Will I be able to take a Norway - Netherlands - Norway flight with only a Norwegian drivers license?
I am in the middle of a work trip. I started off in Stavanger (Norway), and flew to Oslo (Norway) where I am at a conference for a day. Tomorrow, I am supposed to fly from Oslo Gardermoen airport to Amsterdam Schiphol airport. Then a day after, I will be returning to Stavanger.
Halfway through today I realized that I have forgotten my passport in Stavanger, and the only form of ID I have on me is a Norwegian driver's license. Returning to Stavanger to pick it up is not an option for me.
Will I be able to travel to Amsterdam and then back to Norway with the ID I have on me? It seems that I should not have a problem entering or leaving the Netherlands, because of Schengen regulations. Based on previous experience, I am fairly certain that I will not need to show an ID of any sort in Oslo either. But, is there some sort of ID check in Schiphol where they might not like the ID I have on me? When I go through airport security, will they also ask to see my passport? (I know some airports do this, for example and off the top of my head, JFK).
If it helps, I am a EU citizen, I have no checked-in luggage (only carry on), I do all my check-ins on my phone (so no contact with airline employees), and my flights to and from Schiphol should go from terminal B, which seems to be the Schengen one. The airlines are SAS on the way there, and KLM on the way back.
My current plan is to show up at the airport and see how it goes. Worst case scenario, I am not allowed on the plane, or I have to stay an extra few days in AMS while I have my passport sent to me (not the end of the world). But I would like to know in advance if I should have a reasonable expectation that I will be asked for ID at some point.
Thank you for any information you can share!
Best Answer
So, after successfully having returned to Norway, I can answer my own question.
Is it possible to successfully perform this trip?: Yes
Is it legal to perform this trip?: Not really, as per the law you should always carry proof of citizenship.
Will anyone ask to look at ID during the trip?: Probably not. You will never cross any official passport checks, so the only things left would be some sort of a random spot check (I have never seen this happen) or a check at the gate (airline employee checking IDs as the flight is boarded - this happens randomly, and it is up to the airline employee to decide if to allow you on board or not if he is not satisfied).
I did not face any gate checks, and managed to do Oslo-Copenhagen, Copenhagen-Amsterdam (my original Oslo-Amsterdam flight was cancelled), and Amsterdam-Stavanger without ever being asked for ID. But for example, the flight before mine at the gate in Oslo, which was to Helsinki (Finland), was checking IDs, and a passenger was actually unable to board his flight because of some possible issue with whatever document he presented.
So in the end, I do not recommend attempting this. It will probably work in a pinch, but per the law, always carry proof of citizenship on you.
Pictures about "Will I be able to take a Norway - Netherlands - Norway flight with only a Norwegian drivers license?"
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