Pure speculation, but perhaps as regards timing it's partly inspired by the introduction last Tuesday of the requirement for EU (except Irish)/EEA/CH citizens to have an ETA in order to enter the UK.

The EU's version has again been delayed - til Q4 2026.

I did an EX-ARN trip last year in March and was asked by the border agent (who ironically was the same ethnicity and religion as myself) why I was only staying for 1 night. I just showed him my flight itinerary and airport hotel reservation and was allowed through. However on the return back from my trip, I didn't get any questions what so ever upon presenting my passport and was given some good sightseeing tips for my one night stay.

I would agree with observation strangely at oslo we got asked a few questions but I fended it off with oh I'm going to Copenhagen despite it being a 5 segment affair with SAS arriving back in LHR the next day.

Canadian here who has travelled to a number of Schengen countries and the only time I have been questioned extensively (albeit it is only one data point) is at Helsinki flying from Sydney, Australia to Frankfurt, Germany (connecting in Singapore and Helsinki). The officer asked me what I was doing in the country and explained I was there for a conference and then had to go into some detail about what exactly the conference was about, how long I planned to stay in the Germany and even had to produce my return itinerary. A bit unusual for someone who travels internationally fairly frequently.

-RooFlyer88

Really good advice!

I have traveled a lot and had a number of unexpected interactions with border agents. Most challenging have been younger agents.

Thank you for posting. A good reminder to us all it can happen.

I get some level of questioning in BRU, but nowhere else in the UK or EU. MUC customs will rip my luggage apart if they see from the luggage tag I am coming from/through South America or Thailand. But it's their right, and there is nothing interesting to see.

I once transited non-Schengen to non-Schengen in ATH and the limited number of open immigration booths were for Schengen entry. The first agent turned me back since I was in transit to non-Schengen and said I was ineligible to enter the EU during "international transit". Told me to stand against the wall and wait. There were no seats and I had a 4 hour connection.

After 20 minutes when the lines cleared I quietly went to a different agent who processed me in. Got some souvenirs, exited the country and waited in the A3 lounge. Chatted with the lounge agent who said yeah, they sometimes make people stand and wait for hours if there are no immediate non-Schengen departures. Happens a lot on their Cyprus connections. Also said I was a bit lucky to get an agent who let me through.

I hear you, US passport holder, been to Canada on business closing in on 200 times over 25 or so years. Am usually thoroughly questioned and have been sent to secondary maybe a dozen times to verify I don't need a business visa. Only stay 1-2 nights each time, always entering YUL or YYZ to meet Canadian suppliers. And those meetings usually don't align requiring separate trips. China is much easier for me to enter and I have entered China more often than Canada.

In fact, when I have colleagues from China, Taiwan or Japan with me they get in with no questions asked. Just us US passport holders. It is what it is.

Had something similar happen at LHR. British immigration obviously did like that I was moving on so quickly that he didn't just stamp me in, usually 30 days, but gave me entry for just one day.

I’ve been grilled before at CPH, with the border agent asking “do you live here” and if I was working etc. Having lots of CPH stamps sometimes raises eyebrows from the agent.

The information in this thread on Cyprus is simply not true. The immigration IT has recently been tightened up and Brits are often given a hard time. Ask any UK expat living in Cyprus and they will tell you that day-counting is one of the favourite hobbies of border control officers. They are particularly interested in controlling Brits who travel through Larnaca to visit the TRNC.

:tu:

TRNC = Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Cyprus

Reports in the press about incorrect rule applications by Scandinavian Border guards

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-b2728043.html

I think LHR and the UK should be reciprocal and allow Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian and Cypriot travellers to use E-Gates but should require Nordic, Dutch and Germans to use the manned desks for a grilling. Seems fair!
I travel to the EU about 2x a month with work and my experience is that Italy, France, Portugal, Spain and Hungary let us use the E-Gates so zero questions, Germany, Poland and the Nordics tend to be a lot more thorough but Sweden is a whole other kettle of fish! Must be a blanket policy they have for all non EU/EEA/CH citizens I suspect rather than Brexit revenge but you never know!
I notice in the Netherlands now the novelty of punishing Brits has worn off, in 2021 I got grilled horribly at the Ijumuiden ferry terminal. Meticulously checked every stamp, wanted bank statement and wanted my ticket out of Schengen. Since then my arrivals at AMS have been a brief question then waved through.
Bizarre to be denied entry if these are the circumstances in the case of OP husband.

On another note, the UK being so quick and easy to enter on a US, Canadian, Australian, EU passport is a big selling factor. Would you rather a few days in London where you are through in seconds, or wait 2 hours in AMS as their 2 border officials slowly process the vast lines?

The anomoly is because Germany decided to experiment at MUC (and only MUC) to expand their EasyPass scheme to Australian citizens (and some other nationalities but not Brits). At all other German airport EasyPass is just for non EU citizen German residents, US, Taiwanese and South Korean citizens. Germany says this is reciprocal but oddly does not include Brits despite UK E-Gates all being open for Germans. Go figure.

Interestingly, Germans are almost the only EU citizens that are not allowed to use the E-Gates in Australia! I remember landing at Darwin from East Timor and Germany was the glaring ommission from the large photograph of flags who could use the E-Gates. They even had an ABF lady shouting 'Any Germans?' to ensure they were sent to a manned desk.

As for GVA, sadly the E-Gates at Swiss Airport are still only for EU/EEA/CH.

Preface: American with only a US passport who doesn't look remotely Swedish

My most common entry into the EU is at ARN. Since Mrs. Swede and kids also have Swedish passports, they dump me and go through the citizen line and grab our checked baggage. When I finally get to a passport booth, the border agent asks for the purpose of my visit as they thumb through my passport. I reply to them in Swedish that I'm here on vacation with my wife and kid(s) to visit my in-laws for a few weeks. The tone changes rather quickly; they then ask a few other high-level questions, compliment me on my Swedish-speaking abilities, and then stamp my passport and wish me a good day.

So yeah, being able to speak the local language helps.

I don't think a border agent at any EU airport has ever spoken to me when exiting the EU. They just simply look for the entry stamp and stamp the exit stamp as close to it as possible.

germans are not even close to being the only EU nationals that can’t use Australia smartgates

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1f114f1259.png

The same is true of officials in all walks of life.