Hi,

My wife will be without her Canadian passport for 6 weeks while it is getting renewed. However, we had plans to go to France sometime during these 6 weeks. Is it possible (no legal issues), to travel to France and back into Suisse with just a B permit and no passport?

Thanks for any help in advance.

Yes, you can . I never take my passport to France from here. Actually, I once forgot the permit too, when travelling by train on a day that all documents were being checked on reentry at the SBB in Basel. I was still waved through after simply telling my address to an official.

Noooo!

No you can not!

(in french
http://www.solutionsavocats.ch/docum...8-permis-b.pdf

Also:

http://www.visa-schengen.info/visa-s...xemptions.html

It's also in French, google translate it! (no more time for me now)

It is the same for residence permits in Switzerland or Liechtenstein. Foreign nationals holders of certain residence permits issued by these two countries are exempted from visa to transit the territory of one or more Schengen States for a period not exceeding five days. The validity of the residence in question must cover the period of transit. The lifting of the visa requirement applies only to transit, travel destination to be a country outside the Schengen area. The visa requirement is maintained if the trip is for a reason other than transit (tourism, visits, business, etc.)..


Anyway B permis is not a proof of identity!!

We go to france via car and when we have been stopped which is only occasionally they never ask to see ID just ask about declarations meat and milk and alcohol... we always carry the permits in case but never take passports..

Yes, the problem starts when they do ask...


PS: I would not gamble with that.
PS2: I got asked a few times proof of identification, either when crossing borders, or even random stop..

Also, think you going by driving, that if anything happens (accident, stolen thing or anything), you'll also be in troubles.

Just saying.

As an EU citizen it is possible to travel around the Schengen area without a passport but if you're from outside the EU you are running a risk that if you are pulled over you'll run into problems.

I'm British but normally travel into any of the surrounding countries with my passport as well as my residence permit.

Agree that in practice you're unlikely to run into trouble as passports are not routinely checked but the big IF is around things that might happen unexpectedly. I have in the past travelled within Schengen states without identification and never run into issues, and know of some of my none-EU friends who have done the same (including talking themselves on a return flight to Paris from London with only an Aussie driving license, although that STILL amazes me....). All in if you have all your papers and you are together the whole time, I might be inclined to risk it, but as others pointed out, it is not totally "correct".

Actually, after talking to a U.K. border official at the weekend, a driving licence used to be (unofficially) acceptable as a proof of I.D. for entry into the U.K.

That is no longer the case.

Although they did let one of our kids into the U.K. a couple of week ago without a passport and with only an expired Swiss I.D. card but it did require my three year old to declare who he was to an official (which of course he refused to do! ).

They said they take a more lenient line with children.

Hi bonaire, I am facing a similar situation here. Non EU, passport up for renewal, need to travel (by Rail) to France for Training. From this thread I get it that the answer to your question is "No, Swiss B Permit alone is not enough for identification IF asked, Passport required". Have you got any updates from other sources? maybe the rules have changed lately? What about an Embassy Letter accompanying an authenticated copy of passport and explaining that original passport is under renewal.

If no safe option comes up, I may have to forego my training. Bummer as I waited ages for a slot in this course . Advises welcome.

I was recently stopped at the border coming in from Germany. I had my permit but no passport. The official had a field day haranguing me in German for five whole minutes about the necessity of carrying a passport when crossing over (he must have repeated "immer" about a hundred times). Much chagrined, I've been carrying the PP in the glove-compartment ever since.

I was checked by border officials in France. I showed them my B-Permit, but then they explicitly asked for my Passport(which I always carry when I travel across the border).

I still have never been stopped/asked, I feel like I am doing something wrong

I was in Germany a few months ago and we were driving and stopped in a rest area. The guy I was with (Swiss) was wearing a tie dyed shirt - which I guess was enough for the German police to pull over and search him and have him pull all of his belongings out of the car and search them. They asked me for ID and I showed them my B permit. This was no good - they wanted my passport which thankfully I had on me. I'm a US citizen. Interestingly, they didn't search me or my belongings. Then they let us go. Very strange experience. I wouldn't leave the country without my passport.
Cheers,
Sue

Funny, I have been stopped lots of times by the border police when driving across or near the border but they never asked for my passport; only my driving licence.

Usually they ask en bloc 'vos papiers s'il-vous-plait' and that normally includes passport, driving licence and insurance for the car.

They may not ask, but if they do, and you don't have them, you'll be in trouble at the border. More importantly perhaps, is that in France you have to have your passport or identity card with you at all times.

The simplest surely would be to ask the Canadian Embassy if they can issue you a temporary document to say your passport is in the process of being updated.

is it really that difficult to carry your passport? I mean, my b-permit is the same size as my passport and i just shove them together into my purse (ok, yes, I have a man purse).. and i never worry about it again... why aggravate a situation with border patrol unnecessarily??

Can't the Ambassade or the Consulate give you an attestation that her passport is in the process of getting renewed?

You can apply for an "Emergency Passport" which is issued immediately if your passport is in the process of renewal. It`s valid for 6 months.
Ask about an Embassy letter - that could possibly work too?

If you are flying, the airline will probably ask to see passports, even if the customs authorities don't.

I believe the reason is that if you don't have them and you happen to get turned back by customs, the airline gets into some trouble for letting you get that far.

My family flew Geneva to Paris and back last month, and for each flight, the airline people checked passports, but passport control waived us through without checking.

Don't know if you're flying or not, but I think the advice to get temporary documentation from your embassy or consulate is probably the best course of action.