Sajid Hanif

Hello,

I am a Pakistani citizen living on work permit and having Swedish ID. Can I travel to Lithuania by air without carrying my passport by showing my Swedish ID only?

Appreciate your quick advice.
Thank you guys in advance.

Fanjet

Why on earth would you not take your passport with you? And BTW, Lithuania is rather strict in doing "soft" passport controls at its ports of entry from western EU countries. Poland does the same thing. In fact, Lithuanian border police even do it when entering their country from Poland. And I'm sure Sweden is one of those "red-flagged" countries. So, don't be surprised if you "randomly" get pulled aside and asked to show your ID papers.

GUWonder

Lots of reasons a Swedish work permit/temp resident might not have a passport available, with one common reason being a need to get visas or to get a permit extension that involves submission of the passport to authorities from one government or another.

Sweden is not a red-flagged country for those arriving at VNO.

I'll give it as it actually goes.

Most times, yes, it works without issue, when staying within the Schengen zone. Whether you should or not, that varies. But it doesn't work always. The most common problem would not be passport control at VNO, but customs is more likely to be an issue. Also, on return to Sweden from VNO, if you do so via CPH and come into Sweden by surface means from Denmark, then there is some material chance of being checked by passport control in Sweden at the bridge or ferry crossings but a nearly negligible chance of being checked by passport control at ARN or CPH. The risk is most real if flagged at customs channels (even when you shouldn't be) at VNO/CPH/ARN or if entering Sweden via Denmark using surface transport, but even that checking is far from 100%.

Most of the US citizens whom I've known to fly to Lithuania directly from ARN and CPH without their passport have not had their passports or other ID checked on flying from those airports directly to VNO and back.

Would I as a US citizen with some legal rights to enter Sweden be able to go from ARN/CPH-VNO and back without my US passports and still manage to avoid problems with the authorities? 95+% of the time, yes. Should I do it? Not unless there were good reasons to justify the risk of some hassle due to failure to travel with my passports. Would I anticipate real problems? Not really, at least not most of the time. But my situation is quite different as it's much harder for the Schengen authorities to have legal grounds to remove me than the average temp resident/work permit holder. And as you may be aware, the Swedish authorities have been fishing for plenty of excuses to deny permit extensions to those with permits up for renewal/extension/conversion decisions.

If your trip to Lithuania involves sea transport or a non-Schengen flight, then you'll almost certainly need your passport to do the trip.

Flying Lawyer

Sometimes it is a point in time to recollect that it is a privilege not a legal right to enter a foreign country as a guest. And US and Pakistani citizens are generally in the same boat when making use of such rights. However, a Pakistani citizen residing legally in an EU county might other than a US citizen without residence even have legal title to visit another EU country

GUWonder

You altered my quote's sentence: by posting a period where there isn't one in my post, and by also cutting off my actual sentence.

Nothing confusing about my quote's actual sentence, for I know which legal rights apply to me to enter some countries that are not my country of citizenship. And that would include Sweden for some but not all foreigners to Sweden. I am rather positive that the OP's status with regard to Sweden is not the same as mine.

myeurocrush

You need to check your ID card, the fine print. It's possible that it says it must be used in conjunction with your passport. This is the case with my non resident Dutch ID card. Once I was traveling within the Shengen area and I forgot to bring my passport. They wouldn't let me get on the flight.

Flying Lawyer

I am pretty well aware of that from other posts, you however referred to a US passport and not the Swedish one. And on a US passport you travel as a US citizen with a status not so different from the OP's status. Probably the OP has a better one Traveling to Sweden on another passport is another thing.

GUWonder

I only have US passports, so there is no "Swedish one" for me to reference for my legal rights. So who knows what you are aware of from other posts while trying to speak of me.

Taking the OP's details in the OP as accurate enough, and given that the OP also holds only non-EU/non-Schengen passports, my circumstances aren't going to change a thing for the OP. My reference to different circumstances was done to provide a window into how the situation is not risky for me in a way that it is for the OP. Of course if you are trying to make this about claiming refugee/asylum status, then a Pakistani citizen passport provides a higher chance of a non-dual-citizen getting that protected status than a US passport.

sam737

Absolutely NOT.
Only passport is your valid travel document, for travels within (and obviously, outside of) Schengen area.
Your residence permit (which is not, strictly speaking, an ID), is not a valid travel document for outside of Sweden. It only confirms that you are admitted to Sweden and, by virtue of having this permit, can visit any other Schengen area countries on a 90/180 basis, provided you possess a valid travel document (i.e. passport) accompanied by this residence card.

Redhead

Just to echo the OP - No you may not

:D!

According to the letter of the law you must have your passport, but 99.9% of the time nobody will ask to see it. It may be different if you are checking luggage.

ticino

Unless you are a Swedish citizen you cannot have the national id-card ("nationellt id-kort") that is issued by the police and that you can use for travelling within the Schengen area.

If you are a foreigner, you have the id card ("identitetskort") that the Tax Authority (Skatteverket) issues to foreigners. This card is NOT valid for travelling. You will not be allowed into the plane if that is your only means of identification.

If you need more information call Skatteverket and/or the Police.

Fanjet

Moreover, wouldn't the visa issued to the OP by Sweden (and which allowed him to enter the Schengen Zone) be attached to the Pakistani passport in the first place?

WilcoRoger

The visa itself is not an issue here so much (moving within Schengenistan) as having a travel document on person.

Hurdles I see on this trip w/o a passport/EU id
- being allowed to board in Sweden
- getting "randomly" checked in LIT ("travelling while brown")
- being allowed to board in Lithuania

GUWonder

Skatteverket ID cards aren't even had by a very large proportion of foreign citizens resident in Sweden; and such ID is indeed not of much use outside of Sweden.

Not necessarily, but perhaps.

Potential hurdles, but not necessarily probable hurdles.