Landing is not the end of the journey in Europe at the moment. A recent column in the Sydney Morning Herald by travel writer Chris Chamberlin described a 2½-hour wait at passport control in Brussels, and the reason it took that long is worth knowing before you book a first night.
What happened at Brussels
Chamberlin landed after a short flight from Heathrow and joined a single queue for everyone without a European passport. The self-service kiosks that are meant to take the load off the desks were out of order, and new arrivals and returning visitors all queued together. He reports almost two hours passed before the desks came into view.
At the desk, the officer told him the long line was down to a problem that kept coming up: exit records that had not been entered properly when people left a Schengen country. Chamberlin's own exit from Italy in June had not been logged, so the system showed him as still in Europe and over the limit for Australian visitors, which is 90 days in any 180.
Why a missing exit record matters
Australians can stay in the Schengen Area for 90 days in any 180-day period, and the clock now depends on the system holding a correct record of when you left. If an exit is missed, the days keep counting. The column also mentions a British traveller who was reported to have been turned around and sent home from Italy because of an exit record that said they had overstayed.
Correcting a record afterwards is slow. Chamberlin was told he could ask the Italian National Police to fix it, but that an update could take around 30 days. He had a week before his next trip, so he went to the border with his paperwork instead.
What he did that worked
- Checked his status before flying. He found the problem by entering his planned dates into the EU's official calculator, which told him his trip was "not OK".
- Carried proof. Boarding passes from earlier trips, itineraries, and a US border record showing when he was in America after leaving Italy. The officer fixed his record on the spot.
- Packed for a wait. Water and snacks, in case the line was as bad as it turned out.
His other advice was to enter Europe through a quieter airport if you can.
How a long queue changes your first night
A queue like this does not just cost you time at the airport. It moves everything that comes after it.
- A fixed hotel arrival. If your hotel holds a late check-in until a set hour, or has a shuttle that stops running at night, a delay of two or three hours can push you past it. Check the hotel's shuttle hours and tell them your flight number.
- A prepaid transfer. Drivers wait for a limited time. Book one that tracks your flight, or one you can rebook.
- A tight connection. Do not count on an hour at passport control if you have to clear it to catch an onward flight. Leave several hours, or book the two legs as one ticket.
- Baggage. In the column, the arrival screens had stopped showing the bag belt by the time the author was through, and his bag was on a belt for a different flight. Listen to the announcement on landing, and check the belts.
What we'd do
- Keep the first three hours after landing free of anything that cannot move.
- Check your Schengen record on the EU's website before each trip, and again if you have just come back from several in a row.
- Keep boarding passes and itineraries from every earlier trip in Europe. They are the evidence if an exit was missed.
- Choose a hotel with a 24-hour desk and a shuttle that runs late, or one you can walk to.
- Carry water and something to eat in your hand luggage.
Hotels where a late arrival is covered
If you are landing in Rome, our Fiumicino guide covers the hotels and how each connects to the terminal. For a late arrival in London, the late-arrival stays start from your situation. Either way, check the shuttle hours on the hotel's own page before you rely on them.