Europe - Confusion at EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg

Hi Guys,

Quick question on Basel airport. Went there with some mates in mid March to drive to South Switzerland for a ski trip.

After flying there from London, when we were passing border control, there were the French line and the Swiss line (as you can enter either country, even though they are both Schengen). Most people would wait at the Swiss line even though there is no one waiting in the French line.

Same thing happened when we flew back to London. At the exiting border control, the Swiss line had people waiting like crazy, while French line got no one.

My confusion is that since they are both Schengen, why would anyone care which line they exit? Is there any travel document that is accepted by the Swiss side but not the French side?

Cheers

The only thing I can think of are people who are from nations that are required to have a visa for entry in Europe, and their visa is for Switzerland. Or of course Swiss nationals who don't want a French stamp in their passport.

The Swiss participation in Shenghen is fairly recent so perhaps some people aren't aware of it.

Switzerland is part of Schengen but not part of the European customs union. That means they have to split you into the appropriate customs line.
For example, if arriving from the UK, you would need to declare goods to customs on the Swiss side, but not if arriving into France.
A Schengen immigration inspection is required in both cases and they could, I suppose theoretically have a single immigration line, but historically they used to be separate and I suppose that they haven't solved the bureaucracy of who would pay and run the single line.

Or of course Swiss nationals who don't want a French stamp in their passport.

I don't think the French stamp Swiss passports.

Switzerland is part of Schengen but not part of the European customs union. That means they have to split you into the appropriate customs line.
For example, if arriving from the UK, you would need to declare goods to customs on the Swiss side, but not if arriving into France.
A Schengen immigration inspection is required in both cases and they could, I suppose theoretically have a single immigration line, but historically they used to be separate and I suppose that they haven't solved the bureaucracy of who would pay and run the single line.

I understand that, but that does not answer why many people are waiting in the Swiss line. To avoid being checked by French custom?

Actually at Basel airport, for arrival, the Swiss border control and French border control come out to the same luggage hall, and then people go their separate ways to different exit.

I understand that, but that does not answer why many people are waiting in the Swiss line. To avoid being checked by French custom?

Actually at Basel airport, for arrival, the Swiss border control and French border control come out to the same luggage hall, and then people go their separate ways to different exit.

I wasn't aware of that. I am more familiar with GVA which is also a transborder airport and assumed the same thing would work.
Here in GVA, if you are coming from a non-Schengen country you will always go through Swiss immigration and then join arrivals from the Schengen area. There are 2 luggage halls and you decide where you want to go to. Luggage from French flights goes to the French luggage hall first, does a round on the belt and then goes on to the Swiss luggage hall.
All other luggage goes to the Swiss side. The official process if you want to go out on the French side is to go there and ask someone to go and fetch the bag for you. You may be faster going out on the Swiss side, collecting your bags, going up one floor to departures and going through the customs corridor to the French side. Whilst this is usually empty and even if it isn't, it's rare to get stopped, it's probably wise to hang on to a boarding pass to justify going through, as it's supposed to be for passengers only, not for the public.

Yeah, Basel is very different in that case. The French border check and Swiss one are in parallel and one can choose to pass whichever when coming from non-schengen. After passing them, you come to the same spot.....