travelalot

We are driving down to Isla Canela in August and would like to cross over to Portugal. Do you have to show a passport? Our son would like to take his Spanish friend but I know he does not have a passport because he wants to come to the UK. I do not want to spoil our weeks holiday by taking him if that will affect going to Portugal.

Appreciate your help if you live in this area

Many thanks

Beachcomber

Theoretically a Spaniard can travel around Europe using nothing more than his Spanish ID card but I have no personal experience.

Sharon B

You will need some form of ID if there are spot checks on the bridge. Passports would be best if possible and I am sure the Spanish parents would provide you with an ID card or alternative for their son as they are used to carrying ID with them. Although we have been stopped, we have not been required to produce ID for the children with us but it depends on mood of the police at the time and it is better to be safe then sorry.

pete_l

Spain and Portugal are both Schengen signatories so I don't think you need to show a passport (just I.D.) to cross the border betweenthem.
The UK (and Ireland) decided they didn't want free borders with everyone else and opted out of the treaty - which is why brits have to show a passport when travelling in europe whereas other country's citizens don't have to.
I did once, get into the wrong queue at a spanish airport nd got mixed up with a flight from a "proper" E.U. country - just walked straight through immigration with no checks, right off the plane into baggage reclaim.

chrismortley

We have had our passports checked on the Portuguese side of the ferry crossing ,BUT it was when Portugal was holding the European Cup football championship & I think they were looking for undesirables (but I managed to slip through)
I think you would be very unlucky to have problems with the young lad unless of course God forbid the authorities were actively looking for a child.
If you are an adult & especially when driving it makes sense & allot less hassle to carry ID when in any foreign country

TheLostPhotographer

This basically. It's a bit arbitrary IME.

There are plenty of routes into Portugal from Spain with no border check, but by law, you do have to carry a recognised form of ID.

Veleta

I used to live in Spain but work in Portugal so did that crossing umpteen times a month. At the time I didn't know the UK hadn't signed the Schengen agreement and assumed that we were treated the same as other europeans, so I NEVER took my passport with me.

Fortunately that crossing is unmanned 99% of the time and you usually just fly across without having to stop.

As mentioned before, the Spanish kid just needs his ID card but you Brits ought to take passports....just in case.

dmu

Is the Spanish friend over 18? If so, no problem as he'll have his ID card.

If he's a minor, he may have to have official permission to leave the Territory without his parents. This is what happens in France, anyway, (to prevent kidnapping, running away from home and country, etc..) and the document is simply obtained at the local Town Hall and signed by both parents. The regulations might be different in Spain, but check on that aspect, otherwise he might be stopped at the frontier even if he has got an ID card....

Sharon B

Believe it or not we have travelled with children of numerous nationalities across the border and have never been questioned about the children (even when obviously not ours). Scary as that is, we have been stop checked on a number of times over the years and on only one occasion been requested for the childrens ID.

jdr

The Spanish go into Gibralter with only an ID card , so I would assume PT would be no problem.

Dxf

Hi

I live by Cadiz and travel across to the Algarve sometimes. I drive from Seville to Huelva and just keep going; I have no seen anyone get checked. I have been stopped in Portugal (spot check) and after they saw my driving licence, and car docs, I was waved on (and even saluted)!!!!

SO yes take ID for everyone in the party and your car docs.

PS I asked my local insurer about insurance & Yes I am covered

Davexf

rachelk

I went to portugal on a bus from spain and wasn't asked for ID of any kind. I suoppose that doesn't guarantee it won't happen though.

lynnxa

They go to the UK with one too

jdr

Well that`s interesting, I thought that everyone needed a passport to get in there.

Fred James

No, an ID card is OK.

The UK is not a party to the Schengen agreement which means that they have border controls. A Spanish ID is acceptable.

From earlier posts some people think that Brits have to carry passports because Britain is not a Schengen country - that's irrelevant. The reason we have to carry passports is because we don't have ID cards.