The EU's new Entry & Exit System, which came into force in April 2026, has experienced a chaotic implementation period resulting in wrongly registered allowances for some travellers. The biometric passport system aims to increase border security and digitise the enforcement of the 90-day rule for non-EU nationals.
The 90-day rule allows citizens from countries including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Japan to spend up to 90 days in every 180 within the EU Schengen zone without a visa. Previously enforced through passport stamps, the new digital system has encountered errors such as unrecorded exits, incorrectly registered residency permit holders, and rare cases of wrong details attached to twins.
British author Jojo Moyes was accused by French border guards in Marseille of overstaying after her exit from a previous trip to Portugal was not correctly registered. Additionally, some UK nationals living in France with a carte de séjour have been incorrectly logged in the system, even though residency permit holders are supposed to be exempt from the 90-day limit.
The European Commission has created an online EES calculator where travellers can enter their passport number and trip details to check their remaining allowance. However, the site features caveats regarding visits beginning before April 10th 2026, and potential unreliability for certain visa holders until October 6th 2026, as the system has not been fully rolled out at all entry points like Eurostar and the Port of Dover.
If the calculator or a border guard records the wrong number, travellers can contact the relevant data control officer to request a correction. For France, requests can be sent to the Directorate General for Foreign Nationals at [email protected], including a passport scan, proof of exit such as a boarding pass or ticket, and a permit scan if applicable.
Travellers should keep their own private record of travels in the meantime and carry evidence of recent travel in and out of the EU if they need to move before data is corrected. The law states that a valid residency permit or long-stay visa trumps passport checks, meaning permit holders retain the right to travel even if the EES incorrectly flags an overstay.
Source: The Local. Read the original report ↗