Passport control between Cologne and Amsterdam
 

I'll be traveling on the ICE in a week. Does anyone know how long into the trip I can expect to be awakened to show my passport? It's only a 3ish hour trip. I hope I can get two hours sleep either before the check or after.

TIA

Germany and the Netherlands are parties to the Schengen agreement. Under normal circumstances, there are no internal border controls. You will not be awakened for a passport check.

It is correct that you won't normally have to show your passport (I am saying "normally" because every now and again passport controls get temporarily reinstated at certain borders, for example, if a country is hosting a major international summit or a major sporting event).

However, you may (or may not) get woken up by a ticket inspector - this depends on whether or not there is a crew change at the border.

To find out how long into the trip you may get disturbed look up your train at www.bahn.de and select the "show intermediate stops" option (I don't know if it's called "intermediate stops" or something slightly different as I use the German version where it is called "Zwischenhalte"). Any ticket inspections will take place either just before or just after the first stop on the Dutch side of the border.

Well, most of the time that's the case if you travel by car, however most trains between Netherlands and Germany do have passport control when crossing the border which is about halfway your trip.

You may be awakened and have to show your passport to the border police on the train. My experiences with trains coming into Germany is that the Grenzschutzpolizei will check passengers and pay special attention to those that they think may be doing drugs or illegally in the country. Going out of Germany you may not be bothered, but the Dutch may have their own version.

I've taken all sorts of trains from the Netherlands to Germany and back and in the last couple of years I've only had to show my passport once: when germany hosted the world cup.

Are you sure on this?! Must admit I have not taken one such train recently but all other intra-Schengen trains I have taken have absolutely no form of passport control. This is what it should be, as the Schengen area is basically treated as a single territory when it comes to free movement of persons. For more info see:

http://europa.eu/abc/travel/index_en.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/fsj...chengen_en.htm
http://www.eurovisa.info

I think I understand. This will be my first time going between two of the Schengen countries. Maybe I get lucky and get three whole hours sleep. Then I'll feel like I'm in the Netherlands illegally.

Thanks for the answers.

The one time I took a train between Germany and the Netherlands, there was a border control, which consisted of some Bundesgrenzschutz (border police) agents walking through and asking to see passports or national identity cards. From what others are saying, it doesn't always happen, but it will happen from time to time.

However, I agree that it is far more likely that you will be woken up by a conductor for a ticket check - the train crew does change at the border.

As a guide to the frequency of passport checks, I've taken about 6 train trips from Germany-Holland (and return) over the last few years and have not had to show my passport yet. Nor have I had to show it on another 5 - 10 trips between Holland, France, Luxembourg, and Belgium.

You're lucky. I've had to do it at almost all border crossings (Belgium-Germany on the Thalys, Germany-Poland, Germany-Austria)

Poland isn't part of Schengen, so you would expect passport controls there.

I've crossed the GER/NET border via train about 7 times over the last several years. I recall having to show my passport each time. One crossing, I even saw a pax get handcuffed and escorted off at the next stop (wasn't sure why - I assumed either he was illegal or possesing drugs).

I have never had to show my passport on these intra-Schengen trans-border rail trips. I guess I just look honest.

Harald, thanks for asking...

Don't forget 65 Deutsche Mark "passport control fee" and please make sure you got them by bank order in the U.S..... :D