Can I drive from Belgium to Sweden without a valid Schengen visa?

Can I drive from Belgium to Sweden without a valid Schengen visa? - Photo of Two Highway Tunnels in Cliff Under Cloudy Sky

I promised my girlfriend to take her to see the Northern Lights. We live in Belgium and because of the visa application, she cannot leave the country for 6 months... We already drove to France, Germany, and The Netherlands and as expected, there was no visa check, so it went without problems.

However I never drove to Denmark or Sweden, so I don't know if things are different there. I know there are some bridge crossings and I worry it has some kind of border control.

Does anyone know anything about this?



Best Answer

I know this isn't exactly what you're asking, but the optimal solution is to receive a temporary Schengen visa from the Belgian authorities that would allow her to travel within the Schengen area without worrying about spot checks. AFAIK all Schengen countries can issue one for the duration of the residency permit processing period, as they don't want people stuck in the country for an indefinite amount of time. For example, Czech authorities call this visa sticker a "Bridging label".

I have asked a separate question here on how to obtain such a visa sticker from the Belgian authorities.




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Where can you travel in Europe without Schengen visa?

Which countries are not part of Schengen Visa area?
  • Bulgaria.
  • Romania.
  • Croatia.
  • Cyprus.
  • Ireland.
  • United Kingdom.


Can I travel to Sweden with EU ID card?

For EU citizens:You'll need a valid national identity card or passport when entering Sweden from another Schengen EU country. A driving licence don't qualify as a travel document and we recommend that you bring your passport in case you will need to prove your identity.

Do you need a Schengen visa for Sweden?

If you have a valid residence permit issued by another Schengen country, you do not need to apply for an entry visa to visit Sweden for less than 90 days. Countries whose citizens need a visa to enter Sweden. The visa is most often valid for entry into all Schengen countries.

Does Belgium require Schengen visa?

When traveling to Belgium, you will need a Schengen Visa if you are a citizen of a non-Schengen country without a visa-free travel agreement with the area, or if you have been refused for visa-free travel. Those wishing to work or study for longer than 90 days will also require a Belgian work or study visa.



I WENT TO GERMANY SWEDEN AND BELGIUM/ HOW TO APPLY FOR SCHENGEN VISA NO AGENT / MY EXPERIENCE THERE




More answers regarding can I drive from Belgium to Sweden without a valid Schengen visa?

Answer 2

Sweden suspended Schengen automatic freedom of movement between Denmark and Sweden in January 2016, and then partially lifted that suspension in May 2017.

However, they still require ID and proof of eligibility to enter Sweden, which is established on arrival at the Swedish side of the border (previous restrictions required checks before travellers left Denmark).

These checks were prolonged in November 2017.

I wouldn't risk it.

Answer 3

Denmark has spot checks at its land border and ports, but these are quite rare (although as mentioned in a comment, they are reportedly becoming more frequent).

As for Sweden, they stop almost all buses at the Öresund bridge, and perform checks on selected cars (though most are waved through).

The best bet would be to either:

  1. take the Helsingör-Helsingborg ferry or a ferry from Travemünde or Sassnitz to Trelleborg. At the ports of Helsingborg and Trelleborg, few cars are stopped.

  2. (safest) Fly on a non-low-cost airline to Sweden (such as Brussels airlines to Bromma), and with only hand luggage. There won't be any border checks, and at the gate the boarding pass is normally enough, or sometimes they may look at the passport ID page to identify you as the ticket holder

Answer 4

When I crossed the bridge from Copenhagen (Denmark) to Malmo (Sweden) on my car with Russian number plates in 2015, I was stopped at the Swedish side and we had to show our passports, tell the officer our purpose of the visit, plans for the trip, etc.

So the border checks are definitely real. Probably if your number plates are from one of neighboring countries, you have much less chance to be stopped, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

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