Interrailing - Passport Country Requirements

Undeadfred

Hi, I'm planning to go on an interrailing trip on the 25th of June. I was in usit today to buy my interrailling pass and the woman there told me that i should renew my passport before the trip as it expires on the 26th of September and apparently some countries in Europe don't allow you in unless your passport is valid for at least 6 months after you enter.

I'll be travelling to Amsterdam, Berlin, Krakow, Prague, Munich, Lake Bled in Slovenia, Budapest and Hvar in Croatia. Is this true for any of these countries? My mum checked online and told me that this is not true

Zebra3

Don't think that's the case with visiting EU countries.

Lingua Franca

The only one of those countries with a border checkpoint is Croatia since it's outside the Schengen area. That's the one you'll need to check up on. No other country will care.

Lingua Franca

http://www.wordtravels.com/forum/discussion/1580/my-passport-expires-in-6-months-%C2%96-what-do-i-do/p1
Looks like Croatia might be a no-go for you.

Note: Constant Reader, please read the rest of the thread before quoting this post to teach me how wrong I/this link is.

Undeadfred

From that it seems so but there's nothing like that on the Department of Foreign Affairs website. Is there anywhere else where i can get info on this?

Just to be safe i think i should go ahead and renew my passport but I'm leaving in a month. Would the new passport get back to me by then? Some people have said that sometimes it takes ages for them to post it out to you

Lingua Franca

Entry requirements

Irish passport holders do not require visas for visits to Croatia of up to 90 days. If you are planning to stay for a longer period, please contact the nearest Croatian Embassy or Consulate Croatian Embassy or Consulate.

Irish citizens travelling to Croatia should ensure that their passports are valid for the duration of your stay in Croatia.

It is advisable to take a number of photocopies of your passport with you. During your stay you should carry a photocopy of your passport at all times.

- from the looks of that your passport should do.

But if you're going to go ahead and renew it then it looks like they return them in 10 working days (http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=83334) and if you're nervous you could always get it fast tracked.

Lingua Franca

Let us know how it turns out for you. Hope you have an amazing trip!

ardmacha

Croatia is joining the EU on 1st July, they are not going to bother you in the least.

Undeadfred

This is suprisingly uncertain. They should make it clear what the regulations are.

Zebra3

Check about the first country you enter from Ireland.

There shouldn't be any border controls between the rest assuming you hit Croatia on or after 1 July.

Undeadfred

I think Holland is fine but I'm still not 100% sure. This aspect of travelling is very unclear. There doesn't appear to be a firm source of information regarding this.

Yeah i wont be hitting Croatia until at least the 16th of July

ardmacha

There doesn't appear to be a firm source of information regarding this.

There is and you could have found this out in 10secs on Google without starting this thread.
http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=83929#20

"All EU citizens have the right to enter and live in the territory of another member state of the EU for up to three months. A valid passport with no minimum validity is required."

Not only that but the question of EU passport validity has been answered here in this fourm a number of times. Croatia is slightly different as it is only joining the EU, but the Netherlands is not at issue.

Lingua Franca

Undeadfred wrote: »

I think Holland is fine but I'm still not 100% sure. This aspect of travelling is very unclear. There doesn't appear to be a firm source of information regarding this.

Yeah i wont be hitting Croatia until at least the 16th of July

I live in Holland. It's fine. You might get a reminder from the customs guy that your passport is nearly up, but they'll not stop you from entering. It's happened to me and many of my family and friends.

Undeadfred

Alright. I'd say its all ok then since Croatia is entering the EU before i arrive there. If it wasn't though i would've had to have changed my passport

veetwin

Undeadfred wrote: »

Hi, I'm planning to go on an interrailing trip on the 25th of June. I was in usit today to buy my interrailling pass and the woman there told me that i should renew my passport before the trip as it expires on the 26th of September and apparently some countries in Europe don't allow you in unless your passport is valid for at least 6 months after you enter.

I'll be travelling to Amsterdam, Berlin, Krakow, Prague, Munich, Lake Bled in Slovenia, Budapest and Hvar in Croatia. Is this true for any of these countries? My mum checked online and told me that this is not true

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of people who continue to spout this sh**e.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Lingua Franca

Same as above, they were more interested in making sure we had a vignette.

Undeadfred

Still better safe then sorry. If on the unlikely chance this does happen during the trip it would ruin it essentially

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

coylemj

Lingua Franca wrote: »

http://www.wordtravels.com/forum/discussion/1580/my-passport-expires-in-6-months-%C2%96-what-do-i-do/p1
Looks like Croatia might be a no-go for you.

Did you happen to notice the 'July 2009' date at the top of that page?

Lingua Franca

No, nor did I know that Croatia was joining the EU on the 1st of July. My very next post was me correcting myself. Did you happen to read the rest of the thread where all of this was established and sorted out or were you in too much a hurry to point how dumb I am?

ardmacha

The OP should complain to USIT about receiving bad advice.
Perhaps Bosnia, Serbia or Turkey have some actual restriction in this regard, but the advice should relate to those specifically, not a general "some countries" that makes no mention of EU rules in this respect.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

veetwin

Lingua Franca wrote: »

http://www.wordtravels.com/forum/discussion/1580/my-passport-expires-in-6-months-%C2%96-what-do-i-do/p1
Looks like Croatia might be a no-go for you.

The information in that link is wrong now and was wrong when it was wriiten. EU countries cannot inpose limits on passport validity. EU freedom of movement legislation supercedes any national laws. In fact an EU member state would be hard pressed to refuse entry to an EU citizen with even an expired passport or identity card. From personal experience both Bosnia and Croatia only require the passport to be valid on the date of travel.

Lingua Franca

As mentioned a few times already, Croatia will not be an EU member state until July 1st.

Looks like I need to edit that post.

coylemj

Lingua Franca wrote: »

No, nor did I know that Croatia was joining the EU on the 1st of July. My very next post was me correcting myself. Did you happen to read the rest of the thread where all of this was established and sorted out or were you in too much a hurry to point how dumb I am?

Lingua Franca wrote: »

As mentioned a few times already, Croatia will not be an EU member state until July 1st.

Looks like I need to edit that post.

You did edit that original post but only to provide a useless health warning. You seem to be reluctant to remove the reference to an out of date piece of information for reasons known only to you.

You knew the information was incorrect within an hour of posting it yet you have chosen to let it stand there to mislead all and sundry.

Lingua Franca

Why on earth are you overreacting so much? It's a two page conversation which the OP and anyone else who can read more than four posts into a thread seems to be able to follow.

Have you got anything to say on the subject or are you just here to fingerwag?