Can you travel without ID to another country to get to your passport country's embassy if there is none in the current country (Europe)?

Question

I am trying to find a plausible answer to a question about a scenario in a movie that involves travel across borders in Europe and what is possible in real life.

Question:
If I am in a country that does not have an embassy of my passport country, and my passport is lost while there, can I travel without any ID to a second country that DOES have an embassy in order to get a new passport or ID (or any other excuse that can get you across the border)?

Context:
In the movie The Bourne Identity, Jason Bourne was able to get from Imperia, Italy to Zurich, Switzerland with only cash using the train. At the time he had no ID whatsoever on him, just cash.

Many people wonder how Jason got from Italy to Switzerland without any form of ID. The movie was filmed/released in 2002 and at that time Switzerland was not part of the Schengen area, so I am pretty sure there would have been ID checks when crossing the border.

Personal experience:
I travelled from Germany to Denmark (both Schengen countries) in 2022 by train and was asked to show my passport which I thought was very strange. Don't recall if I had to show my passport when I travelled from Germany to the Netherlands. Surprisingly, I travelled by plane within Schengen countries a lot and was not once asked to show my passport, only when I travelled by train.

So I am wondering if there is some rule or excuse that could get you across borders anywhere, preferably throughout Europe for the sake of this question, either now or before when the movie was filmed, without any ID at all in special circumstances, like the one mentioned above ie "I lost my passport and am on my way to the nearest embassy in the next country to get a new one?" or if this is "just a movie" in this case. And movies aside, if I did get in a situation where I lost my ID and the nearest embassy is in another country, what can I do? Can I go there (cross the border) without ID?

Answer 1

In the movie The Bourne Identity, Jason Bourne was able to get from Imperia, Italy to Zurich, Switzerland with only cash using the train.

The character Jason Bourne/David Webb was born in Nixa, Missouri and therefore would be a US citizen.

The Swiss would then, no doubt, express surprise at the claim that the United States does not have an embassy/consulate in Italy.

So I am wondering if there is some rule or excuse that could get you across borders anywhere ... like the one mentioned above ie "I lost my passport and am on my way to the nearest embassy in the next country to get a new one?"

Many countries have aggreements with other countries to assist their citizens where no consulate exists.

This would be the general rule and would be known to border guards who expect the traveller to have a valid travel document.

And movies aside, if I did get in a situation where I lost my ID and the nearest embassy is in another country, what can I do?

Look either at the main foreign office/state department site or embassy/consulate sites in neighbouring countries (or well known friendly countries) which will contain information what to do in such circumstances.

• Pakistan assists Iranian citizens in North America
• France for many EU countries in Madagascar
• Commonwealth countries for other Commonwealth countries

Answer 2

Hollywood-grade accuracy, really. Especially considering the lack of knowledge about international travel and geography Americans have.

On the other question, about how to replace your ID if lost, I have an actual example. In Macao,there are almost no Consulates. Portugal, of course, Philippines, and one African country I believe. So as a French citizen, if I lived in MO, and lost my passport, as a non-PR (permanent residents of HK and MO can visit the other SAR with just their ID), I'd have to get in touch with the Consulate in HK, and probably wait for their next round of duty in MO. Twice. One for the application, and one to withdraw it.

If I'm lucky, I might be able to get a temporary passport on the first appointment (if I let them know in advance, and they accept to produce it in HK and hand-carry it to me). In which case I could use that passport to go to HK and pick up the new one.

Answer 3

The Germany to Denmark case probably falls under the “temporary reintroduction of internal border checks” due to the ongoing migrant crisis.

On the other hand, checks at the border between Schengen and Switzerland before Switzerland joined Schengen, while systematic in theory, were actually far from being so at the time, especially on local trains (remember that there's even a tram line in Basel which goes through France on the way between stops in Switzerland! Definitely no systematic checks there...).

You were more likely to meet customs officers of the Schengen countries checking if you had a lot of cash than any passport control checks. And whenever those happened, they were pretty lax, I once got through the check with my Paris travel card!

But in any case:

• The US most definitely have representation in Italy: one embassy in Rome, 3 consulates in Florence, Milan and Naples, so going to Switzerland definitely wouldn't make sense, especially from Imperia.
• In the case of Italy, even if there was no US representation, it would make more sense to get to another Schengen country rather than Switzerland (at the time).
• In countries without representation, there are usually agreements with other countries to serve as intermediaries for some of the consular services, or other similar arrangements.

Answer 4

Last year, while traveling in Italy, my passport and residency permit were stolen. I reported the theft at a local police station in Florence. When I contacted my embassy for assistance, I learned that their jurisdiction was in Sweden, so I sent all the necessary documents there, including a return slip. Surprisingly, I received a new passport without any further action on my part. The level of support you receive from your embassy might vary significantly depending on your country of origin; those from third-world countries might find it more challenging to get such prompt assistance.

Traveling without an ID, I managed to take a train from Italy to Switzerland. While most places don't routinely check IDs, random spot checks are possible, so it's important to carry a copy of the police report for the stolen or lost documents. The journey took an unexpected turn when I traveled to Denmark. Unlike other EU countries, Denmark has distinct rules and did not accept the documentation I had. They questioned my fluency in English and ultimately did not trust the paperwork issued abroad, leading to my return to Germany via ferry. Despite the inconvenience, it turned out to be an enjoyable trip.

It's worth noting that there is no EU-wide legislation recognizing police reports from one country as valid in another, which can lead to complications when traveling. The EU also lags in implementing digital ID laws, making it difficult to use digital copies or photos of IDs as valid identification, a stark contrast to countries like India where digital IDs are readily accepted.

Answer 5

Spot checks do happen on some intra-Schengen borders, especially land

Note that :

If you are a EU/EEA/CH citizen, you may go to any other EU/EEA/CH embassy if your own country doesn't hold a representation there (Same thing for Commonwealth, Portugal/Brazil...), and they would be able to sort the issue.

For other countries, most have agreements between them regarding such emergency situations.

In all cases, you would call the nearest embassy of your own country for directions

Can I go there (cross the border) without ID?

The issue is grey and mostly depends on whether you are a Union citizen or not, but, in most cases (like Germany) you can't enter without ID.

Either way, if you really needed to go to another country to pick up your ID from the embassy (instead of for exemple getting it by post), another embassy would have probably delivered you a Emergency Travel Document for you to go there.

Answer 6

Its a movie. If you can pretend that Zürich is the capital of Switzerland and that its trams are Czech and its population speaks with an Austrian dialect you can also pretend that there is no border.

In reality of course the US embassy is in Bern (and is in a rather plain modern office building), even though Bern is, technically speaking, also not the capital. Switzerland doesn't have one.

Answer 7

Before Brexit, it was uncommon for the French border guards at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone to check passports — they normally just waved you through, if they’d even bothered to man the passport control booth. That was between two EU members, but it was crossing the Schengen border, since the UK was never in Schengen. Going the other way, the UK border guards in Calais always checked passports.