Could I enter any European country WITHOUT a passport??

Soldato
Joined
7 Dec 2002
Posts
4,477
Location
Kent
Not asking for me.

A friend of mine is genuinely worried that her ex partner would snatch her children and head for the Continent.

I am aware of the irony considering my sig but there's always a few rotten eggs that give everyone else a bad name. :(

Any info appreciated.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
12,354
Most EU countries aer also signatories of the Shengen Treaty, thus a Driver's License or any other form of photographic ID (such as a National ID card) are sufficient for travel to a Shengen Member State.

Incidentally, the UK is not signed up, and as such you can not enter the UK without a passport.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
7 Dec 2002
Posts
4,477
Location
Kent
Ex-RoNiN said:
Most EU countries aer also signatories of the Shengen Treaty, thus a Driver's License or any other form of photographic ID (such as a National ID card) are sufficient for travel to a Shengen Member State.

Incidentally, the UK is not signed up, and as such you can not enter the UK without a passport.
Would that treaty cover children?
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
12,354
UOcUK Poopscoop said:
Would that treaty cover children?

I don't know, I assume that if they are under a certain age, they do not require any documentation, and if they are above that age, they would require their own photographic identification, but this is merely conjecture.

You best chase this point up with an authority that may know.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
8,444
Location
Leamington Spa
Ex-RoNiN said:
As far as I understand, they would not let you board a UK-bound flight without a passport.
But if you left the UK to go to say Germany, then they wouldn't let you on a flight back even though they let you leave the UK.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
12,354
Psyk said:
But if you left the UK to go to say Germany, then they wouldn't let you on a flight back even though they let you leave the UK.

Precisely.

Although I just remembered my Spanish colleague went to Austria with us with his Spanish ID only, but he did manage to come back.

Hmmm :confused:
 
Soldato
Joined
27 Mar 2004
Posts
8,436
Location
Kent
You can't leave the UK without a passport either, can you?

I thought that since the UK didn't sign, you need a passport in both directions. I have always been asked for my passport to go to France.
 

POB

POB

Soldato
Joined
27 May 2003
Posts
5,948
Location
Its a Small World
You can easily get to France without any passport.

On the ferry or eurotunnel, most of the time you never even get asked for a passport or ID when exiting the UK.
 
Associate
Joined
17 Jan 2005
Posts
735
Location
Lincoln
Killerkebab said:
You can't leave the UK without a passport either, can you?

I thought that since the UK didn't sign, you need a passport in both directions. I have always been asked for my passport to go to France.

I've left the UK once without being asked for my passport, I was on a coach trip to Belgium - though coming back in I had to present it.

As for the OP - somewhere in the back of my mind isn't there an international treaty or something which if your child/children are taken and go to a country who has also signed the treaty, you must legally return them to the country from which you took them from - no doubt to attend a court hearing.

I remember a while ago the BBC did a documentary about a woman called Cara Gunn - who did pretty much the same thing - though that was with the US/UK - im sure the same treaty still stands regardless which country was involved?

EDIT - Ignore me, a quick google seems to suggest it's between the US and other countries rather than the UK :(

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3256510.stm
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
2,739
Location
Chelmsford
You DO need a passport to go outside of the UK and tha includes children.

If you manage to get to another country and get refused entry, the airline is fined £2000 and the airline HAS to fly you back to where you came from.

I have also had to present my passport for inspection when using a ferry to go to France.
 
Associate
Joined
22 Mar 2005
Posts
992
Location
Pamplona, Spain
You cannot enter any EU country without a passport but if the holder has a national ID card of ANY EU country then they can enter without any restrictions.

Hopefully one day UK will have the National ID scheme finished then you can forget your passport and use the ID card.
 
Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
32,615
If you take a ferry to france you basically don't need a passport, if you are on a coach you will need 1 (trust me, been there-done that, on a uni ski trip).

Hoping between borders on the continient you usually don't even stope and
there is never a passprot check, sometimes drug checks.

So, potentially, he could drive to Dover, get a ferry across, and be able to drive anywhere without any passport or ID being shown. Someitmes They check for passport or drivers license at ferry terminals.
 
Associate
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
1,011
Location
Ireland
It's possible to enter other EU countries without a passport. I regularly cross from the Republic of Ireland to the North and don't need a passport after all. I also crossed from Portugal to Spain without one.

Once in Europe, it's generally airport policy to require a passport but when you think about it, are they really going to be bothered checking if a child's passport is valid? The guy could pick up a couple of fake passports for a few thousand euro if he really wanted to.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
2,739
Location
Chelmsford
tenchi-fan said:
It's possible to enter other EU countries without a passport. I regularly cross from the Republic of Ireland to the North and don't need a passport after all. I also crossed from Portugal to Spain without one.

Once in Europe, it's generally airport policy to require a passport but when you think about it, are they really going to be bothered checking if a child's passport is valid? The guy could pick up a couple of fake passports for a few thousand euro if he really wanted to.

Spain & Portugal are both Schengen Countries hence no requirement to show a passport.

Yes you will check a childs passport. If the child is stopped further on after check in, at security or the gate for instance, then it will come back to the agent who checked the flight in. For the sake of 10 seconds, it's not worth the risk.
 
Associate
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
1,011
Location
Ireland
Charlie Bravo said:
If the child is stopped further on after check in, at security or the gate for instance, then it will come back to the agent who checked the flight in. For the sake of 10 seconds, it's not worth the risk.
Maybe, but people mess up the whole time and as I said, all the guy has to do is get a couple of fake passports.
 
Back
Top Bottom