Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what mechanisms her Department has in place to monitor the number of UK citizens overstaying the term of their visa when visiting an EU country.

The EU has legislated such that British citizens do not need a visa when travelling to and within the Schengen Area for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This applies to all British citizens travelling to and within the Schengen Area for activities including attending cultural or sports events and tourism.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not hold information centrally on the numbers of British citizens who have applied for or been granted Schengen visas or how many have overstayed the term of their visa when visiting a Schengen State.