A small number of European countries are responsible for most orders to leave the Schengen area issued to American citizens in 2021 and 2022, figures from the EU have revealed.

In 2021, 1,690 US citizens were ordered to leave a Schengen area country.

And up until the end of September 2022, some 1,290 Americans were ordered to leave the EU and Schengen area, according to the latest available data from the EU statistical office Eurostat.

The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany and Belgium issued the vast majority of departure orders towards US citizens.

From the figures, which are communicated to Eurostat by national authorities, it emerges that the Netherlands alone issued 980 leave orders in 2021 and 770 in the first nine months of 2022.

Norway followed with 795 leave orders in 2021 and 105 in 2022 up to September. Then came Sweden, with 240 in 2021 and 135 in the same period of 2022. In comparison, France ordered 100 US citizens to leave in 2021 and 85 in the first nine months of 2022, and Germany 60 in 2021 and 25 in 2022.

Spain reported 10 cases in both years, Italy 5 in 2021 and 15 in 2022. For Austria, the figures were 15 in 2021 and 10 in the first nine months of 2022. Denmark issued 15 and 20 leave orders respectively, and Switzerland 40 and 20 respectively.

Netherlands vs Norway

Not all these people who received the orders, however, had to leave the country in which they were based.

The Dutch immigration agency (IND) said that an order to leave can be issued if a residence application has been “rejected” or “a previously granted residence permit has been withdrawn”.

The person has then an obligation to leave the country and all other countries of the Schengen area within a certain period (usually 4 weeks).

But it is still possible to apply and obtain a residence permit, or even to appeal a negative decision, while staying in the country, the IND said.

The discrepancy between the number of orders given and the number of people who actually then had to leave is reflected in Eurostat figures.

The data shows that the number of returns – US citizens that actually had to leave European countries – is smaller than the number of orders given: 510 in 2021 and 350 in the first nine months of 2022. For the Netherlands, the total was 80 in 2021 and 40 in 2022.

From information on actually number of people returned it emerges that Norway is the country that imposed most US citizens to leave: 635 in 2021 and 60 in the first nine months of 2022. For Sweden, the figure was 180 in 2021 and 85 in 2022 up to September.

Some 15 US citizens were returned from France both in 2021 and in the first nine months of 2022. For Germany the number was 10 and 5, for Denmark 15 and 10, for Italy and Spain zero and 10, for Switzerland zero.

Why are American citizens ordered to leave EU countries?

When it comes to the reasons why Americans are given orders to leave EU and Schengen area countries, well it’s largely for the same issues other non-EU citizens receive the same instructions. 

The Local recently published data about British citizens issued a leave order from Sweden post-Brexit. A spokesperson of the Swedish Migration Agency said these were due to “incomplete [residency] applications, late applications, applications where the applicant did not fulfil the requirement for residence status,” as well as “reasons unknown”.

The website of the French Ministry of Interior specifies that an order to leave can be issued, for instance, if a person has entered France or the Schengen area irregularly and does not have a residence permit, if they have stayed beyond the visa expiry or for more than 90 days in 180, if they have an expired residence permit, or this has been refused or withdrawn, or if they have worked without a work permit.

However, there are several cases in which a person cannot be forced to leave France. These include, among others, being a minor (unless parents are also subject to such a measure), having lived in France for more than 10 years, excluding periods as students, having habitually resided in France since a child, have been – and still be – married to a French citizen for at least 3 years.

An order to leave is not an expulsion, which occurs only when, in addition to be illegally present in the country, the person also represents “a serious threat to public order,” the French Ministry of Interior says. In this case, the expulsion usually leads to a ban from the country.

This article was written in collaboration with the Europe Street news site.