Do u need passport or photo id like drivin licence to go france for day via train or ferry, i heard that dif

Question

i heard dif that u dnt need passport if only day, but cnt find no info on net!

Answer 1

Even before 9-11, any American going to France must have a vaild passport in their possession before going there.

A state identification card to go to France is not enough.

This is especially true for Americans visiting France.

A passport is also required for all Americans, also, for going to France by train or ferry...because there could be immigration checkpoints at ports of entry on trains or ferries in the French mainland. Be prepared!!!

Answer 2

Please disregard the American's answer. Their regulations are not the same as ours. It's impossible to take a day trip to France from the USA now that Concorde has stopped flying.

You definately need a full UK passport for even a day trip to France, regardless of the means of transport.

This is a regulation of the UK-EU border authorities. Once you are in France you can travel cross-border within the EU without a passport; but you may need an ID card if you get stopped by police.

If you try to re-enter the UK without a passport you will be stopped and arrested. It may be time consuming and expensive for you to prove that you are a UK citizen.

I think that whoever was advising you was probably remembering the days of the British Visitor's Passport. These were simplified documents that were more like Identity Cards than passports. They haven't existed for about 20 years.

Have a search around the Home Office web site for all the information that you need (see link)

Answer 3

If you're travelling from the UK to any other country (currently except the Republic of Ireland, but that's likely to change next year) then you need a passport. Alternatively you could use an EU country's national identity card to travel within the EU, but since British citizens don't have one then you're stuck with needing a passport.

Answer 4

Wherever you are traveling in Europe you need a passport as there's no ID card in the UK. That includes France where it is illegal to walk around without an ident proof on you.

The person who told you that probably remembers the time when Britons would take the ferry to France to buy tax free alcohol on board and have spectacular binges, staying on board the ferry all the time it stayed in the French harbour. If you didn't step on French soil you didn't need any ID papers.



Driving license is not accepted as a valid ID paper by customs, especially without a picture.

Answer 5

You need a passport.  About 10 years ago I turned up for a day trip to France with a friend and at the boat crossing check-in it was noticed his passport had just expired.  On that occasion they telephoned French immigration who said they would let him travel for the day. But this would not be normal.