PASSPORT REQUIREMENT FOR BELGIUM

[nerysj]

I AM TRAVELLING TO BRUGES BY EUROSTAR FOR 3 NIGHTS ON 31/03/08 AND HAVE NOTICED MY PASSPORT EXPIRES 01/05/08. WILL 1 MONTH LEFT ON MY PASSPORT BE SUFFICIENT FOR BELGIUM? I AM AN UK RESIDENT ON BRITISH PASSPORT.

[sakura]

Check the Belgian embassy website for the details.
http://www.vfs-be-uk.com/exemption.aspx

[Administrator]

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moved to Europe forum

the Admin

[Christophe]

I don't believe that you will have any difficulties with Belgian passport control because I don't think that passports need to be valid for a certain length of time in the case of citizens of EU citizens travelling to other EU countries. (You merely need to be able to prove your citizenship with a valid travel document.)

I doubt that Eurostar will impose any restrictions either. However, some Stupid do - in some cases because their check-in staff are ill-informed, in other cases because the airline has a blanket rule (outwith any immigration rules of the destination country) about passport validity - presumably these Stupid have such rules for the ease of the check-in staff! However, unlike Stupid, Eurostar doesn't check passengers' passports, only their tickets (the passport control people, but not the carrier, check passports on Eurostar) - at least, that was the case last time I travelled, which is some months ago now. You might want to double-check with Eurostar as well, though.

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

If you are citizen of an EU member state, you do not have any specific remaining validity to your travel document.

Directive 2004/38/EC speaks directly to this issue. It is fine if your passport (or national ID card) expires while in another member state.

You can even travel, if needed, with an expired passport. It proves your citizenship even though it is not a presently valid travel document.

[mbahundra]

How can an expired passport prove citizenship? Plenty of people have expired passports from countries of which they are no longer citizens.

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

If your passport is valid today, then I would tend to accept that it “provesâ€

[mbahundra]

Ah, ok. I don't think you need a passport at all to move between Schengen countries, do you?

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

You need a passport or ID card with you when travelling within the EU, including to other Schengen states. The border checks have been abolished, but any police can ask you for the passport and ID and you must be able to produce it in most member states.

[mbahundra]

Moving OT, do you know anything about pre-EU regulations? My real reason for being in this forum lies elsewhere and I'm curious about regulations governing French immigration to the UK pre-1973. Any suggestions?

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

You may want to start a seperate topic and provide a lot more information about what you are interested in knowing.

[mbahundra]

Done!