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Help please! Getting back to Poland on an old ID.


posts: 13

donlou31Threads: 1
Posts: 38
Joined: Mar 30, 10 ♀ 		Edited by: Moderator  Aug 2, 10, 13:14    #1
Hi, can anyone give any advice please,
My polish boyfriend needs to get home from uk very quickly for a family funeral but.....his passport expired around one year ago and he does not have a up to date Dowód osobisty. He has not been back to Poland for years and obviously had no plans to do so soon or he would have re-applied for his passport.
We need to know if he can travel with his old polish I.D...just to get there then he will update while we are in Warsaw. We plan to go dover-calais then through Germany then into Poland....has anyone done this before with old ID and did they have problems?
We contacted the Polish embassy and explained the situation but he cant even get an appointment until after the funeral!!! which obviously is not good
any other suggestions will be good :)
pgtxThreads: 49
Posts: 6,327
Joined: Feb 14, 09  Gold Member MEMBER ♀ 		 Aug 2, 10, 15:39    #2
donlou31:
We contacted the Polish embassy and explained the situation but he cant even get an appointment until after the funeral!!! which obviously is not good
any other suggestions will be good :)

i'm sure the consulate or the embassy will be more helpful then us here... good luck...
Wroclaw BoyThreads: 57
Posts: 5,470
Joined: Jul 3, 09  Pictures: 2  Gold Member MEMBER ♂ 		 Aug 2, 10, 15:43    #3
Cant he just travel on a PESEL? Ive heard Poles doing this, youll only have to show ID once when leaving the UK, unless the Police stop you of course.
enkiduThreads: 18
Posts: 983
Joined: Sep 23, 08 ♂ 		 Aug 2, 10, 15:45    #4
Well as far as I know - the old book-style dowód osobisty are not valid for some years now.
Plastic ones are ok.
He may apply in Polish Consulate for an emergency travel document. Don't call them. Just go to the consulate. The downside of this solution is that this document is one way only.
pgtxThreads: 49
Posts: 6,327
Joined: Feb 14, 09  Gold Member MEMBER ♀ 		 Aug 2, 10, 15:49    #5
in conclusion: keep your passport valid no matter what...
donlou31Threads: 1
Posts: 38
Joined: Mar 30, 10 ♀ 		 Aug 3, 10, 23:37    #6
in conclusion: keep your passport valid no matter what...

He really wishes he had now.

Thanks all for advice.
delphiandomineThreads: 42
Posts: 9,954
Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended] 		 Aug 6, 10, 17:18    #7
Wroclaw Boy:
Cant he just travel on a PESEL?


Nope. Not a valid travel document according to Schengen law.

In all likelihood, Polish border guards would let him in - but he wouldn't have a chance in hell of getting on the plane as the airlines aren't going to let him without a valid document.
OlafThreads: 8
Posts: 1,369
Joined: Oct 29, 09  Pictures: 1 ♂ 		 Aug 19, 10, 11:06    #8
Here's how it is:
1. old "dowód osobisty" - not good enough if it is not valid
2. outdated passport - you can come back on it. If I remember well it is even written on the passport!
plk123Threads: 30
Posts: 6,412
Joined: Aug 29, 07  Pictures: 2 ♂ 		Edited by: plk123  Aug 19, 10, 11:10    #9
Olaf:
2. outdated passport - you can come back on it. If I remember well it is even written on the passport!

yes but if one is crossing a border that will check it, the acceptance of such expired document is obviously up to them.

pgtx:
in conclusion: keep your passport valid

or don't plan on traveling..
delphiandomineThreads: 42
Posts: 9,954
Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended] 		 Aug 19, 10, 12:34    #10
plk123:
yes but if one is crossing a border that will check it, the acceptance of such expired document is obviously up to them.


It won't be accepted by the airlines, that much is certain. Most ferry companies won't accept it either, apart from where there are foreign border checks in the UK - such as at St Pancras International and Dover.
OlafThreads: 8
Posts: 1,369
Joined: Oct 29, 09  Pictures: 1 ♂ 		 Aug 19, 10, 13:11    #11
plk123:
the acceptance of such expired document is obviously up to them.

There may be a hassle, esp. in Ryanair or British Airlines. But if you have also some other valid ID it could work fine. Not always they check the expiry date too.
delphiandomineThreads: 42
Posts: 9,954
Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended] 		Edited by: delphiandomine  Aug 19, 10, 13:12    #12
Olaf:
There may be a hassle, esp. in Ryanair or British Airlines. But if you have also some other valid ID it could work fine. Not always they check the expiry date too.


No other ID is acceptable for flying with from the UK to elsewhere - just the passport or valid ID card. Nothing else.

Of course, another option is to visit the Polish embassy and get an emergency passport to get back - only valid to Poland, but it will get you home!
OlafThreads: 8
Posts: 1,369
Joined: Oct 29, 09  Pictures: 1 ♂ 		 Aug 19, 10, 13:17    #13
delphiandomine:
valid ID card

I wrote about a valid ID, didn't I.
Olaf:
But if you have also some other valid ID it could work fine.


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