Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had discussions with his French counterpart on the potential merits of ensuring British passport holders have an exit stamp added to their passport each time they leave the Schengen area.

As of 1 January 2021, British citizens are treated as third-country nationals under the Schengen Borders Code. This means British citizens' passports should be stamped on entry to and exit from the Schengen Area, unless they can show evidence that they lawfully reside in an EU Member State or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) country. Border guards will use passport stamps to check that third-country nationals are compliant in terms of the length of stay permitted in the Schengen Area. The Government engages with European counterparts at all levels to ensure the consistent application of the Schengen Borders Code.