Special documents and passports to access Europe

Travellers and visitors accessing the European Union/Schengen Area from a non-member state are always required to hold a valid tavel document to get across the border and prove their identity.

According to the country of passport of the traveller and to the purpose and length of stay a Consular Visa might also be necessary.

Whether they travel with a Visa or visa-free, thanks to international agreements between the EU and their country of nationality, the most commonly used documents to get through the Union’s external border is, regardless of the citizenship, the Ordinary Passport.

Nonetheless there is a number of other types of travel documents and passport that can be and are consistently used to move around the world; the aim of this article is to highlight which among these are recognized to get through the Schengen Borders.

Moreover, with an eye on ETIAS’s incumbent launch date, an analysis will be done on which documents could be used to apply the EU’s new Visa Waiver.

BASIC ETIAS RULES

Before getting into the specifics of possibile exceptions, it is important to note down the benchmarks that will regulate ETIAS on more standardized cases.

The new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is being introduced by the European Union to pre-screen intending visitors to Europe and prevent those with criminal or terrorist records and/or intentions from accessing EU and Schengen Area. ETIAS approval is digitally linked to the traveller’s passport granting the holder a permission to enter and travel through all Schengen and EU member states, with the exception of Ireland, for a maximum stay of 90 days in any 180-day period.

ETIAS will, from early 2025, be mandatory for citizens of those countries who currently enjoy visa-exempt travel to Europe. The European Union currently has a list of approximately sixty nations outside the EU and Schengen zone that currently enjoy visa-free European travel. From 2025 onwards, citizens of these countries will require an ETIAS if they wish to visit Europe for any purpose or duration that falls under the visa exemption agreement scheme.

Basically, all non-EU visitors to the Schengen Area will soon need either an ETIAS or a Schengen Visa since there will be much lesser cases where the travel document alone will be accepted.

DIPLOMATIC PASSPORTS

A diplomatic passport is a special passport given to diplomats and their immediate family members; using such passports gives diplomats certain privileges that include, among others, reduced immigration requirements.

Diplomatic passports can only be used to travel to Europe for official purposes but there is not, to this day, a common EU policy on diplomatic passports since single Member States may grant visa waivers rights to diplomats who would otherwise require a visa.

Nonetheless there is a common regulation on Visa Waiver Diplomatic passport holders establishing that no ETIAS is required if the visit in the Schengen Area takes place to pursue official duties.

Still, Diplomats visiting Europe for non-official purposes, such as leisure, should tavek using an ordinary passport and therefore complying with European Union’s ETIAS or Visa policy.

SEAFARERS’ IDENTITY DOCUMENT

The Seafarer’s Identity Document is a special document issued to sea crew members granting them the rights to enter a country temporarily for shore leave.

Shore leave rights can be used for a number of reasons that range from accessing port facilities to receiving medical treatment and of course to join and leave vessels.

Seaman books, as they are often called, are issued by the country of origin of the maritime worker and, like any other identity document, expire after a certain number of years and need to be renewed.

As for Diplomatic passports, Individual EU countries may decide to waiver visa requirements for individuals who have a seafarer’s identity document in addition to their valid ordinary passport.

Likewise, as there is no uniform policy on the visa exemption scheme, it has been decided that those enjoying visa-free travel rights while on maritime duty will also be exempted from the obligation hold a valid ETIAS.

EMERGENCY PASSPORTS

Emergency passports, or temporary passports, are travel documents issued to individuals whose ordinary travel document has been lost, stolen or damaged while abroad.

These documents have a very limited time validity as they are intended for emergency situations only, in particular returning to one’s home country.

Emergency passports are basically designed for one-way travel back to one’s home country, not for any other purposes; this is why there are not valid to allow visa-free travel to Europe and cannot be used to apply for ETIAS. As a matter of fact, only direct transit through a Schengen country should be possible using an emergency passport so as to allow foreigners to travel back home.

Visitors that obtain a temporary passport while in the EU must seek guidance with their embassy on their specific circumstances before making travel arrangements.

UNIVERSALLY UNACCEPTED DOCUMENTS

While the acceptance and recognition of many of the Special Documents cited earlier is up to the single European destination State, there is a series of other Identity Documents that are never accepted.

Expired passports are of course never accepted. Depending on the migration status of the traveller and the planned duration of stay a minimum remainin validity of up to 6 months may be required.

Camouflage passports as well are never recognized to enter any EU State. These are passports issued by states that no longer exist or that have changed name since. Examples of camouflage passports are:

Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)
Spanish Guiana (now Equatorial Guinea)
Burma/Birma (now Myanmar)
Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)

Other unaccepted documents are the so-called fantasy passports. These are documents issued by minorities, sects, or ID provided by private organizations.

Finally, this short and non-exhaustive list includes travel documents issued by territories that are not internationally recognised and therefore not accepted to enter the EU. An example on the matter are passports issued by Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus or by the Moldavian Republic of Transnistria.