Passport Stamps In Europe
 

Hi all,

I will be going from Singapore to Nice, France. I have Schengen Visa stamp on my passport.

My flight from Singapore to Nice will have a transit in Amsterdam. As I will have 6 hours layover in Amsterdam, I will go out of the airport for a couple of hours, and back again to the airport to continue my flight to Nice.

After Nice, I'm going to Rome by plane. And after Rome, I'm going to Paris also by plane. Then going back to Singapore, transit in Amsterdam again.

This will be my first trip to Europe. It might sound silly, but I actually want to get stamped as mementos for my travel.

So, will I (or can I ask to) get stamp on my passport by the immigration/passport control when arriving to those airports (Amsterdam, Nice, Rome, and Paris)?

Thanks!

I might be wrong but I think you will only get one stamp in your passport at Amsterdam - as you will be leaving the transit area to visit the city.
Once I flew from Canada to Vienna, via Frankfurt, and even though I was only in transit in Frankfurt, that is where I went through immigration and had my passport stamped.
I don't know whether you can ask to have your passport stamped at other airports, as you will not be going through the immigration counters there - off the plane and straight to baggage claim, and then out the doors. Perhaps I am wrong, but I don't think there will be anyone around who could stamp the passport.
Does anyone else know?
PS I can certainly understand how you would like as many stamps as possible - its an exciting thing.

Hi nz101, thanks a lot for your reply.

Okay, so Amsterdam most likely I will get stamped for the first time when entering Schengen area.

In Nice, Rome, and Paris, aren't there immigration counters the airports for people who make those cities as their first entry to Schengen area?

Can I go to that immigration counters instead of going straight to the baggage claim?

You will be in the domestic terminals of those cities, so you probably won't even see an immigration checkpoint.

Nope - in general you will go through domestic terminals like kerouac says so there wont be an opportunity to get a stamp as you will be routed right to the baggage claim. You will get another stamp on exit wherever you fly from when leaving the schengen area.

Stewart, I think you just have to be happy to get the one stamp on arrival and the other on departure.
The strangest thing I've found when flying into Europe is I've always had food items I want to declare, yet no one seems interested. One time when arriving in Vienna after an international flight - the customs guy told me there was 'no customs today' (it was Christmas Eve), and last time I arrived in Frankfurt, I actually had to go in search of the customs office - couldn't believe it. They don't seem to care.

Stewart, I think you just have to be happy to get the one stamp on arrival and the other on departure.
The strangest thing I've found when flying into Europe is I've always had food items I want to declare, yet no one seems interested. One time when arriving in Vienna after an international flight - the customs guy told me there was 'no customs today' (it was Christmas Eve), and last time I arrived in Frankfurt, I actually had to go in search of the customs office - couldn't believe it. They don't seem to care.

Ooops sorry, something wrong with my fingers tonight.

Anyway Stewart, have a wonderful trip to Europe :)

As OP's final destination is in Schengen they will get the entry passport stamp in Amsterdam regardless of whether they stay at the airport or visit central Amsterdam.

Everywhere else in OP's itinerary is in Schengen therefore flights between them are effectively domestic flights and hence there are no immigration checks

Ah, I see. Thanks all for the clarifications. I initially thought that the flights between schengen countries are still international flight, thus the requirement of getting through immigration.

If I arrive in domestic terminal, then it makes sense that there won't be passport check anymore when arriving in those cities from cross-countries flight.

Okay, so now few more questions. My last flight is actually between Paris-Singapore (with transit via Amsterdam, and have to change plane). When transiting in Amsterdam, I will go outside the Amsterdam airport, as it will be 10 hours layover. After that I will then go back again to Amsterdam airport to continue my flight to Singapore.

So, in this case:
(a). In Paris, will I have to go through immigration?
(b). In Amsterdam, will I have to also go through immigration? For both getting out of and in to the airport?
(c) Will I get stamp from both Paris and Amsterdam? Or only Paris? Or only Amsterdam?

Apologize for asking these dummy questions. Thanks a lot!

You will go through passport control at Amsterdam since that is where you leave Schengen. You can leave the airport without showing your passport when you arrive from Paris but must show it when you return as you will be leaving from the international section.
Note that they do the security at the gate for international (non Schengen) flights at Schiphol so you need to be at the gate in plenty of time. The gate closes early! Make sure you know your gate number and allow enough time to get there.

Thanks hetismij for the clarification!

It's good to know that the security check is done at the gate for boarding room, instead of before entering the airport/immigration. I will calculate the timing for that security check as well.

I got 4 stamps in a single day - today. All at the same airport!

1. leaving EU to get to flight/gate
2. flight canceled, re-enter EU to get to airport service desk
3. rescheduled on later flight, leave EU to get to gate
4. another flight canceled, re-enter EU / exit airport to get to hotel.

J62 - sounds like you were exiting and entering the schengen zone:

1. stamped on exit at gate to get flight to non-schengen zone country,
2. stamped on entry to get back into airport airside,
3. stamped on exit at gate to get on new flight to non-schengen zone,
4. stamped on entry to get back into airport airside,
5. and you will get another stamp tomorrow on exit or whenever your next flight is scheduled if it is out of the schengen zone.

Exactly correct & I was using EU as incorrect shorthand for Schengen zone. Faster to type. I'm hoping for just one European stamp tomorrow, and one US.

sounds a bit of a nightmare J62, why the flight cancellations?

something about a little snow in the NE US...

And it's actually not a nightmare. I had the same thing happen in December and I was able to make lemonade out of lemons. This time I came better prepared and didn't have to hang around the airport any longer than needed.

While I did check a bag, I made sure I had a small duffel bag with me that I could stuff 2 days clothes into. I left the checked bag with the airline - I don't need to see it until I get home.

I programmed the airline phone #'s into my cell phone, and rebooked over the phone instead of waiting in line for hours at the service desk

I scoped out hotels and had their # on hand to call & downloaded directions onto my laptop. Right now I'm holed up a Marriott, with access to free food/drink in the exec lounge, free internet, and a comfortable bed. Quick train ride from the airport into town, then a few stops on the subway.

It could be worse. I'm just hoping it doesn't get worse tomorrow.

J262, hopefully you're not delayed for tomorrow. I wish you best of luck, and happy for you that you get your 5 stamps! :)

I wonder if there could be a market for immigration authorities to offer an optional fancy stamp (for a fee, of course)?

"a market for immigration authorities to offer an optional fancy stamp"

Trouble is, many continental airports and railway stations make travellers from Schengen countries exit through areas where there isn't anyone checking passports.

It MIGHT be worth the poster's while to get hold of maps to the airports he's using, to see if he can sneak into the bit flights from non-Schengen arrive at, where there will be passport officers.

Sounds tricky. But sometimes, you can see the passport booths from a baggage claim area that serves both Schengen and non-Schengen arrivals. The poster might try walking up to them, and just asking for a stamp. Airport authorities use so much energy stopping people going where they don't want them to go, they often don't bother stopping them going where it really doesn't matter.

And most Continental airports don't have the elaborate system of barriers and doors between immigration and baggage claim that's common in the UK and US.

An American friend of mine who was living illegally in France for six years got an expulsion notice once, so she took the train to Amsterdam for the weekend. She hunted down the immigration office at Gare du Nord to get them to stamp her passport, explaining that she was forced to leave the country and wanted proof that she was doing it. So they stamped her passport with an exit stamp.

After the weekend, she just took the train back to Paris and went on with her life.

I remember watching Rick Steves' video that in San Marino, there is such place to getting the passport stamped for a fee. But I don't know whether that is possible in France or Italy.

Hi
can you please tell me if will i get a stamp for transit in Europe? as have the Schengen visa from Germany and I'm traveling from Cairo to Dusseldorf but will transit in venice, i have been told that the first Schengen stamp in my passport must be from the country i took its visa (which is Germany not Italy)otherwise they will refuse to renew my visa.

thank you

You will be in the electronic Schengen system whether or not they stamp your passport. If they do not stamp it, it is wise to keep your boarding passes and such just in case a question arises.

Two things to make this short and clear:

You arrive at an In-Schengen airport from a non-Schengen airport, you walk down hallways and entry gates that lead you to an immigration official, and you may or may not get a stamp. About customs - unless you are picked out as a random check, you walk out through the green "nothing to declare" exit

You arrive at an In-Schengen airport from another In-Schengen airport, you will pass through different halls and entry gates and not see an immigration official and get no stamp. There is no customs check.