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I am studying in France right now and am an Indian National. I am going to apply for a UK visa which will take 10 days at least, so my passport will be with them. Can I travel within the Schengen area during these 10 days with my International Student Identification Card (ISIC) as proof rather than passport?

Edit : I am mostly Travelling by train to Amsterdam. And mostly I will be getting some proof from UK embassy that my passport is with them. So is it sufficient to just carry a copy of passport and visa and my student ID?

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    The ISIC is not an acceptable ID consilium.europa.eu/prado/EN/prado-documents/fra/all/index.html but then again you might not need an ID depending on the form of travel. – chx Jan 23 '17 at 15:10
  • The exact requirements for foreigners to be in posession or bear id documents, and which id documents are recognized, is set by each Schengen member state. Transport operators may again have different requirements. I hardly doubt that your student id is recognized anywhere (be it by a Schengen member, nor any other official body), but there may be Schengen countries you can visit without a passport or perhaps with your French residence permit (titre de séjour card). – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo Jan 23 '17 at 16:36
  • Yes, the titre de séjour is listed on the PRADO page I linked above. – chx Jan 23 '17 at 21:08
  • Possible duplicate of Do I need to carry my passport while travelling within the Schengen area? – JonathanReez♦ Jan 24 '17 at 9:18
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    @DavidRicherby it doesn't matter if it's an ISIC card or a library card. Having a passport is required for all non-EEA nationals, period. – JonathanReez♦ Jan 24 '17 at 10:14
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Within the Netherlands all people 14 years and older are required to have an official ID and will have to show it on request by the police. There has to be a reason to ask for your passport but using public transport without a valid ticket, or when there is doubt about your ticket, is one of the reasons.

So NO, you can not travel to Amsterdam without your passport, you will be breaking the law, even when never asked for your passport.

Your student card will not be acceptable, not even for getting drinks in a bar, even less for the police.

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    Failing to have an ID is not itself an offense; see rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/paspoort-en-identiteitskaart/…. (In Dutch, there is a toonplicht, an obligation to produce the document, but no draagplicht, no obligation to carry it.) Therefore, "you will be breaking the law, even when never asked for your passport" is not correct. – phoog Jun 6 '18 at 18:37
  • That is hair splitting. If your passport is in France or handed in to get a visa, you can not show it when required. So at first you will be asked, then you can not show it within a reasonable time, next you may get a fine for not being able to show your passport (and can face being send to your home country for being in the country illegally.) I know most of the time things are not taken that far but it is possible. – Willeke♦ Jun 7 '18 at 16:10
  • "Hair splitting," perhaps. The practical implication of this distinction seems to be that police may not arbitrarily stop people solely for checking their IDs, which should decrease the chance that someone in this situation would get in trouble. My experience with the Amsterdam police also suggests that in practice they would likely let someone in OP's situation go with an informal warning, although my experience, as a white guy from the US, might not have much predictive value for an Indian. – phoog Jun 7 '18 at 16:34
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Travelling by air:

You usually won't need to provide any ID at all if:

  • You only have hand luggage, and;
  • You've checked in online or at a kiosk, and;
  • You're not flying on a low-cost carrier such as Ryanair, easyjet or Wizz Air, or a minor regional airline such as SmartWings

If having checked luggage, the bag drop staff may (or may not) accept your ISIC card only if you're not travelling on a carrier as mentioned above.

If travelling on a carrier as mentioned above, you will invariably need your passport.

Travelling by land:

When entering Denmark from Germany, Sweden from Denmark/Germany, Switzerland at any major crossing, or France/Germany from Switzerland, it is very possible you will face an internal border check (especially when going by bus). For this, you must present your passport and residence permit.

So if going to these countries, go by air.

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    FYI, because of the state of emergency, I've had to go through incoming and outgoing passport control when flying Schengen to Schengen (in France, where OP also is). If I were OP I would NOT try to leave France without my passport. – la femme cosmique Jan 24 '17 at 12:27

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