new rules for travelling to Spain?

TimothyEBaldwin

trisontana wrote: »

I imagine it applies to anyone who wants to enter Spain, irrespective of the mode of transport.

No, only flights from outside the Schengen zone. On the land borders with Portugal and France you may not be checked at all.

How on earth could a rule be applied if one is not using public transport?

Last year when I went by train, they failed to check the passports belonged to the passengers.

trisontana

TimothyEBaldwin wrote: »

No, only flights from outside the Schengen zone. On the land borders with Portugal and France you may not be checked at all.

Last year when I went by train, they failed to check the passports belonged to the passengers.

What about boats that originate from outside the Schengen zone, ie a ferry from Portsmouth or Plymouth ?

TimothyEBaldwin

trisontana wrote: »

What about boats that originate from outside the Schengen zone, ie a ferry from Portsmouth or Plymouth ?

See the DFT website.

trisontana

TimothyEBaldwin wrote: »

See the DFT website.

That seems a bit daft. So if I am a potential terrorist who wants to travel to Spain, I just hop on a boat instead of a plane.

I have found this Times article from May which does hint that ferry passengers will also have to supply information :-

It’s not yet clear what will happen about passengers travelling from the UK to Spain with P&O Ferries or Brittany Ferries. Both ferry companies tell me they have yet to receive their instructions from the Spanish authorities. We’ll keep you posted

Victors_Bruvver

TimothyEBaldwin wrote: »

See the DFT website.

All that refers to is entry into Spain. It would have been a little useful if the DfT were to expand a little more on what the next steps are going to be for each country and the date they are bring the rules in.

In actual fact, my wife & I travelled overnight from Paris to Madrid by train earlier this year and we were 'stuck' somewhere on the border (don't know exactly where because we were half asleep) where we think the passports that we had to had to the conductor as we left Paris, were being checked.

Perhaps this is something the UK can do as I have heard that the delays in getting through immigration at both Gatwick & Heathrow are causing some concern. Or is this too simple an idea and not one that has been submitted by a highly paid consultant?

dzug

Victors_Bruvver wrote: »

In actual fact, my wife & I travelled overnight from Paris to Madrid by train earlier this year and we were 'stuck' somewhere on the border (don't know exactly where because we were half asleep) where we think the passports that we had to had to the conductor as we left Paris, were being checked.

No - they were changing the wheels on the train from standard to broad gauge.

It's possible that they were checking passports as well but the hold-up is the change of gauge.

TimothyEBaldwin

trisontana wrote: »

That seems a bit daft. So if I am a potential terrorist who wants to travel to Spain, I just hop on a boat instead of a plane.

But one can't fly boats into skyscrapers - this is an aviation security measure. Checks at the border would find anyone made it to the port.

Victors_Bruvver

dzug wrote: »

No - they were changing the wheels on the train from standard to broad gauge.

Well that's a surprise, I thought that the gauge was the same across europe with perhaps the exception of the UK. I knew that the Russian trains have to change for travelling through China, but as me old gran used to say 'you live and learn' That would make a good name for a childrens weekly magazine - don't you think?
Thanks

trisontana

Victors_Bruvver wrote: »

Well that's a surprise, I thought that the gauge was the same across europe with perhaps the exception of the UK. I knew that the Russian trains have to change for travelling through China, but as me old gran used to say 'you live and learn' That would make a good name for a childrens weekly magazine - don't you think?
Thanks

The UK and most of Europe use the same "standard gauge". The exceptions are Spain , Portugal , Ireland and the countries that were part of the old USSR which use "wider gauge". Even so, Spain is building its new high-speed lines to the standard gauge.

pash_2

thank you DMG, I'm surprised that this turned into a "trainspotters" post (no offence meant at all, please don't attack me!) just seemed a funny transition thats all! Thanks for all the help, I love this site!
Pash x