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Comment by hectormalot | Hacker News Reader

> In Europe’s Schengen passport area, they have grown since more thorough checks were introduced last year owing to the migrant crisis.

For those not from Europe: You don't actually go through a passport check to travel between the Schengen countries (This is almost the whole EU minus the UK). Airlines - especially budget airlines - might sometimes check to make sure you haven't given your pass to someone else, and there will be a security check, but there is no border/passport check (also no e-gates).

Regarding the quote from the article above, that basically means that a lot (almost half) of the passengers are _not_ facing this problem because they are traveling between Schengen countries.

(off topic: great example of one of the benefits of the EU, in my opinion)

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> You don't actually go through a passport check ...

It is also a big improvement. In the Jason Bourne book (published 1980), almost the entire first half of the book is him getting from Portugal to Switzerland, and all the shenanigans required. (No passport etc).

In the film (2002), they showed a high speed train for about 2 seconds!

> For those not from Europe: You don't actually go through a passport check to travel between the Schengen countries

Not exactly true. France has reinstated border control since 2015 due to the "emergency". Germany is talking about reinstating border control in places like Bavaria, though it's unclear whether they will have a hard border control, or whether they will simply profile people at the border.

Apparently they're only temporary controls... I drove from Spain to France a few weeks ago... there was a sign saying "France"... and that was it.

I had to Google for this: http://www.blather.net/theblather/2016/01/crossing-border/

Depends on the border. For about two years after the attacks, the A1 (major highway between France and Belgium) was restricted to one lane, with barrier chicanes before reaching the border. Eventually the three bored policemen at the border left, but the barriers remained for a very long time.

We've been told to keep passports handy when going from Copenhagen (Denmark) to Malmö (Sweden) by train since there are checks, but police got bored halfway and left the train. Maybe it's because of time pressure, but they don't necessarily control every person moving between Schengen countries.

> Maybe it's because of time pressure, but they don't necessarily control every person moving between Schengen countries.

Oh, trust me, that I'm very much aware of. Brown people and others who look Arab or Muslim are selected and checked much more frequently.

I just flew from Zurich to Paris and back. The only ID check was by the airline at the gate in CDG.

On the other hand, when I flew from Athens to Zurich they (spot-) checked everbody's IDs and passports at the arrival gate.

I fly a lot and very rarely need ID. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't carry it and depending on the airport it may be checked.

I believe you still need to 'prove who you are', which means a photo ID.

Non-Northern Irish UK drivers licenses didn't have photos until '98, so even though Brits didn't technically need a passport to visit other EU countries you kind of needed a passport

For intra-schengen travel you are supposed to have a national identity card or passport, not just a photo ID. I don't think Brits have those cards yet so they still need passports.

The British were opposed to National ID cards, so they were never introduced. They tried in 2006, but it ended up being repealed on the grounds that it was an invasion of civil liberties and privacy. A rare moment of clarity for the UK govt.

You need to be able to prove who you are, but you don't often need to do so.

I have been checked by police on a train from Denmark to Germany; the guy they arrested (or at least, led away) looked a bit like me. They only checked the two of us - a proportionate check, which is allowed by the Schengen rules.

It could be the same on a plane, except presumably they can check when the boarding pass is scanned at security.

I do not normally show a passport travelling from Denmark to Germany, by train or plane.

> the Schengen countries (This is almost the whole EU minus the UK).

FTR Ireland is not in Schengen either. But it shares a land border with UK, and one country joining Schengen and the other not would be a silly idea.

The UK and Ireland are their own mini-Schengen called the "Common Travel Area". Irish and British people don't need to show ID to travel between the two countries, but they do need to show ID to prove they are Irish or British and hance entitled to travel without ID [0].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Travel_Area#Ireland

The point is only one of them joining the Schengen would require building a wall between northern Ireland and the rest of Ireland. I’m sure hat would go over very well... /s

There was a rather ironic constellation, when Switzerland joined the Schengen area in 2008, but Liechtenstein joined 6 month later. (There is no border or customes control between Switzerland and Liechtenstein).

In theory it would have ment to put up full border checks between the two countries, since Liechtenstein would not have been part of the area and Schengen checks are pretty thorough.

Cooler heads prevaled. Especially since Liechtenstein doesn't have an international airport and is completely enclosed by Schengen countries. So the status quo remained.

One another interesting sidenote. Before 2008, when there were long queues at Zurich airport they sometimes just opened the floodgates and let people in un-checked. Mind you this being Switzerland I'm pretty sure that it was heavily observed and this didn't happen recklessly.

However, since Schengen this is a no-go and each and every passenger entering or leaving the Schengen area must be checked (alas, it's probably the most efficient passport control I've ever experienced, except, possibly, Singapore).

Flying between Germany, the UK, Spain and Holland the last few months there was a police ID check at departure or arrival of every trip.

Any particular airlines or airports? I've flown from Frankfurt to Amsterdam without checks (they have automatic gates for boarding cards at security and the gate on both sides). In the case of outgoing Schengen flights for amsterdam there is for sure no police ID check (unless of course you fly outside of Schengen).

Airline crew did check my ID last time flying to Italy with Vueling (at the gate), but this was not a border check but just a name-check with the boarding pass.

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