Getting your passport stamped
 

I am going to be taking the train throughout Western Europe (Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy) over the next few months. Will my passport be stamped? If not, is there any way to arrange for such a stamp for souvenir purposes? Hokey, I know, but I'm proud of my stamps so far!

Good question. Last summer we traveled in Germany and Austria and never saw a border crossing. I suspect now the only times your passport will be stamped is when you enter and leave at the airport.

Apparently, they've run out of ink in Europe and no longer stamp passports. Having been to Portugal, Italy and France in the last couple of years and not getting "stamped" I asked about it on this board just a couple of days ago. Although I can't recall if anyone said WHY they're no longer stamping, everyone agreed that they are, indeed, no longer stamping. I suppose they'll stamp for posterity. Have fun.

The only places we got stamped were at the airport in munich, Crossing the border into austria from st. moritz switz. (as a favor because the border guard was a hockey fan and I gave him an Oilers pin) and in Liechtenstein where you could get it in a post office for about 3$ us.

The EU has made "borderless" crossing among its members, so no entrance/exit stamps are needed. You get a stamp (sometimes, there's no ink in it and the agent just whacks your passport with the dry stamper) at your entry port, whether air or sea, or train station (like if you arrive in Austria from the Czech Republic). The English and French check your passports when you travel on the Eurostar, I have one stamp from years ago, now it's more of an ID check than anything. The train between Paris and Brussels, for example, doesn't even slow down at the border so you have to really keep your eyes peeled to tell when you're in a new country. We've never driven across a border (except between the Republic and Ulster, armed guards but no stamps) so I don't know if there are still checkpoints at the border where you might get a stamp.

We never get stamped except at point of entry and point of entry back in the States... however if you have really sharp eyes, you may see little signs in windows of touristy shops that say "passports stamped" my husband had his passport stamped in Wales of all places... which was a complimentary service at some roadside souvenier shop... I've since seen signs like that here and there. You may get lucky.

you may just "get lucky". <BR>

We usually stop at the crossing, park the car, walk over to the guard and ask for a stamp. You feel stupid doing this but it normally works. They make a show of going through the desk and finding a stamp. I would say we have had about a 75% success rate with this procedure. Your wife will have better luck than the man. Try it.....you get over feeling stupid and give the guard something to do.

When we flew to Nice 4 years ago, none of us got a stamp except my 4 year old daughter. The passport agent thought she would get a kick out of it (and she did)

The following countries belong to the Schengen zone, which is a common immigration zone. Germany, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria and Greece. <BR>Only when entering and leaving the Schengen zone from outside you have a chance that your passport will be stamped. There are no normal border controls between the countries mentioned above and you can not get your passport stamped when travelling within the Schengen zone. You don't stop when driving (there are no border posts + officers any longer), trains don't stop, when flying no official will ask for your passport etc. Just like domestic travel in the USA.

Don't forget Captain Kirk that now with the Federation of Planets, we no longer need passports and can go anywhere. <BR>

Great information, Sjoerd. <BR> <BR>Why is it referred to as "Schengen <BR>Zone"? <BR> <BR>Cheers, <BR> <BR>Gerry K

Gerry, <BR>Schengen is the name of a small Luxembourg village on the border with Germany and France where the Schengen treaty was signed. (in 1985 I believe) At first only France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg participated. Other countries joined later.

My husband and I flew from the U.S. to Paris and then transferred to a flight to Madrid. Never, ever went through customs - kind of wierd in a way. In Madrid we just walked outside after getting our luggage - no one ever looked at our passports....and thus no stamp - darn it. Although it was nice to get on with our vacation rather than stand in line!