# UK Passport stamps



## jakethepeg (Oct 24, 2014)

Just for information, my daughter, a Spanish resident with a UK passport flew out of Alicante to South Africa, and did NOT receive a stamp in her passport. She joined the EU citizen line at the airport and gave the immigration officer the passport with her residencia card on top and was waved through, the same in Amsterdam for her connecting flight. She was well pleased


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

jakethepeg said:


> Just for information, my daughter, a Spanish resident with a UK passport flew out of Alicante to South Africa, and did NOT receive a stamp in her passport. She joined the EU citizen line at the airport and gave the immigration officer the passport with her residencia card on top and was waved through, the same in Amsterdam for her connecting flight. She was well pleased


 Er .why was she in the EU line with a UK passport? Clearly a fortunate error rather than official practice


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Interesting thr EU citizen line. I've not been overseas since brexit but was thinking how does it work in airports etc. My husband is spanish, im resident with TIE but does that mean familes are split up in airports now?

The same for cruises. Thinking of booking one for next year from Barcelona. On embarking first time there are two lines. But, when you go through onto the ship, usually as you enter, someone takes you to your room or guides you. So now, i go one way, him the other and we meet in the cabin?
Flipping heck!


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Everyone is separated except young children. It has been like that for all 3rd country citizens always. Only EU passport holders go through EU checks if not it is kind of pointless have any form of immigration law


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

I'm from the USA with Spanish residency and my husband is Spanish, and we have been travelling as a "mixed" couple for 35 years now. I've been told many times that the family group should stay together - no separating. And that we should choose the non-EU line. A few times when we've been rushing to a connecting flight we've tried going together in the UE line because it's always faster. Once they sent us back to the non-EU line, and the other times they let us through.


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## jakethepeg (Oct 24, 2014)

The official policy is that UK passport holders who are Spanish residents should not have their passports stamped(which is usually done with a 90 day limit) but most immigration officials have not got the memo


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

jakethepeg said:


> The official policy is that UK passport holders who are Spanish residents should not have their passports stamped(which is usually done with a 90 day limit) but most immigration officials have not got the memo


The stamps wouldn't bother me anyway as they are irrelevant with residency so no need to worry


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

From the Schengen Border Control handbook.

"There can be cases where a stamp that has already been affixed on a passport has to be
annulled (for example, if the wrong stamp was affixed by mistake by the border guard). 

In such cases, the traveller bears no responsibility for it and therefore the stamp cannot be
cancelled in the same ways as when a person is refused entry. It is therefore recommended
to annul the stamp by running two parallel lines through the top left-hand corner of it like
in the example below:"










I think if I were to receive an erroneous stamp I'd be tempted to 'annul' it myself!


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## proud.to.be.EUROPEAN (Feb 14, 2020)

xicoalc said:


> The stamps wouldn't bother me anyway as they are irrelevant with residency so no need to worry


Ignorance is a bliss.
You wont have problems in Spain while holding Spanish residence, but it will be different story transiting other Schengen states.


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## proud.to.be.EUROPEAN (Feb 14, 2020)

MataMata said:


> From the Schengen Border Control handbook.
> 
> "There can be cases where a stamp that has already been affixed on a passport has to be
> annulled (for example, if the wrong stamp was affixed by mistake by the border guard).
> ...


True, you could get away with one canceled stamp in passport, but passport full of canceled stamps will raise alarm.


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## proud.to.be.EUROPEAN (Feb 14, 2020)

jakethepeg said:


> The official policy is that UK passport holders who are Spanish residents should not have their passports stamped(which is usually done with a 90 day limit) but most immigration officials have not got the memo


Nope, they all got memo and know rules, that's their day job. With presented TIE, one must be given stamp.
However, many officials are ignoring rule, simply for vengeful/spiteful reasons (brexit).


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

proud.to.be.EUROPEAN said:


> Nope, they all got memo and know rules, that's their day job. With presented TIE, one must be given stamp.
> However, many officials are ignoring rule, simply for vengeful/spiteful reasons (brexit).


You are mistaken.

A British national with a TIE or other proof of residency should NOT have a stamp put in their passport.

This is the British consulate in Spain



> As the representative from the Ministry of Interior confirmed, UK nationals who can demonstrate that they were resident in Spain before 1 January 2021 should not have their passport stamped or be subject to routine intentions questioning upon entry, exit and transit through the Schengen border.






__ https://www.facebook.com/BritsInSpain/posts/3766651383439235


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## proud.to.be.EUROPEAN (Feb 14, 2020)

xabiaxica said:


> You are mistaken.
> 
> A British national with a TIE or other proof of residency should NOT have a stamp put in their passport.
> 
> ...


Sorry, it was typo. Mustn't, not "must".
Not just TIE, but anyone with any EU residency card from any EU state_* mustn't*_ get his passport stamped on Schengen border.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

proud.to.be.EUROPEAN said:


> Sorry, it was typo. Mustn't, not "must".
> Not just TIE, but anyone with any EU residency card from any EU state_* mustn't*_ get his passport stamped on Schengen border.


I'd love to believe you - but you were quoting & disagreeing with @jakethepeg , who said that passports mustn't be stamped. 

...or does 'nope' have a different meaning to 'no'?


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## proud.to.be.EUROPEAN (Feb 14, 2020)

xabiaxica said:


> I'd love to believe you - but you were quoting & disagreeing with @jakethepeg , who said that passports mustn't be stamped.
> 
> ...or does 'nope' have a different meaning to 'no'?


Nope was meant for part regarding border guards not having got memo. I thought my line was clear enough.
"_Nope, they all got memo and know rules, that's their day job._"


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## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

Resurrection. 

Left through Santander last Monday. 
Upon exit we presented passports and Tie, the cards were immediately returned to us with the instruction "passport only" and the passports were duly stamped. 
The present Mrs R was reluctant to to query this due to the occupant of the car in front making a comment as he was leaving the booth whereupon the PNC officer ran out and parked him off to the side. Don't know what happened to him... 
UK side, passports were only scanned.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

At Gibraltar they are also stamping the passports of residents returning to Spain, according to a friend. A TIE was presented but drew a blank stare. I guess it will take a while for practice to catch up with theory,


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> At Gibraltar they are also stamping the passports of residents returning to Spain, according to a friend. A TIE was presented but drew a blank stare. I guess it will take a while for practice to catch up with theory,


Hola
I went to Gibraltar last week and as usual, simply showed my passport as I drove in; we were stopped and asked for residencia - I had my TIE card and my friend has the papers you get when applying for a TIE and we were waved through - no stamps and it was the same on the way out of Gibraltar. 

Davexf


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

davexf said:


> Hola
> I went to Gibraltar last week and as usual, simply showed my passport as I drove in; we were stopped and asked for residencia - I had my TIE card and my friend has the papers you get when applying for a TIE and we were waved through - no stamps and it was the same on the way out of Gibraltar.
> 
> Davexf


That's encouraging. It's a few weeks since my friends went.


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## yevlondon (Jul 8, 2020)

just got back to Barcelona. TIE was barely looked at. passport stamped.


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## Turtles (Jan 9, 2011)

I almost had to physically restrain them from stamping my passport on the way out and in of Malaga this week. On both occasions I presented my green residencia with the passport. Going out, the guy was quite nice when I explained the implications of residency and said "Ah perdon!, por supuesto". Coming back in, I was told "Tarjetas only". I insisted that that was incorrect, forcing the grumpy agent to consult his colleague. On being told that I was right he just avoided eye contact and tossed my unstamped passport back to me. I am concerned that if they can't do this right in Malaga 8 months after the B thing happened, what would they do in , say Slovakia - where they've hardly heard of Brexit? Deport me?


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Turtles said:


> I almost had to physically restrain them from stamping my passport on the way out and in of Malaga this week. On both occasions I presented my green residencia with the passport. Going out, the guy was quite nice when I explained the implications of residency and said "Ah perdon!, por supuesto". Coming back in, I was told "Tarjetas only". I insisted that that was incorrect, forcing the grumpy agent to consult his colleague. On being told that I was right he just avoided eye contact and tossed my unstamped passport back to me. I am concerned that if they can't do this right in Malaga 8 months after the B thing happened, what would they do in , say Slovakia - where they've hardly heard of Brexit? Deport me?


It will take a while ... but they'll get the message eventually. 

You would of course expect to have your passport stamped in Slovakia, unless you are resident there!


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## Localizer (Jun 23, 2016)

Wife left Gibraltar this morning , only really interested in seeing TIE on Spanish side, only interested in Passport on Gibraltar side.... no stamps.


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## Turtles (Jan 9, 2011)

I am trying to avoid being kicked out of Schengen after 90 days, when I've been a resident in part of it for 15 years. I know that I'm restricted to living in Spain now, but my incentive for knowing these rules is many times greater than that of a border guard.


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## proud.to.be.EUROPEAN (Feb 14, 2020)

We'll have to play this stamp roulette game for another 18 months, until EES kicks in.


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

I'm an American who's had permanent residency for years (I'm approaching 36 years living in Spain), and I can assure you that every passport I've had has been FILLED with stamps from Spanish border immigration officials. The last stamp I got was given to me only two weeks ago in Madrid. So don't think this is something aimed only at Brits.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

kalohi said:


> I'm an American who's had permanent residency for years (I'm approaching 36 years living in Spain), and I can assure you that every passport I've had has been FILLED with stamps from Spanish border immigration officials. The last stamp I got was given to me only two weeks ago in Madrid. So don't think this is something aimed only at Brits.


Have you always presented your passport with residency document?


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

Joppa said:


> Have you always presented your passport with residency document?


Always.


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## Turtles (Jan 9, 2011)

It's disturbing that people with the power to refuse you entry to a country are not sufficiently trained to understand what "Resident's Permit" means, and what one looks like. The guy last night said it has to be the original. It WAS the original.


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Turtles said:


> It's disturbing that people with the power to refuse you entry to a country are not sufficiently trained to understand what "Resident's Permit" means, and what one looks like. The guy last night said it has to be the original. It WAS the original.


The Spanish immigration officers 'should' know what to look for, but I can see it being a nightmare for other EU countries not knowing what a TIE or the 'Green' card was. Although the TIE or a version of it should be issued in all EU countries (I checked Romania and found some info that said Uk citizens would end up with a card like any other non EU).

Ive had officials doubt working visa's in my passport before, even after pointing out that their own consulate in the UK were the ones who affixed it. And Im not talking about a tin pot country either here. 

Does getting a stamp when you should not have actually mean anything? 
Would you be taken to one side and asked why you have not left Spain for ages even though your passport was stamped and you should have left before 90 days? 
If they are not interested in the TIE why have there not been horror stories in the press yet?


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