Documents you need to travel in European Union

For EU citizens

Passport or identity card

There are no longer any frontier controls in the borders involving 22 EU countries. This is because of the Schengen rules which are a part of EU law. These rules remove all internal border controls but place in place helpful controls in the external borders with the EU and introduce a common visa policy. All EU nations are full Schengen members except for Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania plus the Uk. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are also Schengen members but will not be within the EU.

You can for that reason need to present a valid passport or ID card when travelling for the 5 non-Schengen countries and when getting into or leaving the EU at the external borders. Carry them when travelling inside the EU since they might be required for identification or security purposes. Be aware that the only valid ID could be the one particular obtained from national authorities.

Make sure that any kids travelling with you either have their very own passport or ID card or are registered in your passport. Nonetheless, from 26 June 2012, youngsters will must have their very own passport or ID card to travel (even if they may be still described in their parent’s passport, which remains valid).

Visa

You will not need a visa for travelling inside the EU.

For non-EU citizens

Passport

You need a valid passport.

Visa

42 countries do not need a visa to travel by the EU for 3 months or significantly less. These include Australia, Canada, Croatia, Japan, New Zealand plus the United States. The list of countries whose nationals demand visas to travel towards the UK or Ireland differs slightly from other EU countries. Apply to get a visa in the consulate or embassy in the country you are going to.

In case your visa is from a country fully applying the Schengen rules, it automatically lets you travel towards the other Schengen countries at the same time. Additionally, when you have a valid residence permit from 1 of these Schengen nations, it is actually equivalent to a visa. You might have to have a national visa to stop by non-Schengen countries.

Border officials in EU nations may well ask for other supporting documents for example an invitation letter, proof of lodging, return or round-trip ticket. For the precise specifications contact the local consular services on the EU country in query.

Source: ec.europe.eu