Mistaken Date on Passport Stamp
Jul 8, 2017, 5:02 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Las Vegas
Programs: United Platinum, IHG Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 284
Mistaken Date on Passport Stamp
I believe the situation may have already resolved itself, but I'd just like a second opinion. US passport holder (issued in 2013), no European residency.
On June 4, I had a 8 hour layover in Switzerland coming from Turkey on my way to Russia and left the airport and went into Zurich, thus clearing passport control. The immigration agent mistakenly stamped the next day, June 5, as the entry date into my passport. Later when I left Zurich and cleared exit immigration, the agent looked around my passport for a while (a little longer than normal), said nothing, and stamped the correct exit date of June 4. (The Turkish exit date is stamped correctly as June 4, and the Russian entry date is stamped correctly as June 5 - although very blurry (on the next page) - as the plane landed at 2 am...)
I left Russia by train and entered Finland on June 13, and got a Finnish entry stamp. I left Schengen through Poland on June 16 and the Polish exit stamp was stamped next to my Swiss entry stamp dated June 5.
Of course, I didn't notice the discrepancy until I had already returned home.
My next port of entry into Europe will be...Zurich!
To me, it looks like I left Switzerland on June 4, with no corresponding entry into the Schengen area. Common sense would explain that it was a mistake - I entered Turkey on May 31, left on June 4, and flew into Switzerland on June 4, but I don't want to depend on my idea of common sense when I am at the mercy of another nation's frontier guards...
Should I contact Swiss immigration authorities to alert them to the anomaly in my passport, or just let it go? I wasn't questioned about it leaving Warsaw. By the way, my line was about 30 deep when I got there, and I assume everybody else in my line got the wrong date stamped too (my travel companion did!)
Thanks for your advice and opinions!
For clarification, my itinerary was:
May 31: USA -> Turkey
June 4: Turkey -> Switzerland -> Russia (landing 2 am)
June 13: Russia -> Finland
June 16: Poland -> USA
On June 4, I had a 8 hour layover in Switzerland coming from Turkey on my way to Russia and left the airport and went into Zurich, thus clearing passport control. The immigration agent mistakenly stamped the next day, June 5, as the entry date into my passport. Later when I left Zurich and cleared exit immigration, the agent looked around my passport for a while (a little longer than normal), said nothing, and stamped the correct exit date of June 4. (The Turkish exit date is stamped correctly as June 4, and the Russian entry date is stamped correctly as June 5 - although very blurry (on the next page) - as the plane landed at 2 am...)
I left Russia by train and entered Finland on June 13, and got a Finnish entry stamp. I left Schengen through Poland on June 16 and the Polish exit stamp was stamped next to my Swiss entry stamp dated June 5.
Of course, I didn't notice the discrepancy until I had already returned home.
My next port of entry into Europe will be...Zurich!
To me, it looks like I left Switzerland on June 4, with no corresponding entry into the Schengen area. Common sense would explain that it was a mistake - I entered Turkey on May 31, left on June 4, and flew into Switzerland on June 4, but I don't want to depend on my idea of common sense when I am at the mercy of another nation's frontier guards...
Should I contact Swiss immigration authorities to alert them to the anomaly in my passport, or just let it go? I wasn't questioned about it leaving Warsaw. By the way, my line was about 30 deep when I got there, and I assume everybody else in my line got the wrong date stamped too (my travel companion did!)
Thanks for your advice and opinions!
For clarification, my itinerary was:
May 31: USA -> Turkey
June 4: Turkey -> Switzerland -> Russia (landing 2 am)
June 13: Russia -> Finland
June 16: Poland -> USA
Jul 8, 2017, 5:21 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: I'm not sure myself..
Programs: AA Plat, DL Silver, MR Plat, nobody everywhere else
Posts: 281
I wouldn't worry about this in the slightest. I have many (maybe dozens) of Schengen stamps that don't correspond..entries with no exits and exits with no corresponding entries. For a while I was entering Schengen through CDG often and I would get an entry stamp < 50% of the time (it happened in other locations as well but CDG was the worse..or best, depending on your perspective). To add another facet, I also have a German entry stamp on a date that does not exist (32nd March)...my favorite stamp. 
I've been asked a total of twice out of many many Schengen border crossings about this. Once, when departing Schengen through Iceland I was asked when/where I entered as it wasn't clear from my stamps or their computer. I explained and it was no issue.
Once when entering (either Switzerland or France or Portugal, I can't recall), I was simply asked "where do you live", likely due to the volume of stamps (~200, 3 extra sets of pages from back when that was possible) but my answer (which was a city in the US) was enough and on I went.
I've been asked a total of twice out of many many Schengen border crossings about this. Once, when departing Schengen through Iceland I was asked when/where I entered as it wasn't clear from my stamps or their computer. I explained and it was no issue.
Once when entering (either Switzerland or France or Portugal, I can't recall), I was simply asked "where do you live", likely due to the volume of stamps (~200, 3 extra sets of pages from back when that was possible) but my answer (which was a city in the US) was enough and on I went.
Jul 8, 2017, 5:42 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Las Vegas
Programs: United Platinum, IHG Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 284
I wouldn't worry about this in the slightest. I have many (maybe dozens) of Schengen stamps that don't correspond..entries with no exits and exits with no corresponding entries. For a while I was entering Schengen through CDG often and I would get an entry stamp < 50% of the time (it happened in other locations as well but CDG was the worse..or best, depending on your perspective). To add another facet, I also have a German entry stamp on a date that does not exist (32nd March)...my favorite stamp.
I've been asked a total of twice out of many many Schengen border crossings about this. Once, when departing Schengen through Iceland I was asked when/where I entered as it wasn't clear from my stamps or their computer. I explained and it was no issue.
Once when entering (either Switzerland or France or Portugal, I can't recall), I was simply asked "where do you live", likely due to the volume of stamps (~200, 3 extra sets of pages from back when that was possible) but my answer (which was a city in the US) was enough and on I went.
I've been asked a total of twice out of many many Schengen border crossings about this. Once, when departing Schengen through Iceland I was asked when/where I entered as it wasn't clear from my stamps or their computer. I explained and it was no issue.
Once when entering (either Switzerland or France or Portugal, I can't recall), I was simply asked "where do you live", likely due to the volume of stamps (~200, 3 extra sets of pages from back when that was possible) but my answer (which was a city in the US) was enough and on I went.
Jul 9, 2017, 6:36 am
#5
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: YYZ (ex-LHR)
Programs: BA Silver, VS Red, OZ Silver
Posts: 446
You should be fine.
A US citizen friend of mine travelled the Schengen area with me and managed to get no entry or exit stamps, including an exit without an entry, and an entry without an exit. It was pretty impressive.
I researched it pretty extensively and found many anecdotes from people in similar situations who had no future problems. Certain Schengen members are worse than others with collecting accurate data.
A US citizen friend of mine travelled the Schengen area with me and managed to get no entry or exit stamps, including an exit without an entry, and an entry without an exit. It was pretty impressive.
I researched it pretty extensively and found many anecdotes from people in similar situations who had no future problems. Certain Schengen members are worse than others with collecting accurate data.
Jul 9, 2017, 9:12 am
#6
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep. / Washington, DC
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Posts: 4,631
Things have changed in the last year or so. I believe all passports are now scanned and non-EU passports stamped both at entry/exit.
Jul 9, 2017, 9:27 am
#7
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
This won't be an issue because whatever issue might have existed did so when you were stamped out of Schengen at ZRH and it wasn't raised then.
If it gives you peace of mind stick a copy of your inbound and outbound itinerary and boarding passes in a file and have them should someone ask.
If it gives you peace of mind stick a copy of your inbound and outbound itinerary and boarding passes in a file and have them should someone ask.
Jul 9, 2017, 3:53 pm
#8
Join Date: Jul 2006
Programs: BA something, Luftwaffe SEN, CX Gold, Pilsbury Doughboy Fanclub, and lots of Amex cards
Posts: 1,906
I have this nugget in one of my UK passports...thankfully re-issued sheepishly by the same officer a few hours later 
but otherwise a waste of an entire page.
but otherwise a waste of an entire page.
Jul 9, 2017, 3:59 pm
#9
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: I'm not sure myself..
Programs: AA Plat, DL Silver, MR Plat, nobody everywhere else
Posts: 281
It my be that non-EU passports are supposed to be stamped at entry/exit but that hasn't been my experience. I have had non-stamped Schengen border crossings as recently as this year (though the vast majority of crossings were stamped both ways).
Last edited by kshanew; Jul 9, 2017 at 4:01 pm Reason: changed terminology for clarity