK in quick succession. On the way out, my (British) partner was about to have their passport stamped so we intervened and the border official made a phone call to their boss who said the passport should not be stamped because my partner is resident in Portugal. So we dodged that bullet but on the way through immigration at Malaga this evening, the border official ignored us and stamped the passport. When we objected, he asked if we were family so we produced our civil partnership certificate and he crossed out the stamp. This was solely on the grounds that I am an Irish national and we have a civil partnership - he took a photo of the certificate. Meanwhile, the queue behind us was really building up.
I sense the Spanish officials have very little sympathy because the British brought these problems upon themselves but one thing is for sure, if you overstay, you will be caught and punished.
#14
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Re: Passport stamps
Legal EU residency trumps any passport stamp hence the strong government advice to exchange green residencias for TIE's which are instantly recognisable by border control officials and airport check-in staff across the entire community.
Arguments against exchanging are both specious and facile and IMO it's about time the Spanish placed a 'drop dead' date on residencias effectively making an exchange mandatory.
Personally I have little sympathy for those who find themselves in difficulty because of their refusal to do so.
Arguments against exchanging are both specious and facile and IMO it's about time the Spanish placed a 'drop dead' date on residencias effectively making an exchange mandatory.
Personally I have little sympathy for those who find themselves in difficulty because of their refusal to do so.
#15
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 74
Re: Passport stamps
Legal EU residency trumps any passport stamp hence the strong government advice to exchange green residencias for TIE's which are instantly recognisable by border control officials and airport check-in staff across the entire community.
Arguments against exchanging are both specious and facile and IMO it's about time the Spanish placed a 'drop dead' date on residencias effectively making an exchange mandatory.
Personally I have little sympathy for those who find themselves in difficulty because of their refusal to do so.
Arguments against exchanging are both specious and facile and IMO it's about time the Spanish placed a 'drop dead' date on residencias effectively making an exchange mandatory.
Personally I have little sympathy for those who find themselves in difficulty because of their refusal to do so.