I wonder why member countries of the European Union will not stamp a passport.
By Koalemos
@Asylum (47893)
Manchester, England
May 6, 2016 10:18am CST
We are all aware that travel throughout the European Union is unrestricted and therefore stamping a passport is superfluous, but I discovered that they will not even do so on request.
I found this out several years ago when I flew to Poland. I actually miss getting the entries in my passport these days compared with the selection of stamps that I used to accumulate. Therefore, on arrival at passport control at Krakow airport I asked if my passport could possibly be stamped as a memento of my visit.
This request received a rather abrupt “No”.
Since I have the right to remain in the country for as long as I wish, the stamp would not cause any issue or conflict whatsoever.
Does anyone know of a valid reason for this, other than the attitude of the person on passport control?
11 people like this
13 responses
@LadyDuck (458233)
• Switzerland
6 May 16
Those are the Schengen zone rules, you cannot have the passport stamped if you travel among Schengen countries. You can have it stamped if you go from Schengen country to non Schengen country or vice versa. May be from July you can have the passport stamed at Krakow airport... if you quit Europe.
4 people like this
@blitzfrick (2890)
• United States
19 May 16
After reading some of the comments, I now believe I must travel Europe while I'm a US citizen. I wonder what they do about people who hold dual citizenship, one as a EU member and the second as a non-EU citizen.
2 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
20 May 16
@blitzfrick There have been instances where a dual passport holder has been deported and has attempted to return on a different passport. Of course this does not work because the deportation is recorded on the computer system.
1 person likes this
@blitzfrick (2890)
• United States
19 May 16
@Asylum I didn't even think of having two passports but ::slaps forehead:: U R Right! 
2 people like this
@yukimori (10144)
• United States
6 May 16
Are they one of the countries that only track things electronically? I remember seeing somewhere that there are a few countries that don't bother with stamps at all, so it would make sense if they didn't have the ability to actually stamp the passport.
Have you ever run into the issue again, or was it just that one time in Poland?
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
6 May 16
@Asylum Actually, my students and I are Americans. When we passed from one EU country to another, they did not want to stamp our passports either.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
7 May 16
@ElizabethWallace The system is that they would stamp your passport at the point that you entered the EU, but once inside further movement is unrestricted.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
14 May 16
I miss them too and I have no idea why we don't get them any more, it makes our passports look awfully empty!!
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 May 16
@Asylum I think I have less even though I travel quite a lot.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
8 May 16
MY old passport is full of stamps however non from the EU. I was really lucky in China as every airport we arrived at they stamped my passport but would not stamp some of the others. I had around six in total or perhaps they were just keeping an extra eye on me. A smile and a gesture seemed to work for me but when others attempted it they were met with a blank faced NO.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
6 May 16
I was still taking kids when this first started being the case. I was able to talk a couple of men into doing so for the students, but that didn't last long.
@acelawrites (19273)
• Philippines
7 May 16
Don't know about it; maybe they have some protocols to follow.
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
7 May 16
I've been to a number of foreign countries and my passport is still pristine. Not a ghost of a stamp. :-(
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
7 May 16
@Jeanniemaries I am assuming that this is a document granting access to national parks.
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
7 May 16
@Asylum The only way to get a passport stamped for me, is to get a National Parks Passport!
1 person likes this
@thelme55 (76476)
• Germany
20 May 16
I think the reason is because we are members of Europe and the Schengen rules applied to us. The passports are only controled, checked on the duanne computers but no stamps on them. Maybe to those who are not members of the European Community will have their passports stamped. I miss those times when my passport was full of stamps from the European countries I have been to in the 80s. 
1 person likes this
