Police at Lanzarote’s César Manrique Airport have been ordered to stamp the passports of all British visitors on arrival and departure.
In theory, all British passports should have been stamped since January 1st 2021, the date when the transition period for leaving the European Union expired and the UK became a “third country”. However, three and a half years since that date stamping has hardly ever been carried out.
Unnamed police sources told El Diario de Lanzarote that, in the past, border agents had been told “subtly and verbally” not to stamp British passports “in order to make the passage of British tourists easier.” That policy has now been overturned following a clear order to stamp all third-country passports to comply with Schengen regulations. Other third-country nationals from the Americas, Africa or Asia have always had their passports stamped on entry and exit.
Nevertheless, the source claims that police do not have enough staff or facilities to carry out stamping on all visitors, especially on busy days for UK flights such as Thursdays. The report follows a court case in which senior officials in the National Police have been accused of fraudulently increasing staff numbers in order to pass an airport inspection in 2023.
The police sources warn that, due to short staffing, the new stamping requirements could lead to situations in which tourists may have their passports stamped on entry but not on departure. This means they would be unable to prove their length of stay in the EU and may be deemed to have exceeded the 90-day rule, which limits third country nationals to spending a maximum 90 days of a 180-day period in EU territory.
“AENA, the airlines and the Government Delegation at Lanzarote Airport are now exposed to thousands of complaints from British tourists who will be registered with an entry stamp, but who will not be able to register their departure, leaving them unable to prove their periods of legal stay,” said one source.
British residents on Lanzarote are not subject to the 90-day rule, although it is unclear yet as to whether their passports will be stamped. Some reports suggest that presentation of the TIE identity card will remove the need for stamping.
EES ON THE WAY
Passport stamping may not last long if the new EES (Entry/Exit Scheme) is introduced as planned in November.
This is a Schengen-wide initiative that will mean that third country passports are scanned electronically, allowing better control of borders and monitoring of over-stayers.
Once EES is up and running, third-country nationals including Britons will have their fingerprints checked and their faces scanned the first time they enter the Schengen zone, and this data will need be renewed every three years.
It has been reported that several EU airports are not yet prepared to roll out EES.
