Hi all,
With the continuing state of emergency in France, I am wondering how this may have changed immigration/emigration and security controls in the airports. I understand that France has reinstated passport checks at land crossings to its neighbouring states. Is the same true for airports? Are there any other enhanced security measures in place?
I am flying ORY-MAD in a few weeks and am curious what, if any, extra checks I will go through. In general though, I would be interested to hear what is going on around the country in this context.
Thanks for everyone's input.
Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
RE: Intra-Schengen Controls In French Airports
I have not heard of any additional immigration control in airports. It's not France, but last december, there was no exit immigration when leaving HAM on an Schengen flight. Maybe it's different with FRA, CDG, ORY, FCO or MAD to name a few. The bigger concern is with the land borders, because the vast majority of asylum seekers enter through the land (or sea) border, while air travel is mostly used for deportation out of the EU, not to mention that airline staff do document checks and are required to make sure you have valid documents (and a valid visa where required).
And even if there are immigration controls in place for Schengen flights, I presume it would most likely be just a quick check of your passport (and for EU citizens, of their ID cards), and as a Canadian, you shouldn't have any problems.
[Edited 2016-01-30 13:08:50]
And even if there are immigration controls in place for Schengen flights, I presume it would most likely be just a quick check of your passport (and for EU citizens, of their ID cards), and as a Canadian, you shouldn't have any problems.
[Edited 2016-01-30 13:08:50]
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- TomFoolery
- Posts: 443
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RE: Intra-Schengen Controls In French Airports
I have been through a few airports in the past few months, and upon entry from outside France, we went through passport control. Also leaving France.
I flew AMS-LYS, and had passport control.
I flew TLS-AMS, and had to go through passport control.
I do not recall this happening at Chuck D'Gaulle Airport, however.
Tom
I flew AMS-LYS, and had passport control.
I flew TLS-AMS, and had to go through passport control.
I do not recall this happening at Chuck D'Gaulle Airport, however.
Tom
RE: Intra-Schengen Controls In French Airports
| Quoting Boeing744 (Thread starter): I understand that France has reinstated passport checks at land crossings to its neighbouring states |
For the first couple of weeks after the Paris attacks, French immigration were checking passports at the Channel Tunnel Folkestone terminal. However they seam to of relaxed this again, and don't seam to be stopping every car.
RE: Intra-Schengen Controls In French Airports
| Quoting richcandy (Reply 3): However they seam to of relaxed this again, and don't seam to be stopping every car. |
Maybe because they realised the bigger problems are at the border with Germany and probably also Italy. Maybe not so much Italy, but I can figure that most of the asylum seekers cross the Rhine into France. Control the influx of people there, and this can contribute to reduce the number of people trying to cross illegally the channel tunnel into the UK. Hence, the bulk of the passport checks are most likely done at the French-German border, just as Germany does its bulk of controls at the German-Austrian border, due to Austria being used as final transit point along the so-called Balkan route.
[Edited 2016-02-03 13:42:11]
RE: Intra-Schengen Controls In French Airports
| Quoting TomFoolery (Reply 2): |
Was your passport stamped?
| Quoting LTU932 (Reply 4): |
Yes on the border to italy they defitnely have added patrols. Italy's police system doesn't even work for a starter (only for politicians
) so France defitnetly has put much more controls on the border to italy over Germany.
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- Il62Mdakar
- Posts: 92
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RE: Intra-Schengen Controls In French Airports
I flew Munich to CDG last weekend and we had to go through passport control in Paris. The outbound a few days earlier didn't have any checks.
RE: Intra-Schengen Controls In French Airports
| Quoting Il62Mdakar (Reply 8): I flew Munich to CDG last weekend and we had to go through passport control in Paris. The outbound a few days earlier didn't have any checks. |
Personally, I wouldn't call that passport control if they only check that you have valid papers with you upon landing and/or departing from a Schengen flight. I only call that passport control in the EU if you leave for or arrive from a non-Schengen flight and thus get your passport stamped and exit/entry logged (though as EU citizens, we don't get our passports stamped).
Sorry for nitpicking, but that's how I understand it. For me, passport control equals proper immigration check.
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- Il62Mdakar
- Posts: 92
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RE: Intra-Schengen Controls In French Airports
| Quoting LTU932 (Reply 9): Personally, I wouldn't call that passport control if they only check that you have valid papers with you upon landing and/or departing from a Schengen flight. |
Well I don't know how you can judge what the immigration officers are exactly doing behind the counter/on their PC with your passport, but queuing at the "reopened" immigration counters and passports being scanned and checked last week at CDG classifies as a passport check to me.
RE: Intra-Schengen Controls In French Airports
| Quoting Il62Mdakar (Reply 10): Well I don't know how you can judge what the immigration officers are exactly doing behind the counter/on their PC with your passport, but queuing at the "reopened" immigration counters and passports being scanned and checked last week at CDG classifies as a passport check to me. |
In that case, you're right. I stand corrected. Curious though, I always thought it would be a simple docs check, not that they reopened old passport control booths from pre-Schengen times (if there were any left intact), going the whole nine yards. I do wonder how they do that in terms of logistics, considering that unlike e.g. the US (and UK?) with international departures, all non-Schengen departures and arrivals are "sterile". In the case of my hometown airport HAM, I have not seen any immigration controls for Schengen flights.
RE: Intra-Schengen Controls In French Airports
Departing SXB to AMS a few weeks ago, all was normal exept that there were 2 policemen at the (bus) gate checking passports or ID cards immediately after my boarding card was scanned by an AF gate agent. All went quick, friendly and hassle-free. Both on land- as well as airside there were a lot of heavily armed soldiers patrolling around, I guess this has also to do with the vincinity of the European Parliament.
RE: Intra-Schengen Controls In French Airports
In December I flew FRA-MRS on LH. in Marseille ALL Arrivals, no matter if Schengen or not, were conducted to non schengen arrivals and all Passengers had to queue for regular immigration check. Passport agents were not able nor did they care to differenciate if the passenger was orginiating from Frankfurt or let's say from Algeria.
On a side note they were very low staffed altough the attacks were weeks ago, staff was extremely unfriendly. Families with crying babies were not allowed to go forward and upon my friendly complaint to the agent that considering it's Christmas, the attacks happened week ago and still they have only 2 counters open and their supervisors should have been able to organize a more effective process in all that time the reply was I am free to complain the the Police Prefecture...
On a side note they were very low staffed altough the attacks were weeks ago, staff was extremely unfriendly. Families with crying babies were not allowed to go forward and upon my friendly complaint to the agent that considering it's Christmas, the attacks happened week ago and still they have only 2 counters open and their supervisors should have been able to organize a more effective process in all that time the reply was I am free to complain the the Police Prefecture...
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