Can't find my passport do I need it to travel from Poland to Czech Rep.?

I am an American. I have my drivers license from the US but can't find my Passport. My flight is tomorrow. Do I need a pasport if it's all in the E.U.?

Yep. I'm from an EU country and I require my passport each time I travel to any other EU country.

As a Polish citizen, I only need an identity card to travel within the EU (though I may still show my passport to them instead). I'm not sure, however, if you need a passport for travelling within the Schengen zone (Czech Republic) once you have already entered the zone (Poland). I think it is the zone that matters here rather than the territory of the EU itself (these are not the same). In the Schengen zone, all passport control is abandoned, though customs control may still be carried on).

Yep. You're obliged to carry identity documents when crossing an internal Schengen frontier - so you'll need it. They may not ask you for it in the airport (although many airlines are!) - but random frontier checks can still be imposed at any time, provided they're not systematic in nature. You can also be stopped at any time in the street and checked, so unless you've got a valid EU travel document, you'll need to carry your passport.

I'm not sure what other Polish airports are doing, but in Poznan-Lawica, you have to have a valid identity document to access the departure lounge, even if you're only travelling intra-Schengen.

Would my US driver's license suffice as a document, or do I need proof of residency?

no I dont think so as non-US citizens can get drivers licenses... you need a passport or Polish ID card

I think you need the passport, because the border code explictly states that you can only cross while possessing a valid identity document - which will restrict you to a passport or a EU national ID card. The residence ID card isn't enough, as it's only valid in conjunction with your passport.

I shall ask with your airline or read it in the regulations concerning their air tickets as it is the airline who checks your identification when boarding a plane.

The airlines, however, have to follow international regulations and I'm afraid he cannot count on his luck and charm (some nice lady, enchanted with WarsawNoob's smile, letting him board the plane without a passport).

You could travel by land without a passport as the probability of border control is quite low (no more checkpoints), but on international flights it will be close to impossible.

And I read somewhere that the driver's licenses (American or European) are NOT considered ID cards for the purposes of border crossing or even personal identification abroad, so you need your passport even in Poland when the police has any questions to you.

Actually, I don't think the airline is obliged to check. The low cost airlines do so in order to prevent people from passing tickets onto someone else - and all carriers to the UK will check because of the threat of a 2000 pound fine for bringing someone to the UK without the correct documents. But apart from that, they're under no obligation to actually check when intra-Schengen as far as I'm aware?


They aren't, but for the purpose of identification when within a country, they're good enough.

That's what I thought. Identification is somewhat different than regular passport control, therefore it's best to check with the airline.