A couple with a second home in Brittany were wrongly challenged at the border over how long they were allowed to stay in France under the 90/180 days rule.
Ray and Jackie Allen, both in their mid-70s, had calculated their rights using the Schengen short-stay visa calculator and had worked out that they could stay a total of 30 days in France before their time ran out, taking previous trips into account.
Mr Allen, a retired engineer, said they were initially told by the border police at Saint-Malo that they had just eight days left, and “they would be sent straight back to the UK on the returning ferry” if they did not comply.
He said an officer then told them to wait in their car until all other vehicles off the ferry had been dealt with, after which he accompanied them to the Brittany Ferries booking desk.
“He astonished us again at the desk by saying we had now got 29 days, which was still wrong, and we had to change our exit date by one day.
"If we didn’t leave on that date, he said, we would be banned from France for six months."
Mr Allen said they complied and there was no additional charge by the ferry company.
However, the changed plans involved a daytime sailing whereas they prefer to travel at night.
“It has been a disturbing and distressing episode,” he said. “We’ve been travelling with Brittany Ferries for over 10 years and it’s the first incident of this kind.
We try to do everything by the book.”
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Ray and Jackie Allen have been left confused by the ordeal
No one can answer why couple faced issues
The Connexion has checked with the European Commission's visa calculator, using the previous trip dates the couple report, and it confirms 30 days remaining on their entry day, with a possibility of returning on the day they initially booked.
We asked Brittany Ferries if it can comment but a spokesman said border controls were not a matter for the firm.
We also sought a comment from the police but have not received a response.
We have not heard of any similar reports, but the incident shows how non-EU visitors are reliant on efficient checking by border officials.
In France, these are members of the Police aux frontières, a branch of the Police nationale, or – at small airports, for example – customs officers.
Legal sanctions for overstaying can include a €198 fine.
An Interior Ministry official previously said it could remain on your record and be considered if you were later to apply for residency.
The introduction from November 10 this year of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), intended to automate the logging of visitors’ movements into and out of the area and their entitlements under the 90/180 days rule, should help avoid such situations – assuming the process works efficiently.
Physical passport stamps are to be phased out so it will no longer be left to individual border police officers to check stamps and calculate visitors' remaining entitlements to stay in France.
