Friends crossing over to and from Cherbourg, Caen and St. Malo report trouble free entry and departures. I wonder if it will be the same when facial recognition is in place. My passport never works when going through the scanner at Stansted. I have to queue and try three times before the staff direct me to another queue with a human checking passports. Can you imagine everyone in a car having to do this before being allowed through. Most will pass though but at busy times any delay at passport control means even longer to get on your way.al_yrpal wrote: ↑12 Oct 2022, 9:02am On our recent visit to France I watched the passport examination process carefully. It consisted of looking at us both opening the passports and putting them in a reader and after that date stamping them. Presumably the computer system would alert them to anyone breaking the 90 day rule? They certainly didnt examine every page looking for previous French entry stamps.
So despite false assertions, the French/Shengen entry/exit system is no different from how it was before and how it is elsewhere.
At one point the bloke putting one of our almost brand new passports into the reader had to do it about a dozen times before it worked - we got the gallic shrug!
Al
I was once behind a family of 4 who somehow couldn't find their passports. We all had to wait until another member of staff ushered them to the side so they could sort it.
I saw them board the ferry and asked them how they were allowed to board? It seems they found their passports between the front seats.
My son has Titre de sejour which means not having a stamp in his British passport. In spite of this he's had it stamped and when it was pointed out the chap merely shrugged his shoulder and put a line through it.