Forums » Netherlands » Legal Problems in the Netherlands

• lawren

  

  • 68 posts
   

  January 26, 2012 9:39:14 PM CET

  I'm an American living in the NL. I have a 5 year visa with my partner. I'm supposed to go to Prague this weekend and I've just realized my passport expires February 18th 2012. Am I not going to be allowed to enter the Czech Republic?!! I've never heard of this before, and with my residence card I didn't think my passport was really important as it is in the EU.

• expatican

  

  • 75 posts
   

  January 26, 2012 10:47:14 PM CET

  If you will come back before it expires it should not be a problem. Non-eu citizens cannot travel to other EU/Schengen countries with just your Residence card. It is illegal. Your Passport is your travel document and your residence permit will be like a visa.
  
  CZ is a schengen country, normally no one checks for your passport/Residence Permit because you dont have to go through passport control anywhere. But sometimes the police may ask for it if you act suspicious or just like that when they do random checks. Though normally it is not checked, if you are found without a passport you may even be jailed until your identity is validated. Happened to one of my friend in Belgium. He just thought passport was not necessary so travelled with his Residence permit.
• lillly

  

  • 123 posts
   

  January 26, 2012 10:57:42 PM CET

  lawren said:
  

  I'm an American living in the NL. I have a 5 year visa with my partner. I'm supposed to go to Prague this weekend and I've just realized my passport expires February 18th 2012. Am I not going to be allowed to enter the Czech Republic?!! I've never heard of this before, and with my residence card I didn't think my passport was really important as it is in the EU.

   

  Try this for advice and see if it answers your question http://europa.eu/travel/doc/index_en.htm you could always make a quick call to the airline to put your mind at ease as they should know. Czech Republic isn't a country that asks for extra months on passport but I'm not sure if that is the same for an EU resident travelling on a US passpot with visa

  Hope you get there OK I reckon you will

  Good luck and enjoy your weekend!

  
  This post was edited by lillly at January 26, 2012 10:59:50 PM CET
• ouloveit3

  

  • 608 posts
   

  January 27, 2012 11:18:06 AM CET

  lawren said:
  

  I'm an American living in the NL. I have a 5 year visa with my partner. I'm supposed to go to Prague this weekend and I've just realized my passport expires February 18th 2012. Am I not going to be allowed to enter the Czech Republic?!! I've never heard of this before, and with my residence card I didn't think my passport was really important as it is in the EU.

  I am American and I travel within the EU for business .. a lot.

   

  You definitelty need your US Passport when you travel and use you Residence permit as a kind of visa as indicated by expatican above.

   

  As long as your return ticket is date BEFORE your passport expires .. you should be okay for a round trip flight to Prague for the weekend.

   

  Don't worry.

  
  This post was edited by ouloveit3 at January 27, 2012 11:19:11 AM CET