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Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience - Travel (3) - Nairaland

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Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by olaboy1: 11:57am On Sep 10, 2017
Do you have your student visa as a stamp on your passport or it's a card?
The police of course can stop anyone at any time for questioning and their is really not much you can do about that.
Within the Shengen zone you must hold an acceptable form of identification even to get into the clubs and most times they are driver license issued by any of the EU countries or national passport, you should be happy the Nigerian passport is still acceptable because some years ago you couldn't use a Somalian passport as a form of identification.

Your attitude with the police was the best as someone on a student visa, you don't want to spend your study time pursuing some fruitless court cases against the police or government except you are a permanent resident.

Final advice, if you plan on staying permanently in Europe then avoid police confrontation as much as possible as everything here is documented, if you are stopped on a routine check make sure you are at your best manner and put up some smile, be respectful to the police as they have a hand held device that they can enter information of all that transpired from that stop against your passport number, car reg or personal identification number if you have one.

I had a friend that was stopped in the UK many years ago when he was driving on a visit there, he returned back to Shengen and applied for student renewal like 2 times/2 years consecutively with no issues, but on a 3rd renewal or so the UK and Shengen started sharing Shengen information and what transpired at that random traffic stop in the UK got him deported from Shengen zone.

3 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by Chivasex: 12:03pm On Sep 10, 2017
painfully enough, that is the way things are in the fucking EU states.

I was in Holland on a visit so went across to visit some ladies. We went out to have a drink in some corner cafe during the day, say about 3:45 pm. When we were don drinking I decided to walk back to my hotel and had to cross a small road to the other side of the walk way home. This was in Hague.

I got to the traffic light and hot the buzzer and was waiting for green light to walk across. Suddenly I say about 2 white guys walk past me and through the lights while still red although there was no oncoming vehicle, then I decided to go across too, this was about 6pm now. Immediately I crossed the cops pulled up and started asking me all sort of questions that never made sense meanwhile the other guys were still with sight and were walking on the side walk.

I did not response and was still going when one of the pulled his gun on me and I got furious. They asked for my passport, I told them I dont have, they asked me where I was staying at and I told them, they asked for an ID and I gave them my Texas drivers license and at the point I was speaking with some strong texas accent.

They gave me back my drivers license and they left.

The truth is as long as you are black they will always want to Bleep with you.

5 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by Nobody: 12:03pm On Sep 10, 2017
Thank God I don't have to do such thing in the UK. Otherwise my passport will not last a year
Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by Nobody: 12:18pm On Sep 10, 2017
Bro, firstly, we thank God for you. Because if you hadn't remained calm and obeyed them, who knows? It might have been a different story. Again, this is why I keep saying that I will remain in my country no matter what. What if these people had hurt you. Nobody would have known the full story because there is no way they will tell the truth with you being a foreigner. All the same, my people una don hear. He who has ear, let him hear!!!

1 Like

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by Ssalk: 12:19pm On Sep 10, 2017
@op. It's always a problem when you are black in schengen and other European territory, many of us might pretend over it but that's the truth. I was pulled by police in Switzerland while walking with my white friends despite living there with the right document, they still told my friends to beware of me cos am a black man. 2011 in Poland, police pulled me from multitude at the airport cos that day I was the only black person, they check everything about me though I confronted them which they later apologise. So many other times in Amsterdam, Paris, even in Milan . Then the worst was in Moscow Russia, those police are very mean. There was a time i told police in Frankfurt if is a crime to be black cos what they did to me was un- unforgettable. So my brother, always know that you are in a land where they will always question and Check your document most especially cos u are black. Remain safe.

9 Likes 1 Share

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by tellwisdom: 12:19pm On Sep 10, 2017
I don't know why i don't experience these things. Sometimes, i have to walk around police stations to see if they will challenge me but they end up not having my time. Which kind body una carry sef sad

2 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by sesther(m): 12:20pm On Sep 10, 2017
Thanks for this information.
can I chat with you personally pls? Thanks

1 Like

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by tellwisdom: 12:22pm On Sep 10, 2017
Okwute001:
Bro, firstly, we thank God for you. Because if you hadn't remained calm and obeyed them, who knows? It might have been a different story. Again, this is why I keep saying that I will remain in my country no matter what. What if these people had hurt you. Nobody would have known the full story because there is no way they will tell the truth with you being a foreigner. All the same, my people una don hear. He who has ear, let him hear!!!

I said this 9 years ago when i was poor undecided

10 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by okerekeikpo: 12:24pm On Sep 10, 2017
Exactly what will happen when we get Biafra, u must have ur complete papers b4 u are allowed into the country
Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by Nobody: 12:32pm On Sep 10, 2017
tellwisdom:


I said this 9 years ago when i was poor undecided
chief, I am not poor at all by any standard...

3 Likes 1 Share

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by josh123(m): 12:34pm On Sep 10, 2017
okerekeikpo:
Exactly what will happen when we get Biafra, u must have ur complete papers b4 u are allowed into the country
idiot!!!

2 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by nom44311: 12:42pm On Sep 10, 2017
tellwisdom:


I said this 9 years ago when i was poor undecided

No mind am. Make he no go broaden him horizon

1 Like

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by DICKtator: 12:46pm On Sep 10, 2017
Wait!

Lithuania?

Wtf are you studying there?
Do you intend staying back or you gonna come home with the degree?

grin grin grin grin

2 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by DICKtator: 12:47pm On Sep 10, 2017
Ssalk:
@op. It's always a problem when you are black in schengen and other European territory, many of us might pretend over it but that's the truth. I was pulled by police in Switzerland while walking with my white friends despite living there with the right document, they still told my friends to beware of me cos am a black man. 2011 in Poland, police pulled me from multitude at the airport cos that day I was the only black person, they check everything about me though I confronted them which they later apologise. So many other times in Amsterdam, Paris, even in Milan . Then the worst was in Moscow Russia, those police are very mean. There was a time i told police in Frankfurt if is a crime to be black cos what they did to me was un- unforgettable. So my brother, always know that you are in a land where they will always question and Check your document most especially cos u are black. Remain safe.


You travel a lot!

You need to calm down!

grin grin grin grin

1 Like

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by PoisonedOne: 12:53pm On Sep 10, 2017
tellwisdom:
I don't know why i don't experience this things. Sometimes, i have to walk around police stations to see if they will challenge me but they end up not having my time. Which kind body una carry sef sad
They're talking about police in foreign nations not in Mushin.

8 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by Geenosko: 12:56pm On Sep 10, 2017
While it's not advisable to have you passport on you, it's highly recommended to have a certified copy of your passport data page and visa page on you st all times.

4 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by joinnow: 12:56pm On Sep 10, 2017
They could not speak fluent English but the instruction was clear: ‘Passport’, ‘car’, ‘hotel’.

My version
Always passport carry

5 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by okerekeikpo: 12:57pm On Sep 10, 2017
josh123:
idiot!!!
why insulting me?
Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by Badman77: 1:05pm On Sep 10, 2017
EU police will never do more than what is xpexted of them!
Swcondly,never get offended when asked by d EU police or any other advanced country's police to do anything because of s high level of insecuriity in d world 2day,
Infact,even when u feel harassed jst remember that if you where in ur country it will be worse!

Hapi sunday y'all!

6 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by Nobody: 1:06pm On Sep 10, 2017
It's common sense really.

Here in the US, you're required to

1) have state issued identification

2) residence card or passport if a foreigner

You were under arrest and you were going to not go with them?

Modify your social behavior to comply with local laws. If not for your safety but as an ambassador to the black race.

1 Like

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by daroz(m): 1:19pm On Sep 10, 2017
I have been in Germany for a while and I move about alot, but I can categorically say that the Police have never ever ask for my Passport or Resident Permit. Infact the only time I was ever asked to produce something to identify myself was when I boarded a train without a ticket, so the Ticket Controller asked for a Passport or Resident Permit to identify me so he can book me for the offence . I first of all gave him my ATM card(since my name is on it), but he insisted on an ID that has my picture on it, so I gave him my health insurance card. And that solved the problem.
I don't carry my passport or resident permit around , only my ATM card, Health Insurance Card and Company ID card. If they have my name, they can find out whatever they want about me from their data base.

6 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by olujastro: 1:20pm On Sep 10, 2017
I'm considering a visit to some Eastern European countries. I hope these black profiling and racist tendencies that I read about online but hardly ever notice here don't make me change my mind. Cos I can't stand a racist without getting provoked.

1 Like 1 Share

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by abiodunab: 1:28pm On Sep 10, 2017
Is France a better place in the European zone
Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by Dionysus22(m): 1:29pm On Sep 10, 2017
The Schengen Area is an area comprising 26 European states that have officially abolished passport and all other forms of border control at their mutual borders. The countries are;

Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland. If you are not a member of these countries, then you'll not enjoy these rights. So my brother, always walk with a form of ID

3 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by Godson201333(m): 1:41pm On Sep 10, 2017
Artorius:
A bombing in the Middle East, a landslide in Myanmar or a forest fire in Latin America are some of those events which one reads about in the news but never imagine will directly concern them.
In like manner, I have heard of experiences of foreigners in the Schengen zone who have been randomly stopped by the police to determine their immigration status but for some reason, I never thought that such will happen to me.

I am a student in Lithuania and last month I travelled to Hungary where I spent 5 days in Budapest and 3 days in Nyíregyháza – a small city, North-West of Hungary. Except for some gypsies and a few tanned Europeans, I was the only coloured person there and that naturally attracted a side glance or two. Nevertheless, I was surprised when at 10.20pm on my way to the McDonald’s, a police car pulled up beside me. I have seen several stories of police brutality especially against coloured people on Facebook, so I was naturally alarmed and my mind ran through a dozen scenarios of what could possibly happen. Three cops came out of the car and one of them said to me ‘passport please’. Well, I was on a casual trip to the McDonald’s at night and did not think to have my passport with me, as a matter of fact, I almost never do, except I need it for a specific reason, a passport is too valuable an item to carry around. I was slightly annoyed that I was halted just for my passport and I told them that it was in my hotel which was just around the corner. The cop talks over the walkie-talkie briefly and asks me to get into the car so that we can go to the hotel and get my passport. They could not speak fluent English but the instruction was clear: ‘Passport’, ‘car’, ‘hotel’. Never in my life have I been in a police car so my reluctance and extreme distaste can be imagined and perhaps tolerated, I calmly told them that I had no interest in getting into the car, but at night, with the language barrier, 3 white cops and one black boy, I reconsidered my position and got in. We drove to the hotel where I got my passport from my luggage and handed it over to the cops. They wrote down my full name and ran my data through some sort of hand held device and after 10 agonizing minutes in which I am inwardly furious, my passport is returned to me and the lead cop with some gestures imply that I should always have my passport while in Hungary. The ordeal was over at about 10.45pm and I had to forget about the burger because I wouldn’t make it to the McDonald’s on time and I was too pissed to think of asking the police to give me a ride cheesy
Herein is the question. As a resident of a Schengen state, should I always have my passport when walking on the streets of Schengen member states and is it legal for the police to randomly ask to see my passport? Is it right for the police to ask about the immigration status of an immigrant?
I have made some research, discussed with some colleagues and the specialists at my university and arrived at the following conclusions:

1.One should always have an identity document for security reasons – in this case, the passport. I had my Lithuanian student card
but it was insufficient as an ID because I was in Hungary.

2.The laws vary across Schengen member states but apparently, police checks do happen thus the need for one especially a third
world national to always have their passport or resident card.

In practice, it is not necessary to always have your passport if you are in big cities because there is A TON of foreigners for example in Budapest, and it is impractical for the police to try to find illegal residents in this way I guess. So it might be just fine to leave the passport at your hotel. But for small cities such as Nyíregyháza where there are few foreigners and coloured people are a rarity, it is helpful to have your passport on your person at all times if you don’t want to miss that burger.

It would be great to have more experienced travellers share their insight smiley


I will only reply because of your topic.Once you are travelling around without your International Passport,Your residence permit is consider invalid.

In Europe Residence permit is automatically connected to your international passport.Eg You have the residence permit to stay in France but then you travelled to Luxembourg without your International Passport.The local police officers have the right to detain and arrest you.Residence permit only shows your legal stay while your International passport is your real identity.

I visited Hungary last year (Debrecen ) and had serious fight with the immigration officer at their airport while boarding my flight.Their immigration Officers are not just foreigner friendly and they are very rude.Dont blame them,their economy is not that robust in comparison to countries like Germany,Holland and with the Asylum seekers issue in Europe they really think foreigners ,most especially blacks are coming to their country to take the little they have away from them.

4 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by here: 1:41pm On Sep 10, 2017
Dear,please avoid being on the streets at 10:20pm alone on a white dominated area or even any area you feel too alone or different.
We are happy police stopped you and not some crazy fellow who feels you had no right being there.
You have more to lose. Many years ago some tourists in Delhi were shot on the streets by a group "trying" to make a statement to their government as early as 9pm. The only reason no one tagged with anything bad to divert the real story was because they are not the usual suspects from certain countries and were there for the Commonwealth games opening.

3 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by Nobody: 1:47pm On Sep 10, 2017
Mtcheeeeeew.... Passport valuable my arse.



Ur in Hungary and you're complaining come to Malay....you carry your kpali (passport) 247. Once u r stopped na u go use hand give police before them ask u sef.
Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by bezimo(m): 1:50pm On Sep 10, 2017
Artorius:
A bombing in the Middle East, a landslide in Myanmar or a forest fire in Latin America are some of those events which one reads about in the news but never imagine will directly concern them.
In like manner, I have heard of experiences of foreigners in the Schengen zone who have been randomly stopped by the police to determine their immigration status but for some reason, I never thought that such will happen to me.

I am a student in Lithuania and last month I travelled to Hungary where I spent 5 days in Budapest and 3 days in Nyíregyháza – a small city, North-West of Hungary. Except for some gypsies and a few tanned Europeans, I was the only coloured person there and that naturally attracted a side glance or two. Nevertheless, I was surprised when at 10.20pm on my way to the McDonald’s, a police car pulled up beside me. I have seen several stories of police brutality especially against coloured people on Facebook, so I was naturally alarmed and my mind ran through a dozen scenarios of what could possibly happen. Three cops came out of the car and one of them said to me ‘passport please’. Well, I was on a casual trip to the McDonald’s at night and did not think to have my passport with me, as a matter of fact, I almost never do, except I need it for a specific reason, a passport is too valuable an item to carry around. I was slightly annoyed that I was halted just for my passport and I told them that it was in my hotel which was just around the corner. The cop talks over the walkie-talkie briefly and asks me to get into the car so that we can go to the hotel and get my passport. They could not speak fluent English but the instruction was clear: ‘Passport’, ‘car’, ‘hotel’. Never in my life have I been in a police car so my reluctance and extreme distaste can be imagined and perhaps tolerated, I calmly told them that I had no interest in getting into the car, but at night, with the language barrier, 3 white cops and one black boy, I reconsidered my position and got in. We drove to the hotel where I got my passport from my luggage and handed it over to the cops. They wrote down my full name and ran my data through some sort of hand held device and after 10 agonizing minutes in which I am inwardly furious, my passport is returned to me and the lead cop with some gestures imply that I should always have my passport while in Hungary. The ordeal was over at about 10.45pm and I had to forget about the burger because I wouldn’t make it to the McDonald’s on time and I was too pissed to think of asking the police to give me a ride cheesy
Herein is the question. As a resident of a Schengen state, should I always have my passport when walking on the streets of Schengen member states and is it legal for the police to randomly ask to see my passport? Is it right for the police to ask about the immigration status of an immigrant?
I have made some research, discussed with some colleagues and the specialists at my university and arrived at the following conclusions:

1.One should always have an identity document for security reasons – in this case, the passport. I had my Lithuanian student card
but it was insufficient as an ID because I was in Hungary.

2.The laws vary across Schengen member states but apparently, police checks do happen thus the need for one especially a third
world national to always have their passport or resident card.

In practice, it is not necessary to always have your passport if you are in big cities because there is A TON of foreigners for example in Budapest, and it is impractical for the police to try to find illegal residents in this way I guess. So it might be just fine to leave the passport at your hotel. But for small cities such as Nyíregyháza where there are few foreigners and coloured people are a rarity, it is helpful to have your passport on your person at all times if you don’t want to miss that burger.

It would be great to have more experienced travellers share their insight smiley

I would disagree to always carry your passport around, your experience must have been an isolated case, off course due to racist Hungary police.Those eastern European countries are typically racist to blacks.

I lived in one of the Schengen states for 2 years during my Masters studies and offcourse travelled to other Schengen states but at no time was I ever asked by the police for my passport when in those Schengen countries. I only presented my passport at the Airport when entering or exiting. This was between 2012-2014. So your experience though unfortunate cannot be generalised.

2 Likes

Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by skylane: 1:58pm On Sep 10, 2017
seunAccount:
I got thesame experience in Turkey Wow!! God have to change my story for sure..
baba how life be for turkey now I want enter o
Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by josh123(m): 2:06pm On Sep 10, 2017
okerekeikpo:
why insulting me?
there is nothing like biafra,and biafra will never exist
Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by Nobody: 2:09pm On Sep 10, 2017
skylane:
baba how life be for turkey now I want enter o
Hmmmm, what are u going to do there?
Re: Traveling In The Schengen Area? Always Have Your Passport!-a Personal Experience by okerekeikpo: 2:10pm On Sep 10, 2017
josh123:
there is nothing like biafra,and biafra will never exist
u r soo childish, hiding behind ur keypad to type rubbish

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