Could YOU be barred from Europe by mistake? Award-winning author Jojo Moyes threatened with €10,000 fine and two-year ban in EU border blunder that could hit thousands of Britons

Published: 04:28 EST, 11 November 2026 | Updated: 04:32 EST, 11 November 2026 Novelist Jojo Moyes has been warned she could be banned from Europe for two years after a blunder with the EU's new border system wrongly branded her an 'overstayer'.The Me Before You author was also threatened with a €10,000 (£8,365) fine when she tried to fly home from Marseille in October – despite having spent just 23 days in Europe over the previous six months.She is among a growing number of British travellers caught up in a chaotic rollout of the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES), which has left some holidaymakers facing the prospect of being penalised for trips they never overstayed.The system, which requires non-EU visitors to provide biometric data including fingerprints and facial images when entering the Schengen Area, is gradually replacing the familiar passport stamp with electronic records of when travellers arrive and leave.But a series of reported errors has raised serious questions about whether those records can be trusted – with some Britons finding that their departures have not been logged, leaving them apparently stranded in Europe's 90-day-in-180-day limit.The consequences could be severe: travellers wrongly flagged as having overstayed risk being refused entry, fined or facing further restrictions on returning to the continent. Author Jojo Moyes has faced border security chaos due to the new EES border rules She's the author of bestseller Me Before YouShe had only spent 23 days in Europe within a six-month period, Which? reported, but she realised after an earlier trip to Portugal, her exit had not been logged – as she had no passport stamp.Instead, the stamping has largely been replaced with the new electronic system. ‘The clock had been ticking ever since. Under Brexit rules, I was now an overstayer,’ she told Which?. ‘The border control senior officer at Marseille warned me that I should not attempt to re-enter Europe until it is sorted out, or face a €10,000 fine and a two-year ban.’She added: 'In the last two weeks I have tried every possible avenue, and feel like I’ve made very little progress at all. I have now engaged an immigration lawyer - one of the few I’ve contacted who knows about this situation - but not everyone is lucky enough to be able to afford this remedy.’ Which? said many other UK travellers faced similar issues. One reported being detained for two hours, while another said her elderly parents were 'left terrified' as a result. Delays, queues and missed flights have arisen thanks to the new EES - as well as errorsThe Foreign Office has said: 'We are aware of reports of inaccuracies in some EES records affecting British nationals, including incomplete records and the registration of some individuals who are exempt from EES.'We are raising these issues as part of our engagement with the European Commission.'If you are worried, you should carry evidence of when you last left the EU – and raise any concerns with border officials.You can also check how many days you have left via the EES website. Have you been affected by this problem? Get in touch at erin.waks@dailymail.co.uk