Stamped out of Europe with incorrect date in passport

[VickyTM]

Not sure where best to post this but… I flew two Malta on NYE, got stamped in at immigration. I left on NYD and was stamped out. Unfortunately I didn’t notice till I got home, but the stamp out has the wrong year on it. They stamped 1/1/24.
Any thoughts on how to either get this fixed, or if it’ll be an issue? I’m in and out of Europe a lot, so keep a pretty close eye on my schengen calculator, but this does kinda mess it all up, as according to my passport, I’m still in Malta.

Thanks

[Swiss Jim]

Get trafficked back to Malta. And then leave again…?

[VickyTM]

I guess that’s one option.. lol

[Tracey]

I wouldn’t worry too much, I managed to leave Seville without getting any exit stamp. Nothing happened.

Keep your boarding passes just in case. At least then you can show the mistake that occurred – though I know a boarding pass isn’t proof that you took the flight, it does show the mistake that was made.

[NorthernLass]

Do they not keep this info digitally these days? What happens when you renew your passport, are you supposed to carry the old one around with you as well?

There must also be some way of seeing that you re-entered the U.K. that day, especially if you used the e-gates on arrival.

[masaccio]

The UK government advice is all about having a stamp and that it’s within 90 days of arrival. You could, in principal, be stopped and asked about overstaying your last visit. You would then need to prove you had not whilst you relax in a nice airport detention wing.

How likely anyone would even spot a missing stamp, I have no idea, but just saying what the advice is.

So for the OP, if the stamp is within 90 days, I would not worry.

[John]

NorthernLass wrote:

Do they not keep this info digitally these days? What happens when you renew your passport, are you supposed to carry the old one around with you as well?

Malta has the info on their computer but other Schengen countries can’t access it – that’s the whole reason they are making the Schengen-wide EES thing which was meant to start on 10 November but is delayed.

Most people don’t renew their passport in the middle of a trip in a foreign country…

[NorthernLass]

I appreciate that, but what if you needed to prove when you last left the EU?

[ChrisBCN]

It’s not something I would be too worried about. If you are a little bit worried, I would do as somebody suggested and keep your boarding pass in your passport, maybe with a print out of your booking too. If you are very worried, get a new passport and nobody will ever know.

Personally I wouldn’t be worrying, but we all have different worry/anxiety levels!

[Rui N.]

NorthernLass wrote:

Do they not keep this info digitally these days? What happens when you renew your passport, are you supposed to carry the old one around with you as well?

There must also be some way of seeing that you re-entered the U.K. that day, especially if you used the e-gates on arrival.

Until it becomes digital with the new system it’s on you to keep track of dates and have any relevant proof if needed.
Lots of countries don’t even allow you to keep your old passports, you have to surrender then when applying for the new one – that was a pain for several colleagues when I lived in the US, one wasn’t even allowed to keep a passport with a valid Visa on (most countries have exceptions where you can keep old passports if they have a valid visa on it, apparently that country didn’t).

[ayearinmx]

Just as a data point, I was in Germany in June 2024 and the border guard couldn’t find my stamp. He wouldn’t let me progress (leave the country) until it was found. His colleagues couldn’t find it either. I admit, I have a LOT of stamps but they refused to let me through.
Thankfully I found it and all was well, after some snide Brexit comments on their behalf.

Second data point. Flying from Turkey into Slovenia. First off the plane and reach border patrol. Guard looked at my passport, saw all the stamps, and told me to go take a seat. The whole plane went through, and another 30mins passed. Finally another guard came out and asked a bunch of questions, and informed me I was at 82 days (my calculations had it at 85) and I needed to be careful.

So yes, countries are checking and yes it is a PITA.

In regards to the poster, if you think you’re going to be close to your 90 days, I’d book a turn-around flight to anywhere in Schengen, and at least it would stop the “Malta counter”. And if queried, you’d at least be able to explain it from a position of the clock being stopped, which I think is a lot easier than pleading that there was an error when you are over the 90 days

[NorthernLass]

Or you could invest a lot of money into Malta in return for citizenship and not have to worry about it any more!

*Other EU citizenship/residency schemes are available …

[ChrisBCN]

ayearinmx wrote:

In regards to the poster, if you think you’re going to be close to your 90 days, I’d book a turn-around flight to anywhere in Schengen

Why? It’s 88.50 for a new passport.

[Rui N.]

You somehow think that if you get a new passport the 90 day rule doesn’t apply?

[runnerbean]

Can the British or Maltese embassy advise/ correct?

When I went to Thailand x years ago they failed to stamp my passport on the way in. I went in person to the embassy and they added the stamp.

[Rui N.]

With the US you could also do something along those lines (can’t remember the exact procedure) when the I94s (or whatever they were called) were paper based and had to be returned when leaving the country.

[VickyTM]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I already have 2 passports, so I guess I can limit the issue that way. But this one is the one I use for European trips as the other one is nearly full. When they stop stamping every time will be much better for me. @chrisBCN I think the suggestion of carrying the boarding pass is a good one – Thanks.

@ayearinmx I also have had a colleague had border police counting all the days in his passport, so that’s why I’m trying to be proactive about it. I know checks are rare, but they do happen, especially if you are in and out a lot.

[ChrisBCN]

Rui N. wrote:

You somehow think that if you get a new passport the 90 day rule doesn’t apply?

Of course not – you misunderstood. The only thing that could cause the 90 day rule to be an issue in this case is the erroneous stamp in the passport, not what the Maltese system has electronically recorded (which will be correct). If that passport goes away, so does the erroneous stamp.

[LD27]

I’ve had issues twice entering Schengen. First time was Frankfurt airport end of 2022. The border guard took my passport and looked for all my stamps and told me I had reached around 88 days of my 90. I felt the information must have been available on the computer, but maybe he took it from the stamps. He took some time counting. I had to produce an onward ticket leaving Germany within 2 days and I was told quite clearly it had to be outside Schengen!

Last year we were at the Channel tunnel and the French border guard took ou passports. He handed back OH’s but kept mine. He closed his window and countered the days. No idea whether he took the information from my passport or computer. In Frankfurt, I went to a different desk to my OH, where as at Folkestone we were together. In theory there shouldn’t be an issue when I am with him as he has an EU passport. One of our neighbours in France was stopped at small local airport and was told they had exceeded their 90 days and if it happened again they would be fined – this was soon after Brexit.

Just before Christmas we went to Zurich. Not sure what information they could see, but I was grilled by the Border guard about recent travel, as well as usual questions such as how long I was staying, where I was staying etc etc. my daughter, who went through before me, was not asked any questions!

The suggestion of having your boarding pass with you seems like a very good idea.

[NorthernLass]

@LD27, do you point out to these officials that even if you exceeded the 90 days, you have a right to enter the EU as the spouse of an EU national?

[LD27]

NorthernLass wrote:

@LD27, do you point out to these officials that even if you exceeded the 90 days, you have a right to enter the EU as the spouse of an EU national?

OH wasn’t with me in Zurich. At Frankfurt he wandered off ahead as he wanted to find the toilets and at Folkestone he was sitting in the car next to me. The issue always seems to be when I’m travelling without him, which does happen quite frequently.

I think we had a discussion before as to what would happen if I tried to enter a Schengen country without him and I was over the 90 days. As we don’t live in the EU, the rules are slightly different and unfortunately the house we now own in France is not in joint names (not sure it would make a difference). Some countries like Malta and Cyprus haven’t been interested in passport stamps, but the issues seem to be at German speaking airports including Nuremberg, Frankfurt and Zurich and smaller French airports.

What is interesting is that no airline in UK, eg BA, has shown the slightest interest in passport stamps. I travel frequently to France with or without OH. In theory, if I had almost reached 90 days or had passed it and I had no proof of onward travel, I assume I could be denied entry and put on the return flight back to the UK. If it were Bergerac, which is so small, I’d probably be detained in a shed in the car park!

[Rui N.]

That doesn’t apply in all situations, being the spouse of an EU national (assuming the OP is one) doesn’t give you unlimited right to travel to the EU without a visa: https://the3million.org.uk/travel-to-the-eu

[ayearinmx]

ChrisBCN wrote:

ayearinmx wrote:

In regards to the poster, if you think you’re going to be close to your 90 days, I’d book a turn-around flight to anywhere in Schengen

Why? It’s 88.50 for a new passport.

because there are plenty of reasons why getting a new passport is far more hassle than flying to a European city of your choice, for however long you want

[NorthernLass]

@Rui N, it literally says you are not limited to 90 days residence when entering the EU with an EU family member!

@LD27, I would explain that you’re travelling with your EU partner when they start adding up the days and see what they say. They might be quite glad not to have to spend time doing the maths!

[Rui N.]

Which means that when you are not travelling with an EU family member you are limited *facepalm*
The OP also had not said when I wrote that the OH was a “legal” family member.