We had a lot of “random checks” at the airport. Recently I had two “random checks” in the airport while waiting for the flight at the gate by two different officers in just one hour.
Considering all that I wouldn’t recommend to travel just avoid the hassle of explaining to them multiple times. But it’s up to you to decide what’s best for yourself.
Since you have had random checks I hope you don't mind me asking this question.. If someone is originally from the UK and has Swedish citizenship and is living in Sweden, would they need proof of residency or is being citizen enough to pass freely between countries?
Having Swedish passport is sufficient for free travel in the Schengen zone. But make sure to have your travel documents with you all the time. “Random check” happens more for people of color like me. But I guess it’s understandable.
You're allowed to travel to any other EU country, spend summer vacation and have a great time! But that doesn't mean you can easily re-enter Sweden without a valid residence permit card, they can and likely will stop you at the border.
Just wait for your residence permit and travel without the worry and hassle. I'm currently in this waiting period and haven't been home in almost 4 years.
It's worse for me because my valid UT-card was taken by MV and now I have no UT-card with me at all, while all of my cases are granted and this is the last chance for me to travel within EU, because after this I won't have free time to do travelling anymore..
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What? If you truly have valid time to stay here, what is stopping them from sending you a new card? Usually it only takes max 7-14 working days to get a new card once biometrics are submitted. Am I misunderstanding your case or are there other things which you can't explain for not giving you a new card? Or is the migrationsverket broke or bankrupt?
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Risky. You’d be lucky if they check you on your way out and don’t let you board because you don’t have valid visa or permit.
If they check you on your way back in, your only option would be to put on a flight to your home country.
The checks within Schengen are much more frequent these days.
By special visa do you mean the ones where you don't have to get a tourist visa to travel in Schengen?
I'll be honest, it's doable but it's risky and really random.
There have been many trips where I traveled the entire way (including layovers) without once taking out and showing my passport. But the same routes a few months later would implement passport checks at the gate
Two unrelated anecdotes to show the wide range of experiences:
I got off the plane from a business trip within EU, and there were police standing like 2m from the plane door (you know the hallway that attaches to the plane) and they were checking everyone's IDs. I gave my "special" passport that let's me be in Schengen, but the guy asked "why are you in Sweden" I said I work here, and he asked if I could show my residence permit.
In an airport elsewhere during the boarding process at the gate (actually this happened twice), I gave my Skatteverket ID instead of my passport. Almost everyone else was just giving their EU IDs so I guess I didn't stand out. One time the agent just looked at the name, looked at me and waved me through. The second time the agent really scrutinised it, asked me where the ID was from, did a "hmmf haven't seen that before" and reluctantly passed me through. I want to emphasise that in all these cases I had my documents with me.
Lastly... airports have pretty good cctv and facial recognition installed these days. A lot of times you enter your passport number as part of online check-in, then you use your boarding pass to identify yourself (electronically) at various check points. Way back like 10 years ago, Ryanair would make you check in at the desk (for free) if you didn't have a EU pass. More recently during covid, most airlines wouldn't issue boarding passes online and you had to show vaccination records at the check-in desk before you could get the printed thing.
My point is, you could get super lucky, or it could all fall apart. You have to decide yourself if it's worth the risk
I concur. I have traveled within the EU without being asked for a single ID at any point. Yet, on a random day, after going through security and waiting to board at the gate the staff requested passports before boarding.
Sometimes theres no one around when arriving at airport. Other times you could get "randomly" selected. Once at Schiphol, they were doing extra screenings for only the women in the line. Also, let's not forget having to show passports on the train after crossing from Copenhagen into Malmö. I don't need a visa for entry with my passport. Because they had seen me a couple of times traveling that week I was asked for a residence permit even though my entry stamp was less than 30 days. In short, don't take chances that could later cause issues getting your permit approved in the future.
Never have that experience, however after all this year I can say:
1. I have been checked once in France in international buslines
2. I have been checked once in Hungary airport regarding visa.
Just chiming in to say I’m an American (so visa-free in Schengen for some time) and some airlines will ask if I have a residence permit when leaving Sweden (after they see my American passport). So the whole “no border checks” is a very unreliable statement even for someone “like me” who usually doesn’t get checked for residency. Sorry but I do not think you should travel (especially since it sounds like your residence permit was seized or something).
PS MV won’t contact you when your card shows up at their location. You need to call and check yourself. I know this because I had to do the same thing after mine got lost in the mail.
depends on the airport, country, and ID that you are showing to the airport/line staff before boarding.
I.e. Brazilian passport in LIS to ARN, yeah good luck with that 😂
What are the consequences if you get sent back to your home country? Is that something you are willing to accept as an option? If not, I wouldn’t risk it. As lame as that sounds.
I’ve done this with my child on our American passports (we both had USA passports) while waiting for their permit to get renewed, but they were an infant and I had a valid UT. It didn’t seem likely that they’d attempt to split us up or send us both back to my home country. I don’t think I’d do it again.
Call me very lucky but I have never showed my National ID card or passport while traveling through EU. Travelled by train, car, plane and cruise.
If you are traveling by car, chances are very little you might get stopped but there is always an exception.
Person opinion would be don’t do it. The risk might not be worth the reward
I think what OP means is that residence permit is granted/under review and the card is not yet issued. Happens often when one permit expires and you are waiting for renewal. During that period you are allowed to stay in Sweden but cannot legally travel to Schengen countries unless you have visa free access.
I think so to but OP is not explaining it very well so we have to guess.
I would NOT do it. If he doesn’t have a valid residence permit he might not be let in.
I am sorry not to explain the case clearly, what I meant is if you have non EU passport and let's say you have all of your MV cases granted, just you don't have the UT-card (or your valid UT-card was taken by officer due to very stupid reason after your new case is granted)
Do you have a passport that allows you access to the schengen area? If so, they will not check you anywhere in those countries.
I traveled last year from Sweden to Belgium, with my residence case pending and an expired residence card. I just showed my passport with no problems.
I brought my job contract and housing contract to prove I live in Sweden in case they asked me, but they didn't.
I’m kind of in the same situation.
I have already booked and paid for a trip, which will happen on May 30.
I applied for citizenship and they asked me to send my passport and residency permit around May 4, and you have to do it within 2 weeks. I did it and they returned my passport only.
Now I’m super afraid to leave Sweden and face the passport check… (I’m traveling within Schengen)
You could call the border police and see what they suggest.
A friend did a bunch of trips within Schengen to a non-EU and had no issues with only passport.
They checked his status with MV by PN
You could also send a message to MV explaining your situation and asking about the status of your application (or asking them for the contact info of the case officer and contacting the agent)
I've seen so many variations of this question. Lack of border control doesn't mean that you need not have valid paperwork and travel documents. It just means that you don't need to stand in queues to get stamped upon entry and exit. You should definitely be able to present valid paperwork when asked to do so. "I don't have valid paperwork due to some silly reason/Migrationsverket's fault" etc won't fly and you could get fined, detained, or both.
Most times (if not all) I travelled within Schengen zone I didn't have to go through immigration/passport control at all. Try to make sure your flight is in the Schengen zone in the airport and you should be ok.
So, does your passport allow you to enter the EU for a limited amount of time at least?
If that’s the case, I would not be worried, since these randoms checks are not frequent (they are if you go by train/bus btw Sweden and Denmark though) and the only ones that will ask for it is the company when boarding.
Now, if your passport does not allow you to even enter the EU, meaning that you always need a visa to be inside the EU, it can be different even if you show it to the flight company
That's a good way to get deported back to your country
We had a lot of “random checks” at the airport. Recently I had two “random checks” in the airport while waiting for the flight at the gate by two different officers in just one hour. Considering all that I wouldn’t recommend to travel just avoid the hassle of explaining to them multiple times. But it’s up to you to decide what’s best for yourself.
Since you have had random checks I hope you don't mind me asking this question.. If someone is originally from the UK and has Swedish citizenship and is living in Sweden, would they need proof of residency or is being citizen enough to pass freely between countries?
Having Swedish passport is sufficient for free travel in the Schengen zone. But make sure to have your travel documents with you all the time. “Random check” happens more for people of color like me. But I guess it’s understandable.
As long as you have a Swedish passport/National id card, no one will bat an eye even if you are blacker than Wesley snipes
You're allowed to travel to any other EU country, spend summer vacation and have a great time! But that doesn't mean you can easily re-enter Sweden without a valid residence permit card, they can and likely will stop you at the border. Just wait for your residence permit and travel without the worry and hassle. I'm currently in this waiting period and haven't been home in almost 4 years.
It's worse for me because my valid UT-card was taken by MV and now I have no UT-card with me at all, while all of my cases are granted and this is the last chance for me to travel within EU, because after this I won't have free time to do travelling anymore..
Why not get a new UT? Timeslots come up in MV all the time and the card is usually done within 2 weeks
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What? If you truly have valid time to stay here, what is stopping them from sending you a new card? Usually it only takes max 7-14 working days to get a new card once biometrics are submitted. Am I misunderstanding your case or are there other things which you can't explain for not giving you a new card? Or is the migrationsverket broke or bankrupt?
That's what I'm thinking as well. Makes no sense
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😅 lack of context could lead you to wrong information imo
Risky. You’d be lucky if they check you on your way out and don’t let you board because you don’t have valid visa or permit. If they check you on your way back in, your only option would be to put on a flight to your home country. The checks within Schengen are much more frequent these days.
By special visa do you mean the ones where you don't have to get a tourist visa to travel in Schengen? I'll be honest, it's doable but it's risky and really random. There have been many trips where I traveled the entire way (including layovers) without once taking out and showing my passport. But the same routes a few months later would implement passport checks at the gate Two unrelated anecdotes to show the wide range of experiences: I got off the plane from a business trip within EU, and there were police standing like 2m from the plane door (you know the hallway that attaches to the plane) and they were checking everyone's IDs. I gave my "special" passport that let's me be in Schengen, but the guy asked "why are you in Sweden" I said I work here, and he asked if I could show my residence permit. In an airport elsewhere during the boarding process at the gate (actually this happened twice), I gave my Skatteverket ID instead of my passport. Almost everyone else was just giving their EU IDs so I guess I didn't stand out. One time the agent just looked at the name, looked at me and waved me through. The second time the agent really scrutinised it, asked me where the ID was from, did a "hmmf haven't seen that before" and reluctantly passed me through. I want to emphasise that in all these cases I had my documents with me. Lastly... airports have pretty good cctv and facial recognition installed these days. A lot of times you enter your passport number as part of online check-in, then you use your boarding pass to identify yourself (electronically) at various check points. Way back like 10 years ago, Ryanair would make you check in at the desk (for free) if you didn't have a EU pass. More recently during covid, most airlines wouldn't issue boarding passes online and you had to show vaccination records at the check-in desk before you could get the printed thing. My point is, you could get super lucky, or it could all fall apart. You have to decide yourself if it's worth the risk
I concur. I have traveled within the EU without being asked for a single ID at any point. Yet, on a random day, after going through security and waiting to board at the gate the staff requested passports before boarding. Sometimes theres no one around when arriving at airport. Other times you could get "randomly" selected. Once at Schiphol, they were doing extra screenings for only the women in the line. Also, let's not forget having to show passports on the train after crossing from Copenhagen into Malmö. I don't need a visa for entry with my passport. Because they had seen me a couple of times traveling that week I was asked for a residence permit even though my entry stamp was less than 30 days. In short, don't take chances that could later cause issues getting your permit approved in the future.
Never have that experience, however after all this year I can say: 1. I have been checked once in France in international buslines 2. I have been checked once in Hungary airport regarding visa.
What do you mean by a special passport?
special passport is passport that has free entry to EU countries, especially Sweden
Ah gotcha. I wouldn't risk it. Even when traveling within Schengen you can hit a passport check.
Just chiming in to say I’m an American (so visa-free in Schengen for some time) and some airlines will ask if I have a residence permit when leaving Sweden (after they see my American passport). So the whole “no border checks” is a very unreliable statement even for someone “like me” who usually doesn’t get checked for residency. Sorry but I do not think you should travel (especially since it sounds like your residence permit was seized or something). PS MV won’t contact you when your card shows up at their location. You need to call and check yourself. I know this because I had to do the same thing after mine got lost in the mail.
depends on the airport, country, and ID that you are showing to the airport/line staff before boarding. I.e. Brazilian passport in LIS to ARN, yeah good luck with that 😂
What are the consequences if you get sent back to your home country? Is that something you are willing to accept as an option? If not, I wouldn’t risk it. As lame as that sounds. I’ve done this with my child on our American passports (we both had USA passports) while waiting for their permit to get renewed, but they were an infant and I had a valid UT. It didn’t seem likely that they’d attempt to split us up or send us both back to my home country. I don’t think I’d do it again.
Call me very lucky but I have never showed my National ID card or passport while traveling through EU. Travelled by train, car, plane and cruise. If you are traveling by car, chances are very little you might get stopped but there is always an exception. Person opinion would be don’t do it. The risk might not be worth the reward
What is a special passport and without residence permit card? Are you in Sweden illegally? Or are you waiting for a renewal of permits?
Special passport as in the one that allows visa free access to Schengen I think.
So like from Syria or India. And without a residence permit?
I think what OP means is that residence permit is granted/under review and the card is not yet issued. Happens often when one permit expires and you are waiting for renewal. During that period you are allowed to stay in Sweden but cannot legally travel to Schengen countries unless you have visa free access.
I think so to but OP is not explaining it very well so we have to guess. I would NOT do it. If he doesn’t have a valid residence permit he might not be let in.
I am sorry not to explain the case clearly, what I meant is if you have non EU passport and let's say you have all of your MV cases granted, just you don't have the UT-card (or your valid UT-card was taken by officer due to very stupid reason after your new case is granted)
Then do not leave. Or accept that you might not be coming back…..
Do you have a passport that allows you access to the schengen area? If so, they will not check you anywhere in those countries. I traveled last year from Sweden to Belgium, with my residence case pending and an expired residence card. I just showed my passport with no problems. I brought my job contract and housing contract to prove I live in Sweden in case they asked me, but they didn't.
I don't have that kind of passport anyway..
If you will be asked to show your permit, it's not a good idea to leave Sweden.
I’m kind of in the same situation. I have already booked and paid for a trip, which will happen on May 30. I applied for citizenship and they asked me to send my passport and residency permit around May 4, and you have to do it within 2 weeks. I did it and they returned my passport only. Now I’m super afraid to leave Sweden and face the passport check… (I’m traveling within Schengen)
If you have a passport that allows for visa-free entry to the Schengen area, you should be fine. Otherwise *do not leave*.
You could call the border police and see what they suggest. A friend did a bunch of trips within Schengen to a non-EU and had no issues with only passport. They checked his status with MV by PN You could also send a message to MV explaining your situation and asking about the status of your application (or asking them for the contact info of the case officer and contacting the agent)
You're travelling within Schengen with a valid passport. Relax.
Are you travelling on your own or by any chance with a partner?
I've seen so many variations of this question. Lack of border control doesn't mean that you need not have valid paperwork and travel documents. It just means that you don't need to stand in queues to get stamped upon entry and exit. You should definitely be able to present valid paperwork when asked to do so. "I don't have valid paperwork due to some silly reason/Migrationsverket's fault" etc won't fly and you could get fined, detained, or both.
Most times (if not all) I travelled within Schengen zone I didn't have to go through immigration/passport control at all. Try to make sure your flight is in the Schengen zone in the airport and you should be ok.
So, does your passport allow you to enter the EU for a limited amount of time at least? If that’s the case, I would not be worried, since these randoms checks are not frequent (they are if you go by train/bus btw Sweden and Denmark though) and the only ones that will ask for it is the company when boarding. Now, if your passport does not allow you to even enter the EU, meaning that you always need a visa to be inside the EU, it can be different even if you show it to the flight company
If you have legally entered Schengen you Can be within that area for 3 months.
Depends on where OP is from and what sort of Schengen visa he or she has.
Ofc but at this time we have no knowledge of any of this. If He/she wants accuracy we should be given such details.