i recently changed planes in amsterdam and found out i didn't have a stamp for my last entry into the eu. i couldn't provide proof that i came in so i was told they were filing a report on me but couldn't tell me what it all meant. he told me not to come back for three months, but it could also be 3 years, 5 years of 15 years. then he told me to just get married and sent me to my plane back to the u.s. i need to return to eu very soon and i can't find any information on my status. he wrote VBS on the exit stamp. i can't find anything to tell me what that means. anyone know anything that might help me get info? thanks

They are lovely people, aren't they?

You need to talk to an immigration lawyer, not gassers on the internet.

VBS = Vreemdelingenbasissysteem (Aliens' Database), so some kind of register for aliens that have breached the Dutch immigration system. So your details have gone on this system and any Dutch border station, police, embassy etc can access your information and deny you entry or refuse a visa.

Yes call the American consulate in Amsterdam or U.S. and Dutch embassy or consulate in U.S. too - like sandra says - go to the source and probably hire an immigration lawyer - if going to Holland on business get your employer involved.

Just don't mess with Dutch immigration (along with German and Swiss), all noted for strict adherence to rules and implementation.

US embassy won't help - they don't get involved in the host country's immigration system. Best source is Dutch immigration lawyer (most speak excellent English).

Yes sandralist, they are lovely people. Just doing their job, Like anyone else. They are not employed to be charming but to control the borders of the EU.
Have you ever entered the US on a non US passport?

OP, I assume you were transferring to a flight to another Schengen country or there would have been no need for immigration to check your passport. Or were you flying home anyway? It isn't clear to me from what you say.
What stamp was missing from your passport anyway? Your last entry stamp or exit stamp?

You could try contacting the Dutch consulate, but I very much doubt you will get a helpful response.

Do you have to fly into Amsterdam next time - maybe some other country would be more lax? British immigration folks are about the toughest I've seen - only casual glance in Amsterdam.

The problem is that many Schengen countries don't give entry stamps. France and Italy are prime examples. I was told that it's because passports now have an RFID chip and your entry data can be scanned and entered into a database automatically, without the immigration officer even opening the passport.

On Tripadvisor, numerous people have reported getting grief about the lack of an entry stamp when exiting through Schiphol. I haven't heard of this anywhere else. Maybe they don't have RFID scanners in the Netherlands?

I would advise people to carry some other evidence of their entry date to the Schengen area: e.g., flight itinerary, or train ticket.

Shocked - totally shocked that Schiphol Immigration folks are so so out of it - unfairly - as bvienci claims - totally incompetent and unfair - again shcoked that this happens in Schiphol where I land a lot and exit a lot - I guess demand to get your passport stamped at first Schengen entry.

By the way, it's totally unacceptable to make comments like "Why don't you just get married?", implying that the traveler was overstaying the visa limit because of a love interest in Europe. I don't think that can be part of anyone's job description.

When a passport is scanned, the details may go on some national databases but there is no Schengen-wide system of data collection. They were going to implement it for SIS-II but gave up because of insurmountable obstacles and technical difficulties, trying standardise IT systems in all 26 countries. As passengers can get in through one Schengen entry point (external border) with national data collection and out through another with no collection of data, you just can't track everyone's movement.

amsterdam immigration official can be real bastards IME - once i landed with my boxed bicycle and ut it on a luggage cart there was another cart with a boxed bike nearby that at quick glance looked a lot like mine - I mistook it and started to roll the cart away - a good word mis took the other for mine for about 2 seconds when the owner shouted at me - I apologized profusely pointing to my bike - the other guy understood immediately but a Customs officer was there and whisked me away into a tiny room fora bout grilling me for several minutes - I thought I was entering old East Berlin! Meanwhile tons of drugs were probably going by unnoticed.

As already noted, the official encountered in this instance was not doing his job or following rules.

I guess the only official who did not do his or her job was the immigration officer at OP's port of entry who was too lazy or incompetent to stamp OP's passport.

thanks for all the info. yes, i was already on my way out of the country and had to hurry to catch the plane. i'm sure i could have gotten more information if there had been more time but i did find it odd that he told me to just get married and then i would have no problem. i was travelling with my girlfriend who is from the EU, so i can see why he said that. but still, i don't think it's true that one just gets married and has no problem gaining entry. but my problem is really that i have never really understood the law. i have travelled in and out of the schengen states a lot over the past few years and it has never been clear to me why some people stamp and some people don't it's never been a problem so i never worried about it. after this last trip i have the opportunity to get a job in denmark and i want to take it and get a residency permit. but i have to act soon. i am really worried that this will somehow screw everything up. i am not at all keen on getting married just to get around the system. i just really don't understand what the rules are. is it possible i could just fly straight back to denmark and simply avoid amsterdam? should i get a new passport and start over? i really need to go back next month in order for everything to work out as planned.
thanks again for all of the info. you guys are great!

No- you do not need to get a new passport but I would definitely avoid the Netherlands for now. And do find out if there are any consequences to the stamp from an official source.

But if you want to work in Denmark your employer will have to work with you to get a work visa. You can enter on a tourist visa if it's just for the interview - but I think a work visa has to be obtained before one leaves one's own country. Again you need to go to the Denmark government website and find out the details from the horse's mouth.

No- you do not need to get a new passport but I would definitely avoid the Netherlands for now. And do find out if there are any consequences to the stamp from an official source.

But if you want to work in Denmark your employer will have to organize with you to get a work visa. You can enter on a tourist visa if it's just for the interview - but I think a work visa has to be obtained before one leaves one's own country. Again you need to go to the Denmark government website and find out the details from the horse's mouth.

<i>The problem is that many Schengen countries don't give entry stamps. France and Italy are prime examples.</i>

That's a change from our last entry to France from the U.S.