In the first six months of operation of the new EU digital border system, the Entry-Exit System (EES), almost 7,000 travellers were denied entry into Europe's border-free Schengen area because they stayed beyond their permitted time limit, a European Commission report has revealed.
Overall, more than 66 million entries and exits of non-EU nationals were recorded, and 32,000 people were refused entry in the Schengen territory since the EES was first launched last October.
Of these some 7,000 were due to overstays, referring to people who stayed beyond their permitted time limit in the Schengen area.
The EU didn't give a breakdown on the reasons why the 7,000 were classed as overstayers but in general that would include those who have stayed beyond their permitted visa limits and those who broke the Schengen area's '90-day rule', which allows many non-EU travellers to stay for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period.
Penalties for over-staying include a fine but also the more draconian measure of being banned from entering the EU.
