Schengen border controls?
Oct 27, 2023 | 8:24 am
#1
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Schengen border controls?
So I'm looking at going to Lyon for Fete des Lumieres from Madrid and was just wondering if France is still doing border controls for Schengen flights? I haven't flown in awhile and this website directly from the EU shows them as allowed but I was wondering if they are going to be there from a practical sense. I'm planning on going with a +1 who is Cuban but currently in administrative purgatory in Spain so only has an expired Spanish residence card so while I trust she'd not get deported or anything, I'd rather like to avoid any headache if possible.
Oct 27, 2023 | 1:24 pm
#2
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There's no control for a while now (the last time was during Covid) but you cannot exclude controls to be reinstated without notice knowing the current climate (very high terrorist threat level, illegal immigration, etc). And it can happen in Spain too when you return. Several member states have recently re-instated land border controls (but not in airports).
Oct 28, 2023 | 1:36 am
#5
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BTW What would you need to argue? It's an ID check, first and foremost. For those who are not EU citizens, there might be an additional visa/residencey permit/overstaying check.
Oct 28, 2023 | 2:26 am
#6
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Oct 28, 2023 | 5:13 am
#7
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Goldorak and I are trying to say......impossible to predict the future. Contrles are random for a reason, and therefore the chance is low, but non-zro.
Oct 28, 2023 | 10:53 am
#8
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I'm going to be traveling with someone on a Cuban passport who is in administrative purgatory awaiting approval on residence extension and only has an expired Spanish residence card at the moment. I'm an EU citizen so it's not anything I'd even ever be worried about.
Oct 28, 2023 | 10:55 am
#9
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I mean, not to be snarky, but yeah...you do have some sort of an idea. Uncertain things exist in a probability range. I can say I don't if there will be a control, but I can bet it won't be a 50% chance of happening. It's a very different thing for it to be around 2% or 20% likely, that's why I'm asking on a forum of people who are regularly flying into France from within Schengen.
Oct 30, 2023 | 3:19 am
#10
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Frankly, unless traveling for very important reasons, I would avoid travel to another EU state in this situation and wait until the paperwork is sorted out. The odds are low but it could be an extremely unpleasant situation for your friend to be in. There will be other fetes des lumieres to go to.
Oct 30, 2023 | 10:08 am
#11
Join Date: Oct 2012
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I'm going to be traveling with someone on a Cuban passport who is in administrative purgatory awaiting approval on residence extension and only has an expired Spanish residence card at the moment. I'm an EU citizen so it's not anything I'd even ever be worried about.
If this type of paperwork is still available it could be a good idea for your +1 to obtain it (it was quite straightforward as I recall).
Oct 30, 2023 | 11:30 am
#12
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Back in the day, it used to be possible for people waiting on the resolution of their NIE extension to request a Permiso de Regreso which allowed one to travel outside of Spain and be able to return with no issue. I remember using it, though for travel outside the EU, and with a return via AMS.
If this type of paperwork is still available it could be a good idea for your +1 to obtain it (it was quite straightforward as I recall).
If this type of paperwork is still available it could be a good idea for your +1 to obtain it (it was quite straightforward as I recall).
Oct 31, 2023 | 12:11 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2012
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Ugh, sorry to hear that. Dont know how thorough they might be now, but my trips were definitely not necessary in the strict sense - I dont even remember them asking though, so things might have changed.
Nov 3, 2023 | 11:15 am
#14
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Well, thankfully we will be able to go and I hadn't cancelled yet. The purgatory of bureaucracy is over. Still probably won't have the physical card in time for the trip, but I'm more than comfortable to use the resolution letter from the Spanish government if they do have a border check.
Nov 4, 2023 | 9:37 am
#15
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Enjoy Lyon OP+1!