Overstays Accounted for 21.8% of Entry Refusals Recorded in EES in Q1 2026

For students planning a short trip to Europe, an affordable flight and an open week on the calendar are only part of the preparation. Previous visits can affect how much time remains available for another stay in the Schengen Area. Between January and March 2026, Europe’s Entry/Exit System recorded 19,985 entry refusals. Of those, 4,353 involved travelers who had already reached the maximum permitted stay during the relevant six-month period: approximately 21.8% of recorded refusals. VisaSyst’s analysis of Entry Refusals Recorded in EES and Europe’s border changes puts those figures in context. The percentage describes one reason for refusal among recorded cases. It does not mean that 21.8% of travelers overstayed, and it does not measure refusals among students. What the numbers actually show The figures come from eu-LISA’s first-quarter EES report. During that period, the system was still being introduced, so the data covered only border crossings where EES was operating.

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