CONDOR Ferries left a holidaymaker stranded in the Island after turning her away from a Jersey-to-St Malo sailing because her passport did not have enough room for French officials to stamp.
Lisa Fairhurst was not allowed to board the ferry to France – having planned a two-centre holiday from her home in Wigan – after Condor staff told her that she needed two blank pages in her passport for entry and exit stamps on arrival and departure from France.
However, this is not a European requirement, and Condor subsequently said it had changed its policy to avoid a similar situation recurring. The company has also reimbursed the passenger £280 and offered her a £70 voucher.
In a statement, provided to the Independent newspaper, the company said: “The requirement for having two blank pages on a passport for entry and exit stamps is from French customs and immigration. In discussions with the police in St Malo this week, we have now agreed to pre-notify them with the name of any national who does not have space, to avoid any problems on arrival.”
Ms Fairhurst told the newspaper she had been particularly upset because she had planned to travel to Mont Saint Michel the following day.
“I lost all my accommodation and excursion costs, as the cancellation was so late. Also, as a lone female traveller, it was very stressful trying to find a room in Jersey in August at such short notice,” she said.
The Independent’s travel expert, Simon Calder, said: “At the time of Ms Fairhurst’s journey, the company insisted that ‘passports should have at least two blank pages for entry and exit stamps’.
“There is no such rule. The Schengen Area border code, which controls access from the UK into most European nations, makes clear that a traveller whose passport is full should be given a piece of paper ‘to which further stamps can be affixed’. The border code states: ‘The lack of empty pages in a passport is not, in itself, a valid and sufficient ground to refuse the entry of a person.’”
When contacted yesterday by the JEP, a Condor spokesperson said they had nothing further to add to the statement provided to Mr Calder.
