Ex EU - a cautionary tale
 

So last night my partner flew to Stockholm on the evening BA flight, intending to overnight at an airport hotel and then take the first leg of his flight to JFK via LHR on the morning BA flight.

Obviously, everything was booked and ticketed. But, he was denied entry into Sweden - the immigration staff didn’t believe he had a legitimate reason to enter the country. And apparently they were questioning all arriving pax in detail. He had to spend the night in the airport terminal and he was escorted to the departure gate to ensure he caught his morning flight.

So, it could have been a lot worse - although his suitcase is currently lost…

But, has this happened to anyone else before ? Is this just a Brexit benefit that we now need to be more aware of ? Certainly makes me more cautious of doing overnight positioning/ex EU flights…

Whislt I have noticed the nordics still ask quite a few questions - unlike most eu countries - I haven’t heard any example like that before. Seems unduly harsh tbh. Did they have to stay in the small non Schengen area?

Interesting / ouch.

I assume yes given the Brexit reference but for clarity is your partner a British citizen? And someone who would ordinarily not even think twice about being granted entry to Sweden?

Swedish immigration is generally un keen on overnight back to backs. I’ve never been denied entry but I’ve certainly been asked quite a few questions and had fairly incredulous reactions when I say my intention is to come back tomorrow and fly back on the same plane (UK passport, post Brexit). Spain, France or Italy would probably be easier choices since they don’t tend to ask any questions at all.

I am sorry to hear that and this sounds a bit odd, since you mention Brexit I am assuming your partner travelled on a UK passport? Sweden generally has very liberal entry requirements for EU and UK citizens and it’s very unusual to not allow him entry, especially if he had a hotel reservation and an e ticket/confirmation that he was due to leave the next day ….

UK passport holder? Any chance that ethnic origins played a part here?

You can appeal a refusal to enter Schengen but it's the first time I've heard this before. It's not strictly speaking a transit stay, but if your partner said it was to save money or part of a mileage run, then I'd be surprised that there would be a problem. It sounds like that the immigration officers were on edge for some other reason and your partner was their most suspicious case that evening.

Not Sweden but Denmark -but on leaving CPH last week immigration was long maybe 30mins to exit. At the immigration desk I was questioned on how many days I had been in the EU (I have a UK passport) over the last year as I have quite a few stamps but no where near the limit on days. It’s just another thing we need to be aware of as we travel in Europe post Brexit.

Is there a limit to the number of days we (UK passport holders) are allowed in the EU?😳

I used to get a few blunt questions when entering Sweden - in the days of Apartheid - due to the South African stamps in my passport. More recently over in Norway I was also queried at Tromsø when arriving from MAD, so a purely Schengen trip. I wanted to say my grandfather had fewer problems entering Tromsø in May 1945, but thought better of it.

I think 90 days max in 6 months. I was asked about the same thing at ARN as a frequent traveller to the EU. The officer was satisfied that I was not in the EU for that many days, but was told to keep a record with me for EU immigration.

Depends where in the EU. Ireland it doesn't matter, and Cyprus couldn't care less. Otherwise it is up to 90 days per 180 days. If you haven't visited Schengen for 90 days the clock can re-start.

I flew to Norway last week and got asked the reason for my visit, how long I'd be staying for, and the immigration official wanted to see evidence of my hotel and return flight. First time I've experienced this in Scandinavia or Europe. The queue for non-EU/non-EEA passports was huge as there was a Qatar flight that had arrived a little time before, so I expect they were being really thorough. I thought I was going to miss my connection but luckily I made it.

It's almost like taking the ryanair flight to Danzig and acting surprised you landed in Poland ;)

Thanks for the replies, all.

He’s a dual UK/Australian citizen (white and ginger) and was travelling on his UK passport.

And, yes, he was stuck in the airport terminal with a vending machine, and apparently a few other people, for company.

That's very interesting information. Not questioning its validity whatsoever, but could you share where you got that information from (or what its based upon) as Cyprus not caring about the 90 days/180 days rule would be a huge help to a friend.

Cyprus isn’t in schengen but is in the EU. you can stay up to 90 days in any 180 day period.

Doesn’t the Schengen 90 day limit stand separate to the individual country limits for any non-schengen eu country?

I suspect it's more a case of blasè, much like the Spanish attempt at checking passports, rather than an official rule.

As Karfa mentioned above, Cyprus isn't part of Schengen area.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-ad...y-requirements

​​​​​​As Cyprus is not in the Schengen area, any time you spend in the Schengen area does not affect the number of days you can spend in Cyprus, but, officially, Cyprus still has a 90 days in 180 days rule.

Cyprus has also indicated that it would like to become part of the Schengen area.

Yes, for Cyprus it’s 90 days in any 180 day period in Cyprus. Visits to other EU/Schengen countries do not count.

I visit the nordics regularly and have noticed the number of question I’m asked at the immigration desk has gone up from a maximum of one to half a dozen or so recently.

I did an ex-EU from ARN (SAS Gold trip!) in February and don’t recall the specific questions I was asked, but also don’t recall being worried about not getting into the country! Perhaps the way a question was answered, or the way the answer was perceived, triggered the immigration officer. I tend to just say I’m there as a tourist rather than saying I’m there for a tier point run or just for the sake of flying.

In my experience entering the Nordic countries with a UK passport does attract greater entry scrutiny than other Schengen area borders in terms of both the 90 day rule and purpose of visit with Sweden being the most inquisitorial and pedantic. Helsinki can also ask a lot a questions but they seem more geared to transit entry due to the connecting flight model Finnair use.

Extra questions crossing the border in Sweden, Norway or Finland with an overnight connections or when I've entered Schengen through a different country border so they can't easily reconcile the length of time spent in the Schengen area is typical. I also notice the Nordic border officers take a lot more care ensuring entry and exit stamps are inserted neatly and adjacent to one another whereas Mediterranean country officials seem to place stamps randomly.

Refusal of entry sounds like this particular immigration office was taking it to a higher level. Did the Op's husband have a confirmed hotel reservation for the night in addition to evidence of the departing flight the next morning?

Now that you mention it, I did get a few more questions when entering at OSL. I had arrived on BA and was departing the next day on QR. Said it was my overnight connection and that I was planning on going shopping while I'm there, specifically Lakrids by Bulow (no joke!). The agent found this hilarious and let me pass.

Gothenburg last year was the only time in 40 years of flying that I was ever made to actually produce my hotel reservation confirmation. Sometimes when entering the USA they ask where I am staying – but when I reply with an establishment name that’s all I ever need to do.

I can confirm I've had a grilling at CPH from Immigration Officials when passing through to the Schengen area. Also recently when travelling to OTP (asking for when I was returning, how many days I was staying, etc).

I must say I find this hard to believe. I am sure this happened of course, but is there any more context to this?
UK passport is one of the most valuable in the world, with UK being the 6th largest economy developed nation. I can't see anyone being turned away in EU/Schengen if all valid documents under visa waiver agreements. Staying overnight for a flight is not typically an issue. In some EU/Schengen airports there are even automated kiosks and no need to see immigration (CDG for instance).
To say this is highly unusual, is an understatement. Perhaps there is more context to this, not that I blame the poor guy but we don't know how frequently he travels to EU, duration etc There is not enough info in the OP's post to really dig into any depth with this.

EDIT: USA is an exception but I have long stopped considering that place a proper developed country lol

lack of reciprocity annoys me, EU travelers can breeze through automated gates at LHR, whereas us Brits have to typically use manual desks. Heathrow should disable automated gates for EU passports until reciprocity is established. I don't have skin in the game , as I also have EU citizenship though need to renew my second passport and am EU born, so can criticise from certain degree of objectivity here

The UK does this for financial reasons. Automate everything possible to save on the cost of a border officer.

I have often wondered about the EU automated gates. For instance from LHR if I take BA into Munich T1 I still have to get the physical stamp in my Canadian passport but if I then leave from MUC T2 I can use the automated gates to exit. I've never done this because I don't like the idea there is a stamp in my passport for entering but none leaving. Just think it would cause an unnecessary hassle. Hopefully if ETIAS ever gets up and running this stamping will be a thing of the past

You'll get stamped on exit immediately after passing the gate by an officer

I think you miss the point. E-gates are not there to be "nice" to Europeans. They are there because the Home Office does not have the resources that would be required for manual controls at manned booths.

Thanks for clearing that up. Always wondered about it as I have had border officers stamp my inward way back in pages already full of stamps from months ago and then on exiting the officer can't find the stamp for entering until I show them the page it is on

How did I miss the point? I said exactly that. The fact that there are not enough resources is meaningless and unrelated to my post, they will just join the manual queues which would be longer and take even longer with the current number of immigration staff. No different to when I travel to EU on UK passport at times and had to queue for 1hour plus on a few occasions because they had 2 people and 2 desks open out of, say, 12 manual desks that were closed/unmaned. How is this different?

This is about fairness, nothing else. if people have to queue for 4 hours that is irrelevant. Perhaps someone would then do something about it. Why Americans or Canadians , Aussies can use automated gates in EU terminals, but not Brits? Makes no sense! They are not in EU either but can use automated gates.

I've started every long haul trip over the last 15 years from the EU. It's almost now at the point where I check fares from DUB, OSL, BRU, BUD etc before London! :) And I've never had any real scrutiny entering or exiting the EU, even for same day in-and-out.

Except on my most recent trip - Prague the weekend before last, just a normal tourism visit - where the officer both entering and exiting spent well over five minutes looking carefully at every single stamp in my passport (there are lots, I visit the EU for the weekend around once a month) clearly trying to reconcile entry and exit dates to work out whether I was over 90 days. I stick a post-it note in my passport and ask officers to stamp where indicated to try and keep my entry and exit stamps together and in sequence but even so this was clearly a struggle for these officers who eventually gave up and stamped me without so much as a smile. So perhaps something has changed recently, or was I just really unlucky this happened both entering and leaving Prague?

Side anecdote: I was on a LIAT four sector ticket once in the Caribbean and had a six hour connection in Antigua, where I planned to enter, nip down to the port area and have a few drinks to tick the country. Only after stamping me in did the officer ask how long I was staying. When I told her a few hours, she gasped and said I wasn't allowed to do that and had to stay airside. After pointing out she had already stamped me in, she relented but told me she was doing me a favour, then refused to allow my friend behind me in the queue to do the same. Poor guy was bored to tears!

But you don’t need any more border officers.

I’ve been in a long Long LONG queue last year at hub airport AMS with only two border officers working, they seemed quite content with their service/cost base…

I was asked several questions at ZRH earlier this year when transiting to BUD to start a RTW itinerary. It's the first time in many ex-EUs where I've been asked anything at all.

A very interesting post and without wanting to deviate too much from the topic I have had my fair share of “grilling’s” going through the EU recently. Düsseldorf especially they even demanded to see financials and a good 10 minutes of questions. The good lady and myself went to Gothenburg for a weekend and they again were equally pedantic, demanding hotel bookings, return flights why I’m there, how I know my travel partner.

In the last 18 months, Munich (x2), Copenhagen (x2) and Oslo have been the hotspots for an immigration grilling for me. On 2 or 3 occasions, I had to show my flight ticket out of the country, my hotel booking, or a combination of the two. Certainly I've noticed an uptick in questioning at certain EU borders more recently.

Surely in 2025 their systems must have some record other than physically matching up entry and exit stamps in the passport to determine the 90 in 180 rule? Otherwise people like me with dual passports could easily get around it. I also thought that the systems know that you have multiple passports

To add to this very interesting thread, I was recently (lightly) grilled at AMS due to the stamps in my passport - "You seem to come to Europe a lot?" "Are you working here?" etc. Friendly but somewhat unexpected. With family in France and a penchant for weekend breaks ex LHR my passport is quite stamp heavy post brexit to be specifically questioned was a bit of a surprise. As ever, staying calm and polite is the approach here.