Lost passport about to travel...

[snowingagain]

OK my daughter has tickets on Monday for train to France. She has just lost her Irish passport. She is also a German citizen, but has not bothered with a passport or ID yet (yes, I know). I have a dim and dusty memory of a way of getting some sort of emergency ID from your local Bürgeramt. I have risked travel to France without passport before, but she says she is always checked. And says she needs it for hotels and hostels in France and Spain. And of course it is now Friday pm and everything shut. Any clever advice gratefully received.

[Fraufruit]

We flew to France on Monday. Never had to show any ID in any form at airports or on 2 flights. I was shocked.

That is not advice, just our experience.

[LukeSkywalker]

We flew to France on Monday. Never had to show any ID in any form at airports or on 2 flights. I was shocked.

That is not advice, just our experience.

That is actually the norm within Schengen. The Bavarian borders, however, are checked by the police quite intense if you come by car or train. This has to do with human trafficking.

If I use Spanish airports, they usually check my passport during boarding. In Munich this is not the case, also because they use electronic gates opened by QR code.

[Escafusa]

Really sorry to hear that. The police should have access to the ID/residents system. Could you get to a large police station that's open tomorrow? They might be able to do something.
Does she have a driving licence or a student card or something else to prove her identity? I know maybe a licence or something else is not a valid ID, but at a Schengen border you should not really need it - you only have to prove who you are and you don't have to do it there and then, so it doesn't have to be with a passport. Checks should not be systematic either. Good luck.

[Robinson100]

Express Reisepass is what you need, details here:

https://verwaltung.bund.de/leistungsver ... 5001012002

(only in German)

[bethannbitt]

We flew to France on Monday. Never had to show any ID in any form at airports or on 2 flights. I was shocked.

That is not advice, just our experience.

That is actually the norm within Schengen. The Bavarian borders, however, are checked by the police quite intense if you come by car or train. This has to do with human trafficking.

To my shock, the last two times I flew from Yerevan to Paris I wasn’t required to show any ID to enter Schengen. Sorry, but those guys just don’t seem to care.

[Escafusa]

To my shock, the last two times I flew from Yerevan to Paris I wasn’t required to show any ID to enter Schengen. Sorry, but those guys just don’t seem to care.

Before Switzerland joined Schengen I used to enter Germany regularly from there (crossing the land border on foot or using public transport) without any ID checks whatsoever. They couldn't check every ID back then and they still can't and don't now.

[bethannbitt]

To my shock, the last two times I flew from Yerevan to Paris I wasn’t required to show any ID to enter Schengen. Sorry, but those guys just don’t seem to care.

Before Switzerland joined Schengen I used to enter Germany regularly from there (crossing the land border on foot or using public transport) without any ID checks whatsoever. They couldn't check every ID back then and they still can't and don't now.

I live directly on the German Swiss border and fly in/out of ZRH. They control everyone entering from outside of Schengen, as is required, whereas the folks at CDG don’t seem to care. That was my point.

[Escafusa]

I live directly on the German Swiss border and fly in/out of ZRH. They control everyone entering from outside of Schengen, as is required, whereas the folks at CDG don’t seem to care.

No idea if actually by law the French are required to check every passport of persons arriving on flights from outside Schengen. Sounds quite lax in any case if you got through twice with no checks. I've had relatives fly into Italy from a non-Schengen starting point with no checks as well.

On one occasion flying out of Italy my aunt was somehow able to bypass security altogether and got straight to the departure gate without her hand luggage being checked.

[PandaMunich]

Monday is not enough time to get a regular Reisepaß through the "express" process linked to by Robbie.

Your daughter can get a "vorläufigen Reisepaß" on the spot from the Bürgerbüro on Monday morning, see here: https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/faqs ... s-faq.html

• Ich brauche den Reisepass sofort. Was kann ich tun?
  Kann der Reisepass auch im Expressverfahren nicht rechtzeitig vor Reisebeginn fertig gestellt werden, kann Ihnen ein vorläufiger Reisepass sofort ausgestellt und ausgehändigt werden. Das Bürgeramt kann geeignete Nachweise von Ihnen verlangen, zum Beispiel Flugtickets oder andere Reiseunterlagen.
  
  Die Gültigkeitsdauer des vorläufigen Reisepasses wird dem Reisezweck angepasst und darf nicht mehr als ein Jahr betragen. Eine Verlängerung der Gültigkeitsdauer ist nicht möglich. Für das Ausstellen des vorläufigen Reisepasses wird eine Gebühr erhoben.
  
  Für den vorläufigen Reisepass benötigen Sie ein biometrisches Passbild. Nähere Informationen dazu finden Sie hier.
  
  Der vorläufige Reisepass enthält kein elektronisches Speichermedium (Chip), sodass keine Fingerabdrücke erfasst werden.
  
  Bitte beachten Sie: Der vorläufige Reisepass wird von den meisten Ländern anerkannt. In einige Länder (zum Beispiel in die USA) kann eine visumfreie Einreise jedoch nur mit einem Reisepass erfolgen, der ein elektronisches Speichermedium enthält (Chip). Wenn Sie mit einem vorläufigen Reisepass einreisen wollen, benötigen Sie daher zusätzlich ein Visum. Über die aktuellen Einreisebestimmungen Ihres Reiselandes und die erforderlichen Ausweisdokumente informieren Sie sich bitte rechtzeitig vor Antritt der Reise. Auskunft dazu geben Ihnen unter anderem die Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise des Auswärtigen Amtes

• I need my passport immediately. What can I do?
  If the passport cannot be completed in time before the start of your journey, even using the express procedure, a temporary passport can be issued and handed over to you immediately. The Citizens' Registration Office can request suitable proof from you, for example flight tickets or other travel documents.
  
  The period of validity of the temporary passport is adapted to the purpose of the journey and may not exceed one year. It is not possible to extend the period of validity. A fee is charged for issuing the temporary passport.
  
  You will need a biometric passport photo for the temporary passport. You can find more information here.
  
  The temporary passport does not contain an electronic storage medium (chip), so no fingerprints are recorded.
  
  Please note: The temporary passport is recognised by most countries. However, in some countries (e.g. the USA), visa-free entry is only possible with a passport that contains an electronic storage medium (chip). If you wish to enter the country with a temporary passport, you will therefore also require a visa. Please find out about the current entry requirements for your destination country and the necessary identification documents in good time before travelling. Information on this can be found in the travel and security advice issued by the Federal Foreign Office

For example, in Munich, the Bürgerbüro issues the "vorläufigen Reisepaß" on the spot: https://stadt.muenchen.de/service/info/ ... 080582/n0/

***************************************************************

If she travels very early on Monday, i.e. before the Bürgerbüro opens, she can just go to the Bundespolizei over the weekend, they will issue her a "Reiseausweis".
The Bundespolizei are the German border police and issue them to people who suddenly notice at the airport that they forgot their passport at home: https://www.bundespolizei.de/Web/DE/01S ... _node.html

[snowingagain]

Many thanks you for all your replies. Especially Panda for the very detailed one. I had a hazy memory about it, and this is excellent infomation for people in same situation. The good news is she has found her British passport and it is still valid. So they are off again. She is promising to have a tin for important docs (and a special inbetween place, and also to get a German Ausweiss). They had planned this Camino-light trip for a few months. Less mileage than the other 4 or 5 they have done. With the addition of places to stop with especailly good food. Perhaps she can post some pics here.

[HEM]

We flew to France on Monday. Never had to show any ID in any form at airports or on 2 flights. I was shocked.

I recently flew with Lufthansa HAM-FRA-TLS & as expected there were no document checks.

Similar when we fly to Mallorca.

Whilst in Toulouse a German colleague had his wallet stolen incl. ID.
I thought this would be no issue but our French host said that Lufthansa check ID on boarding within France. And so it was.

In my colleague's case he did have a photocopy of his passport with him & got a note from the French police to say
that this things had been stolen. This sufficed to get him on the plane back to Munich.

[Escafusa]

We flew to France on Monday. Never had to show any ID in any form at airports or on 2 flights. I was shocked.

Why the heck were you shocked?! The whole idea of Schengen is that there are no systematic checks! I cross borders regularly and usually have only my German permit with me, definitely no passport. I can't even remember the last time I was checked.

[Fraufruit]

Why the heck were you shocked?!

Because I was. It was my first experience flying without needing ID.

Lufthansa check ID on boarding within France.

We're all set to fly home then. Thanks.

[Escafusa]

my first experience flying without needing ID.

That surprises me. The Schengen agreement has been running for almost 30 years. But then again, maybe you undertook no or very little travel outside of Germany in the last few decades, I don't know.

[Franklan]

That surprises me. The Schengen agreement has been running for almost 30 years. But then again, maybe you undertook no or very little travel outside of Germany in the last few decades, I don't know.

What stone were you hiding under in the last 4 years?

People who wanted to travel to momis funeral where stopped at the border as border crossing was not allowed during covid. I came home from a service maintenance in Prague, and the autobahn was closed, only those who could prove that they live in D were let in, and the others sent home...

And then there was that thing about those airplanes hitting some buildings in New York.

Not having a passport when boarding a plane or crossing a border is a potential source of trouble.

[Escafusa]

in the last 4 years?
People who wanted to travel to momis funeral where stopped at the border as border crossing was not allowed during covid.

Schengen rules started back in 1995 - that was my point. Covid didn't come along until 2020 - 25 years later! And covid measures ended a long time ago. Borders were only fully closed for a few months in any case, otherwise Schengen rules continued to apply, unless there was a temporary implementation of systematic checks by a particular country - which was never my experience.

[Krieg]

my first experience flying without needing ID.

That surprises me. The Schengen agreement has been running for almost 30 years. But then again, maybe you undertook no or very little travel outside of Germany in the last few decades, I don't know.

You always needed an ID to fly, even inside the Schengen area. It was not about proving your legality in your traveling, it was about proving you were you.


Nowadays you can generate the boarding pass yourself and check in yourself and just drop the baggage in the drop in area and you are in your way.


But the automatic check in machine might ask for an ID, or not.

[Fraufruit]

maybe you undertook no or very little travel outside of Germany in the last few decades, I don't know.

Two or three times per year. Much more before I lost my parents in 2014.

Now you know.

[Escafusa]

Two or three times per year.

I see. Oh well in that case it does surprise me that this is the first time you've encountered no ID-checks, for as others have said, no checks inside the Schengen area is the norm. Definitely no reason to be shocked!