TRAVEL DOCUMENTS FOR EU AND NON-EU NATIONALS

​Are you a non-EU Nationals, and do you want to come to Europe for your following holidays?
Which document do you need? We are talking about it in the following article.

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PASSPORT AND VISA REQUIREMENTS
If you are a non-EU national wishing to visit or travel within the EU, you will need a passport:
 

• valid for at least three months after the date you intend to leave the EU country you are visiting,
• which was issued within the previous ten years,

And possibly a visa. 
You should apply for a visa from the consulate or embassy of the visiting country. If your passport is from a Schengen area country, it allows you to travel to other Schengen countries. If you have a valid residence permit from one of those Schengen countries, it is equivalent to a visa. You may need national access to visit non-Schengen countries.
Border officials in EU countries may ask for other supporting documents such as an invitation letter, proof of lodging, return or round-trip ticket. For the precise requirements, contact the local consular services of the EU country in question.
Some countries whose nationals do not need a visa to visit the EU for three months or less. The list of countries whose citizens require permits to travel to Ireland differs slightly from other EU countries.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS FOR EU NATIONALS
If you are an EU national, you do not need to show your national ID card or passport when travelling from one border-free Schengen EU country to another.
Even if you don't need a passport for border checks within the Schengen area, it is always highly recommended to take a passport or ID card with you to prove your identity if needed (if stopped by police, boarding a plane, etc.). Schengen EU countries have the possibility of adopting national rules obliging you to hold or carry papers and documents when you are present on their territory.
Driving licences, post, bank or tax cards are not accepted as valid travel documents or proof of identity.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS FOR NON-EU FAMILY MEMBERS
Under EU rules, you have the right to travel with your core family members (non-EU spouse, children, dependent parents or dependent grandparents) to an EU country other than the one you are a national of. If you have moved to another EU country, they can join you there. These rules also apply to your non-EU registered partner if the country they travel to considers registered partnerships equivalent to marriage.
 Your non-EU family members must carry a valid passport at all times, and, depending on the country they are from, they may also have to show an entry visa at the border.
Many countries whose nationals do not need a visa to visit the EU for three months or less. The list of countries whose citizens require permits to travel to Ireland differs slightly from other EU countries.
Contact the consulate or embassy of the country you are travelling to well in advance to determine which documents your non-EU family member will be asked to present at the border.
Applying for an entry visa for short stays up to 90 days.
If your non-EU family members need an entry visa, they should apply for one in advance from the country's consulate or embassy. If they are travelling together with you or joining you in another EU country, their application should be processed quickly and free of charge:

• countries that are members of the border-free Schengen area should issue visas within 15 days, except in rare cases when the authorities should explain their decision
• all other countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania) should issue visas as quickly as possible

Visa application - supporting documents
Your non-EU family member must include the following documents with their visa application:
 

• a valid passport – to prove their identity and nationality
• a document proving family ties with the EU citizen (e.g. marriage certificate, birth certificate etc.) and dependency (if required)
• proof that the EU citizen is already living in the host country (if they are joining them)
• a declaration that the couple will travel together (if the family member will be accompanying the EU citizen)

 
Arriving at the border without an entry visa
It is always best for your non-EU family members to be well-informed and have all the necessary documents before starting their journey.
However, if they arrive at the border with their passport but without an entry visa, the border authorities should allow them to prove by other means that they are family members of a mobile EU citizen. They can do so by providing proof of their identity and family ties with an EU citizen (for example, a marriage or birth certificate) and guarantee that they are joining or accompanying the EU citizen (for example, proof that the EU citizen is already living in the country where entry is sought). If they manage to prove it, they should be issued an entry visa.
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