French border control? WTF?

[SID7121]

I am a B permit holder in Switzerland and i applied for my schengen visa (french embassy) and got a 3 month MULTIPLE entry visa (with no. of days stay =30) last month.I have traveled to France now 3 times and no one bothers to check my passport or stamp it.I travel by train everytime (cause its cheaper), there is no border control in place?? just wondering how would the French know if i overstay then?? i have used up 20 days already without getting a single entry stamp (or exit) on my passport. Just wondering is it normal or am i the only one with this problem??

On a sidenote, i plan to visit Ireland by taking a direct flight from Milan, will there be a problem since i dont have a French entry stamp on my passport???

Thanks for your reply in advance.

[Wanderer]

I am a B permit holder in Switzerland and i applied for my schengen visa (french embassy) and got a 3 month MULTIPLE entry visa (with no. of days stay =30) last month.I have traveled to France now 3 times and no one bothers to check my passport or stamp it.I travel by train everytime (cause its cheaper), there is no border control in place?? just wondering how would the French know if i overstay then?? i have used up 20 days already without getting a single entry stamp (or exit) on my passport. Just wondering is it normal or am i the only one with this problem??

On a sidenote, i plan to visit Ireland by taking a direct flight from Milan, will there be a problem since i dont have a French entry stamp on my passport???

Thanks for your reply in advance.

Do u have a visa for Ireland? UK and Ireland are not part of the Schengen accord.

[SID7121]

Do u have a visa for Ireland? UK and Ireland are not part of the Schengen accord.

I have applied for the Irish visa last week.Should get it anytime now.Kinda nervous, someone told me you need to show 100% downpayment for hotel bookings for UK/ireland, well i booked my accommodation with €100, the rest payable on departure .The same trick worked for me in Schengen but not sure about Ireland.

[SYH]

I am a B permit holder in Switzerland and i applied for my schengen visa (french embassy) and got a 3 month MULTIPLE entry visa (with no. of days stay =30) last month.I have traveled to France now 3 times and no one bothers to check my passport or stamp it.I travel by train everytime (cause its cheaper), there is no border control in place?? just wondering how would the French know if i overstay then?? i have used up 20 days already without getting a single entry stamp (or exit) on my passport. Just wondering is it normal or am i the only one with this problem??

On a sidenote, i plan to visit Ireland by taking a direct flight from Milan, will there be a problem since i dont have a French entry stamp on my passport???

Thanks for your reply in advance.

Do u have a visa for Ireland? UK and Ireland are not part of the Schengen accord.

You've slowed down in getting to the 1000 milepost. Planning on burning the midnight oil?

[Wanderer]

I am a B permit holder in Switzerland and i applied for my schengen visa (french embassy) and got a 3 month MULTIPLE entry visa (with no. of days stay =30) last month.I have traveled to France now 3 times and no one bothers to check my passport or stamp it.I travel by train everytime (cause its cheaper), there is no border control in place?? just wondering how would the French know if i overstay then?? i have used up 20 days already without getting a single entry stamp (or exit) on my passport. Just wondering is it normal or am i the only one with this problem??

On a sidenote, i plan to visit Ireland by taking a direct flight from Milan, will there be a problem since i dont have a French entry stamp on my passport???

Thanks for your reply in advance.

Do u have a visa for Ireland? UK and Ireland are not part of the Schengen accord.

You've slowed down in getting to the 1000 milepost. Planning on burning the midnight oil?

Why not! - I got my new Apple iMac!!

[SYH]

Nice, the iMac, I am jealous
anyway you said you were only going to respond to me on the forum, seems like you have gone astray

[SID7121]

Just a query regarding my flight to ireland (got my irish visa today), since i havent travelled to france, will there be a problem with the Italian immigration control??? i fear that when i enter Milan by train, i will be give no entry stamp as well.So what can i do about it?

[archigabe]

Based on my experience, immigration didn't compare travel iteneraries/visa compatibility on the computer until you are leaving or entering the E.U region.

[SID7121]

went to france again on a train from Zurich HB, and still no border control in place.I have now stayed 15 days in france without any visa stamp whatsoever and my schengen stay is valid for 15 days (although the duration is 3 months). My question is, can i now go to italy although i stayed for 15 days permitted on my visa.I do not have any entry or exit stamp in my passport.

[Christophe]

went to france again on a train from Zurich HB, and still no border control in place.I have now stayed 15 days in france without any visa stamp whatsoever and my schengen stay is valid for 15 days (although the duration is 3 months). My question is, can i now go to italy although i stayed for 15 days permitted on my visa.I do not have any entry or exit stamp in my passport.

Practically speaking, they're not going to know about your trips. I have recently (within the past two years) seen Italian immigration officers on a train from Zurich to Milan, although I have to say that the passport checks were fairly desultory. Obviously if you travel by plane the checks are likely to be more rigorous and to result in a passport stamp.

On a separate point, you might want to keep evidence of your visits to France (cash machine receipts, credit card receipts) as some sort of proof that you did in fact visit France on your French Schengen visa, in case you want to apply for another Schengen visa via France in the future.

[flyboy]

SID7121 , doubt you'll have a problem - happens all the time here in Switzerland that the passports don't get checked on the train and if it does happen the immigration officers , especially the french, don't even bother stamping the passports.
On a side note, even if your schengen visa had expired, since the 10 July 2006 you can enter and transit the schengen countries for 5 days with your swiss B permit to reach your final destination outside the schengen zone, in your case Ireland.
Here's a link regarding the transit visa for swiss B and C permit holders that don't need it.

http://www.consolato-italia-zh.ch/conso ... -nuovo.htm

Enjoy your trip

[Dawie]

For fear of stating the obvious.......if you enter (or leave) a country and immigration officers do not enter your details in a computer and they do not stamp anything in your passport then obviously they have absolutely no record of your entry (or exit) into or out of the country.

Therefore any restrictions on how long you can stay in the country are of no consequence as without any proof of when you entered or left the country, they cannot enforce these restrictions.

[SID7121]

went to france again on a train from Zurich HB, and still no border control in place.I have now stayed 15 days in france without any visa stamp whatsoever and my schengen stay is valid for 15 days (although the duration is 3 months). My question is, can i now go to italy although i stayed for 15 days permitted on my visa.I do not have any entry or exit stamp in my passport.

Practically speaking, they're not going to know about your trips. I have recently (within the past two years) seen Italian immigration officers on a train from Zurich to Milan, although I have to say that the passport checks were fairly desultory. Obviously if you travel by plane the checks are likely to be more rigorous and to result in a passport stamp.

On a separate point, you might want to keep evidence of your visits to France (cash machine receipts, credit card receipts) as some sort of proof that you did in fact visit France on your French Schengen visa, in case you want to apply for another Schengen visa via France in the future.

I find it interesting, obviously i have not kept my cash withdrawal receipts, however will my bank statement be sufficient to prove it? i have also kept my train tickets (punched by the ticket inspector), just incase.

[SID7121]

SID7121 , doubt you'll have a problem - happens all the time here in Switzerland that the passports don't get checked on the train and if it does happen the immigration officers , especially the french, don't even bother stamping the passports.
On a side note, even if your schengen visa had expired, since the 10 July 2006 you can enter and transit the schengen countries for 5 days with your swiss B permit to reach your final destination outside the schengen zone, in your case Ireland.
Here's a link regarding the transit visa for swiss B and C permit holders that don't need it.

http://www.consolato-italia-zh.ch/conso ... -nuovo.htm

Enjoy your trip

flyboy, for a transit entry in a schengen zone, do you need to prove that you are going to a non schengen zone from schengen zone? i am asking this cause recently my friend who is a B permit holder was sent back home by the immigration officials,although he was planning to buy a ticket from milan to London (he had a UK visa but no tickets)

[SID7121]

SID7121 , doubt you'll have a problem - happens all the time here in Switzerland that the passports don't get checked on the train and if it does happen the immigration officers , especially the french, don't even bother stamping the passports.
On a side note, even if your schengen visa had expired, since the 10 July 2006 you can enter and transit the schengen countries for 5 days with your swiss B permit to reach your final destination outside the schengen zone, in your case Ireland.
Here's a link regarding the transit visa for swiss B and C permit holders that don't need it.

http://www.consolato-italia-zh.ch/conso ... -nuovo.htm

Enjoy your trip

flyboy, for a transit entry in a schengen zone, do you need to prove that you are going to a non schengen zone from schengen zone? i am asking this cause recently my friend who is a B permit holder was sent back by the immigration officials,although he was planning to buy a ticket from milan to London (he had a UK visa but no tickets)

[flyboy]

Yes SID7121 , you have to produce all the documents needed to the immigration officer, as you would if you were applying for a transit visa from the consulate, which includes onward tickets to your final destination outside of the schengen zone.
In your friend's case, not having an onward ticket didn't help; he should have had one at hand when the immigration officer asked to see it.