My Prague to Munich train crosses into Austria and Italy. Will I get my passport stamped (will they stop the train and make sure of peoples passports?)
It's been so long since I rode by train all over Europe, so please excuse my rookie question!
WhateverLA
Austria and Czech republic are Schengen countries--- no passport control
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/schengen-visa-countries-list/
I've encountered routine Passport checks in some of the countries you mentioned, but as the previous reply mentioned there are usually no checks within the Schengen area. With the routine checks, the police only seem to be interested in specific people. They never even looked at me.
In Schengen Area, the nationalities from other countries can liberally cross the internal borders of the Schengen countries without any border checks.
So if I'm a US resident and not a European citizen, I should have my passport stamped, right?
The idea of the Schengen treaty is that border checks should be only at the external borders of the area. If you are already in the area, there should be no checks between two countries belonging to Schengen area.
But as lately there has been a lot of illegal immigration and refugees, discretionary checks, that are always possible, are becoming frequent. You are more likely to be checked if you look suspect.
Once you enter Schengen you no longer go through official passport control as you cross borders. Your passport will get stamped when you first enter and then when you leave.
Crossing from Austria to Italy to Germany will be like crossing US states.
So if I'm a US resident and not a European citizen, I should have my passport stamped, right?
It's generally accepted that once you've arrived within a Schengen zone country (your passport will be checked on arrival) all subsequent travel within the zone will be unhindered. If you're a person deemed "of interest" you might receive further scrutiny.
Don't have any stamps to stamp your passport with, even if they wanted to.
The Schengen Area is a Passport Union, which means there are no passport checks between the countries, just a passport check on entering and leaving the Area, with the rules for who gets in agreed between the countries.
Map of Schengen Area here: https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--jIBKY6VdsY/VtisrS9x6tI/AAAAAAAAA4I/_leAxgJTLkY/s1600/schengen-countries-map-2016-03.png
There is normally nobody at Schengen internal borders, the train (or bus or car) does not need to slow down.
"So if I'm a US resident and not a European citizen, I should have my passport stamped, right?" - no, because there is nobody at the border, they've all been made redundant. Instead non-Schengeners have the "90 days in any 180" limit for the whole of the Schengen Area.
Sometimes the police do random (or targetted) ID checks, like they do anywhere, for example during the refugee problems a few years ago.
The Schengen Area was designed for the benefit of the inhabitants. EU and Schengen Area citizens can travel to other EU/Schengen countries without restriction or time limit. Checking ID's on borders became a huge waste of time and money, as 99.9% of the border crossers had no restrictions or stamps. So they re-deployed all the border guards to the Schengen External borders, made some redundant, and imposed a common rule for non-Schengeners: "90 days in any 180".
But, your geography worries me "Prague to Munich train crosses into Austria and Italy." - Prague to Munich you travel directly from the Czech Republic to Germany, NOT via any other countries.
The only border within the Schengen zone where I have encountered passport control in recent years, was that between France and Italy, undoubtedly to check illegal migration of non-EU citizens. The borders between Germany, Austria and Italy are for all purposes invisible. The train might have a stop, but that's for changing the engine.
Thanks everyone!
I was thinking of the old I Love Lucy episode when they're trying to enter France from Italy! Back in the day, I had my passport stamped in every country!
WhateverLA
But, your geography worries me "Prague to Munich train crosses into Austria and Italy." - Prague to Munich you travel directly from the Czech Republic to Germany, NOT via any other countries.
Sorry about that, I was looking at a timetable for something else!
You can get passport checks for security purposes just about anywhere. Not the same as a check for immigration control.
@Kaeleku, you said it yourself, "and they were checking documents on the train. Not stamping the passports or anything though.". A document check is not border control. The police can do ID checks anywhere.
For example, during the refugee crisis a few years ago, there were lots of ID checks on long distance trains and main roads. They only questioned people who looked suspicious, they are not checking everyone to decide who can and cannot enter the country.
There is also customs, which is not passport control. For non-EU Schengen countries (e.g. Switzerland), there is still customs, which involves a few people with "customs" armbands walking through the train and looking for suspicious luggage. If you blink, you will miss them.
Between Schengen countries there is no such thing as a legal border crossing, you can cross the border wherever and whenever you want, subject only to the laws of trespass.
In December, 2015 we took the train from Amsterdam to Cologne, Prague, and Budapest. We had neither passports nor documents checked.
Kaeleku had responded
Guess my wife was imagining the document check. I'll have to let her know that in the EU this kind of thing doesn't happen.
I believe in response to mentions such as this:
Sometimes the police do random (or targetted) ID checks, like they do anywhere, for example during the refugee problems a few years ago.
Kaeleku, of course your wife is exactly right. What usually happens (I take the train back and forth between France and Italy a few times a year since my in-laws are in Italy) is that these "random" checks just happen to occur right after you've entered a new country! Surprise!!
So while it's supposedly (and technically) not a border check, it happens awfully near the border, and if the authorities want to haul someone off the train, they have the facilities to take them to.
I will note that in my experience, the French tend to check more on people coming in than the Italians do . . .
I just looked back up the thread and the posts by you about your wife look just like they did when I first saw them a few days ago. Is there something missing?
I've had both Italian and Swiss officers come through the train from Bern to Milan, but never in the opposite direction, both times heading towards Italy at Domodossola. One time the Swiss officers toke a family and luggage off after doing a detailed examination of their luggage. The other time it was only Italians and they walked the length of the train and got off.
Those were a few but not many years ago.
My Prague to Munich train crosses into Austria and Italy. Will I get
my passport stamped (will they stop the train and make sure of peoples
passports?)It's been so long since I rode by train all over Europe, so please
excuse my rookie question!
It's akin to taking Amtrak from NYC to Boston or any other US route. No border guards, no stamps because of Schengen.
Note that this thread was asked and answered back in May. It was resurrected by a spammer which has now been removed.
