Do I need a passport travelling within Schengen through Kyiv?

3/25/2017 1:23:53 AM

Old post, but will answer anyway: the outbound trip (HEL-KBP-LCA) is not doable with a Finnish ID Card, whereas the return trip (LCA-KBP-HEL) is

Why? The answer is that Finnish border guards won’t allow Finnish citizens to board a plane to a country located outside both the EU and Schengen (in this case Ukraine). This is due to Finnish law, which states Finnish ID cards are only valid in the EU and Schengen. Meaning: although the CEFTA states and Georgia would let you in, and Ukraine would let you transit airside, Finnish border guards wouldn’t let you board a direct flight to these destinations.

We have the same kind of law in Sweden for Swedish citizens, so back when I still lived at home I’d always book outbound flights to Belgrade/Pristina/Skopje via Copenhagen or Oslo rather than flying direct.

One option, if in this situation, is to book a fully refundable ticket to a non-Schengen EU country, print out the boarding pass and cancel the booking. Then you can tell immigration you’re going to your “fake” destination, and (if requested) show the “fake” boarding pass. Did this at ARN as a Swede in December 2016 with success

9/23/2015 3:53:53 PM

Someone at Ukraine International Airlines obviously knows about a rule that allows you to undertake this trip with your national ID card. The response appears to be quite official, so you should be fine. However:

Is there a possibility that at one of these three airports someone denies me boarding to a plane that’s going to or leaving Boryspil, even though my destination and original departing country are within EU and/or Schengen Area?

Of course. Anything is possible. In particular, it is possible that the person checking you in, or accepting your boarding pass at the gate, is unfamiliar with this rule. This would be more likely if that person is not an employee of Ukraine International Airlines, which in turn is more likely at the Helsinki or Cyprus airport.

To mitigate the risk associated with that possibility, bring a copy of the answer you received from the airline, so you can show it if anyone tries to deny boarding.

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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