Lack of Exit stamps to cause problems?

[oliMw]

Another perk of Brexit then ... I don't remember this being a problem when we were in the EU. And of course, it's good evidence of countries within the EU controlling their borders.

 

[221129]

To be fair. No issues so far. I cross back into Spain tomorrow but not imagining any problems.

 

[TravelDream]

I wouldn't recommend the dreamy days of the past into the future and advise against giving it as “ok” behaviour.

Treat the EU like US immigration, is the safer route.

Laid back behaviour is the exact victims they will be looking for, things are changing in Europe.

The issue is with the current system is 99 times out of 100 you'd be fine. You just need one officious border guard and you could be in the trouble.

Only once I have ever been truly interrogated at a border and than was when leaving Poland when we were still in the EU. The guard there wanted to know the ins and outs of my trip when I had the legal right to be there with freedom of movement.
I visited Poland this summer and the border guard spent less than a second looking at my vaccine passport and it could have been for anyone as she didn't check my passport (there was a separate person checking passports).

 

[BluePenguin]

I am currently in Turkey and had my passport stamped when I arrived. When I leave I will definitely be given am exit stamp too

However, I was not stamped at Stansted when checking in. Looking through my passport it seems I rarely have been. Perhaps the problem needs resolving in England as well?

 

[TravelDream]

However, I was not stamped at Stansted when checking in. Looking through my passport it seems I rarely have been. Perhaps the problem needs resolving in England as well?

I am presuming you are a British citizen so why do you think Britain would stamp you out?

Britain doesn't stamp anyone who uses an e-gate and quite a lot of nationalities are allowed to use them.

 

[BluePenguin]

I am presuming you are a British citizen so why do you think Britain would stamp you out?

Britain doesn't stamp anyone who uses an e-gate and quite a lot of nationalities are allowed to use them.

Yes I am, although I am also a Turkish citizen but yet always get stamped out when leaving here. I agree there is no official reason why I must be stamped out. Although God forbid a crime takes place whilst away and I need to prove that I had left the country by specific date. You know what I mean?

A few people I know went to Turkey via Greece when it was on the red list but came came unstuck when they got back to England lol

I never had any luck using the e-gates so never bother trying anymore.

 

[XAM2175]

However, I was not stamped at Stansted when checking in. Looking through my passport it seems I rarely have been. Perhaps the problem needs resolving in England as well?

I agree there is no official reason why I must be stamped out.

The UK doesn't give exit stamps, and as mentioned earlier in this very thread has significantly reduced the number of people who receive entry stamps.

Although God forbid a crime takes place whilst away and I need to prove that I had left the country by specific date. You know what I mean?

In the very very rare case of this happening it will be sufficient for you to present the boarding pass you used to leave the country. If there's any lingering doubt, or you cannot provide said boarding pass, the police can check with the relevant carrier.

 

[AlterEgo]

However, I was not stamped at Stansted when checking in. Looking through my passport it seems I rarely have been. Perhaps the problem needs resolving in England as well?

Why would you ever be stamped at *check in*?

Passport stamps are given at border control, and in line with many countries (including the USA for example!) we don't stamp people out of the country. There's no real need.

 

[BluePenguin]

Why would you ever be stamped at *check in*?

Passport stamps are given at border control, and in line with many countries (including the USA for example!) we don't stamp people out of the country. There's no real need.

For reason I stated above. For example if there was a crime. Someone else had already responded to say that it was not needed.

I still think it’s a strange though how some countries insist on both entry and exit stamps and other countries only bother with one or the other.

 

[Sm5]

Deleted

 

[Busaholic]

Russian hotels used to require it, and you’d have to present to police within 3 days, to ensure your visa matched your whereabouts.
No hotel stamp, would be a problem, not being in the town arranged with your visa would be a problem. “Shrat“ is a word you learn quick, “Backsheesh” popped up a few times.

I’m not going into my own experiences in an online forum, but stand by my point.. its best to get the entry and exit, than believe you can impose your British values of relaxed social responsibility onto another country… Greek planespotters anyone ?

The EU 27 are not “home” anymore, best treat them with respect as a guest, as always it’ll be drunks on a stag do that will learn the hard way first.

Sounds sensible advice to me.

 

[AlterEgo]

Russian hotels used to require it, and you’d have to present to police within 3 days, to ensure your visa matched your whereabouts.

Yeah, a stamp *in* to Russia, not out of the UK.

I’m not going into my own experiences in an online forum, but stand by my point.. its best to get the entry and exit, than believe you can impose your British values of relaxed social responsibility onto another country… Greek planespotters anyone ?

I'm talking about British exit stamps. We don't stamp citizens out of our own country; there is no mechanism to! Go to Heathrow and find the passport control for exiting the UK.

just because we cant be bothered with bureaucracy, doesnt mean other countries dont live rules by it.

Nobody is suggesting other countries don't have their own procedures, least of all me. I am talking only about British exit stamps in response to someone confused as to why we don't have them, not to you, or anyone else, or about any other countries.

For reason I stated above. For example if there was a crime.

Do you want to get your passport stamped when you visit another town in England too, for an alibi? To say you were't at home? I don't understand why you'd think along these lines to be honest.

 

[Cdd89]

If you depart by air, most airlines will provide you with proof that you did — or did not — travel on a flight, upon request. British Airways, for example, has a dedicated form for this purpose. Eurostar can also provide this.

It’s common for insurance purposes but could equally be useful in the OP’s described predicament.

 

[TravelDream]

Russian hotels used to require it, and you’d have to present to police within 3 days, to ensure your visa matched your whereabouts.
No hotel stamp, would be a problem, not being in the town arranged with your visa would be a problem. “Shrat“ is a word you learn quick, “Backsheesh” popped up a few times.

The hotel stamped your passport?
When was this? At least not in the last few decades and I can't imagine ever.

What happens nowadays is you have to present your passport to reception who then register the details of it with the local GUVM (or FMS before 2016) . The whole process is digitalised today. Before it would have meant copying the passport, completing a form and the hotel delivering those to FMS.
If staying in a private residence this only legally has to be done after seven working days and is usually done at a Post Office. Most AirBnB owners won't do it though as it's a pain in the rear and they are avoiding paying tax on their income. This can legally cause issues for the guest, but is very unlikely to.

Everyone is Russia has to have a registration and if you're a citizen your permanent registration is stamped into their internal passport by GUVM (and FMS before). Temporary registrations never are though. Foreigners on work visas are registered at their place of work and not residence and receive a certificate rather than anything stamped in their passport to prove registration.

 

[Busaholic]

The hotel stamped your passport?
When was this? At least not in the last few decades and I can't imagine ever.

Certainly didn't happen in Moscow or Leningrad (now St Petersburg) in 1974 at the height of the Cold War - being trailed by the KGB, and even being phoned by them in your hotel room, was a different matter!

 

[Sm5]

Deleted

 

[TravelDream]

they stamped your visa.
Three parts, arrival, residence, exit.

if you stayed less than 3 days you didnt need to, if you went as an organised tour group I dont believe you needed to.

please dont presume to tell me what I did and didnt need to do.

Too many pedantics on here who granularise semantics, who seem to want to promote rough shod over other countries immigration laws.

Having lived in Russia and been involved in getting foreigners work visas for Russia, I think I am fairly well acquainted with the Russian immigration and registration system.

What I wrote above...

What happens nowadays is you have to present your passport to reception who then register the details of it with the local GUVM (or FMS before 2016) . The whole process is digitalised today. Before it would have meant copying the passport, completing a form and the hotel delivering those to FMS.
If staying in a private residence this only legally has to be done after seven working days and is usually done at a Post Office. Most AirBnB owners won't do it though as it's a pain in the rear and they are avoiding paying tax on their income. This can legally cause issues for the guest, but is very unlikely to.

Everyone is Russia has to have a registration and if you're a citizen your permanent registration is stamped into their internal passport by GUVM (and FMS before). Temporary registrations never are though. Foreigners on work visas are registered at their place of work and not residence and receive a certificate rather than anything stamped in their passport to prove registration.

is 100% correct. I can assure you.

When did you visit Russia or are you talking about the USSR?

 

[Sm5]

Deleted

 

[TravelDream]

3 part pink visa, one half retained on arrival. This was not a “sticker” visa in my passport. Centre stamped by the hotel, both parts retained on exit. Typewritten document, issued by the Russian embassy. Accompanied by a notoraized letter from a Russian base commander, and authorisations from a local representative.

The centre / exit part also accompanied me to a few military bases I visited, and when accompanied by my local representative, who also required his own “domestic” passport of a sorts and his own approvals.
I arrived by land, from a third country, which also had its bureacracy, and they detained me On arrival, on each time i entered their country too.

I didnt just fly in, nor was I just visiting Moscows tourist sites, though I have used SVO On occasion.
I still have photocopies of them, as I needed to submit prior evidence for each new one, mine were issued at the Russian consulate San Francisco each time.

You should have made clear your visit wasn't that of the typical tourist.

Visiting military bases/ closed cities would be a very different experience to most. I've only been to one closed city (Ivangorod), but it is one people can go through without special permission if they are heading straight to the border.

Russians still have an internal passport. That is what I mentioned in my post. Russians will have a permanent registration and the migration authorities, GUVM, will stamp that address into their permanent passport. It's usually called a propiska which is the name it had in the USSR. Everyone needs permission to enter a military base or a closed city unless they are have a military ID allowing access/ permission in their internal passport to enter the closed city.

I also had a three part paper visa as FMS didn't move over to passport stickers for work visas until six or seven years ago though mine was green. Mine was issued in country though and not abroad. First page was torn off when I first exited the country and I still have the other two somewhere. Nobody other than FMS or the border guards ever stamped it or looked at it.
Perhaps this was a thing at the time. I was still in school myself in the 90s.

 

[XAM2175]

What I find odd, is everyones questioninng it… has no one ever checked into a hotel and not had reception make a photocopy of your passport ? Seriously ?
...
if your claiming youve never had your ID checked upon checkin, then I doubt youve been abroad, seriously.

Taking a photocopy of the identity page is a long way from physically marking the passport, though, which is what we've been discussing.

more than willing to share with a respectful non-hostile audience.

So which of these aren't we?

You should have made clear your visit wasn't that of the typical tourist.

Indeed.

 

[route101]

I am currently in Turkey and had my passport stamped when I arrived. When I leave I will definitely be given am exit stamp too

However, I was not stamped at Stansted when checking in. Looking through my passport it seems I rarely have been. Perhaps the problem needs resolving in England as well?

I am sure Turkey has always stamped passports, or stamp and visa sticker.

 

[BluePenguin]

I am sure Turkey has always stamped passports, or stamp and visa sticker.

Flicking through the pages in my passport I have lots of entry and exit stamps. I wouldn’t know about visas as I have never needed one.

 

[AlterEgo]

Flicking through the pages in my passport I have lots of entry and exit stamps. I wouldn’t know about visas as I have never needed one.

Turkey had visa on arrival for some time, which was a small sticker plus a stamp.

 

[TravelDream]

Turkey had visa on arrival for some time, which was a small sticker plus a stamp.

Quite a long time I think. It was then replaced by an e-visa and now we can go visa free. With the current currency crisis, I wouldn't be surprised if they brought the fee back to bring in some extra cash.

 

[AlterEgo]

Quite a long time I think. It was then replaced by an e-visa and now we can go visa free. With the current currency crisis, I wouldn't be surprised if they brought the fee back to bring in some extra cash.

Definitely lasted until the 2010s. I think it was £10 or £20 cash on entry at the airport.

 

[Mag_seven]

Just a reminder that this thread is to discuss the lack of exit stamps causing problems.

If anyone wants to discuss anything else they are welcome to start a new thread or find an appropriate existing one.

thanks