Possible two-year EU ban and €10,000 fine: author Jojo Moyes among UK travellers at risk amid digital border system glitches
A missing departure record
The article says Jojo Moyes’s departure from Portugal after a May trip was not logged. As a result, the system may show that she has used her full allowance to stay in the Schengen zone.
The system replaced passport stamps with biometric records at border controls. Since Brexit, Britons deemed to have stayed more than 90 days in a rolling 180-day period can face deportation or fines of up to €10,000.
Glitches affect British travellers
The rollout has left some British travellers wrongly recorded as having overstayed. Over the summer, some countries suspended the system and returned to manual passport checks amid technical problems and staff shortages.
The article also says the EU is suing three firms over the failures. The Foreign Office said it knew of reports involving incomplete records and people registered despite being exempt from the system, and was raising the issues with the European Commission.
Checks and conflicting details
Travellers can enter their passport number on the system’s website to check their remaining days. The article says it records Schengen visits since 10 April 2026.
Key points
- A missing Portugal departure record may put Jojo Moyes at risk of a ban and fine.
- The post-Brexit allowance is 90 days in any rolling 180-day period.
- Some British travellers have been wrongly flagged because of inaccurate digital records.
- The Foreign Office is raising reported EES record problems with the European Commission.