UK PASSPORT AND TRAVEL IN EU...

[humble]

hello there..
i am an american that also has UK citizenship.
when traveling from amaserdam to london by train:

1) does the EU stamp an EXIT on a UK passport in amsterdam or any other point?
2) does the UK stamp an entry for UK passport holders on the way in?? cause i hear that all they do is take a quick look at it and thats that. true??

much thanks in advance!

[JAJ]

hello there..
i am an american that also has UK citizenship.
when traveling from amaserdam to london by train:

1) does the EU stamp an EXIT on a UK passport in amsterdam or any other point?
2) does the UK stamp an entry for UK passport holders on the way in?? cause i hear that all they do is take a quick look at it and thats that. true??

EU doesn't stamp anything. Do you mean the Schengen Area?

Usually passports of EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are not stamped by either UK or Schengen country authorities unless you ask. These days on arrival in the UK they are likely to do more than "take a quick look" at your passport. It will likely be scanned and checked to ensure it's not fake.

[humble]

thanks man youre always a great help, but let me get one thing straight....

i do realize that at any airport, your passport will be checked by security and check in personnel.

keep in mind that im traveling by train.... and i was traveling in europe for a little bit (france, holland, germany) and nobody EVER checked my passport... so im wondering if its the same procedure when going into the UK.

to make it simple:

i understand that UK passport control officer will check my UK passport, but LEAVING AMSTERDAM/BRUSSELS, will any passport control officer check the passport???

[RobinLondon]

Yes, upon departure from NL/B for a non-Schengen destination (e.g., the UK, Ireland, Eastern Europe, Timbuktu), the Dutch/Belgians will check your UK passport but will not stamp it.

[John]

i was traveling in europe for a little bit (france, holland, germany) and nobody EVER checked my passport

Humble, you need to appreciate the way the Schengen area works. When travelling from one Schengen area country to another there is no immigration-style check, either on leaving one country or on entering the other.

That applies irrespective of the mode of travel ... car, train or flying. So if for example, and we have actually made this journey, you fly from Barcelona in Spain to Copenhagen in Denmark, no immigration checks at all, either on leaving Barcelona or on arrival in Copenhagen.

If you are in the Schengen area, and now just about to leave it, yes your passport will be checked.

[Rogerio]

... and as the UK is not the Schengen area, your UK passport will always be checked here upon entry, and sometimes upon exit, but never stamped.

[humble]

wow...

that must have cost ALOT of money in border planning especially in different airports.

i appreciate the help.. this whole EU thing is very new to me... but im happy to learn new things.

thanks again.

[Christophe]

But do bear in mind that, even within the Schengen area:

(a) if you are flying (whether domestically or internationally), the airline might want to see photo identification when you check in - obviously your passport will be the best form of ID here; and

(b) many countries in Europe require you either to have photo identification with you at all times or else to have it handily available - again your passport is your best bet here.

So, even if you're travelling wholly within the Schengen area it makes sense to have your passport with you when you're travelling from one country to another. This is despite the fact that there are no immigration checks between the Schengen countries (although such checks can be reinstated temporarily by a country in the Schengen area in exceptional circumstances).

As noted above, the UK and Ireland are not in the Schengen area anyway, so there are immigration checks between these countries and the countries of the Schengen area.

i was traveling in europe for a little bit (france, holland, germany) and nobody EVER checked my passport

Humble, you need to appreciate the way the Schengen area works. When travelling from one Schengen area country to another there is no immigration-style check, either on leaving one country or on entering the other.

That applies irrespective of the mode of travel ... car, train or flying. So if for example, and we have actually made this journey, you fly from Barcelona in Spain to Copenhagen in Denmark, no immigration checks at all, either on leaving Barcelona or on arrival in Copenhagen.

If you are in the Schengen area, and now just about to leave it, yes your passport will be checked.

[John]

if you are flying (whether domestically or internationally), the airline might want to see photo identification when you check in - obviously your passport will be the best form of ID here

Indeed I confirm that is exactly what we did ..... used our British passports as photo ID to check in ... the tickets tending to be e-tickets .... but having checked in there is a total lack of immigration control moving through to the departure lounge.

When travelling within the EU there is no duty-free these days. What was a particularly strange journey was flying from Copenhagen, Denmark to Oslo, Norway .... both Denmark and Norway being in the Schengen area. However whilst Denmark is in the EU, Norway is not. Accordingly whilst there was a lack of immigration-style checks at Copenhagen airport, we could still buy duty-free at that airport before flying off to Oslo. Which was great, but rather weird.