1.  Required documents
2.  Where can I get a valid visa?
3.  Is authorisation required when minors are travelling?
4.  What consequences may arise if a minor does not have the required documents?
5.  Which office should be contacted?
6.  Sanctions for non-compliance with obligations
7.  Frequently asked questions and answers

1. Required documents

EU citizens or their family members shall produce all the required documents for entry into the territory of the Member States when they present themselves for a border check at a border crossing point. Once a border check has been carried out and where there are no grounds for refusing entry, individuals shall be allowed to enter the territory of the Member States.

• EU citizens and EU citizens’ family members shall establish their right of entry into the territory of the Member States by presenting a document or another plausible means of proof duly establishing their identity and citizenship of a Member State. You do not need a passport within the Schengen Area, but we recommend carrying an ID card or a passport to support your identity (police patrol, for boarding a plane, etc.).
• Family members of EU citizens subject to the visa duty shall produce a valid passport with a valid visa, a document proving a family relationship with an EU citizen, a valid residence document of the EU citizen’s family member or a residence permit under a specific legislation.
• Citizens from non-EU Member States shall produce a passport valid for at least 3 months after the intended departure from the Member State and issued up to 10 years ago.

If there is a reasonable suspicion that EU citizens or their family members will pose a serious threat to national security, public order or if it is necessary to protect public health, a police department may refuse entry for such persons at the border crossing point at the external border.

2. Where can I get a valid visa?

If your family members from third countries require an entry visa, they should apply for it as soon as possible at the consulate or embassy of the country to which they want to travel.

3. Is authorisation required when minors are travelling?

In addition to a valid passport or ID card, all unaccompanied children, children travelling with an adult who is not their legal representative or with only one parent may also be required to carry a special (official) document signed by their parents or the second parent or legal representative(s) authorizing their travel under the given circumstances.

4. What consequences may arise if a minor does not have the required documents?

Before children travel, check the requirements of the country to which they are travelling as well as of the one they are exiting. Each EU Member State decides autonomously whether a child requires an official authorisation signed by parents or legal representatives.

5. Which office should be contacted?

The contact details of the Foreign Police departments of the Police Force are available at the website of the Ministry of the Interior.

6. Sanctions for non-compliance with obligations

If there is a reasonable suspicion that EU citizens or their family members will pose a serious threat to national security, public order or if it is necessary to protect public health, a police department may refuse entry for such persons at the border crossing point at the external border.

7. Frequently asked questions and answers

Frequently asked questions and answers are available directly at the website of the Ministry of the Interior.

Explanatory laws:

• Act No 404/2011 on the residence of foreign nationals and amending certain acts, as amended;
• Regulation (EU) 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on a Union Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code);
• Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States.