81
votes
Accepted
I suspect my cellular carrier may be breaking the EU free roaming directive. What can I do about it?
No, your carrier is not breaking the policy : https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/internet-telecoms/mobile-roaming-costs/index_en.htm
Here are the relevant parts :
The limit is calculated ...
- 656
62
votes
Accepted
Does the GDPR entitle me to refuse to show my boarding pass at EU airport shops?
You can demand that explanation. In this explanation the shopkeeper/company will try to explain what they do with the data, how long they keep it, and why they think it is legal.
If it is legally ...
- 37.5k
51
votes
Accepted
I need to fly between two European countries once a month. What is the cheapest way to do it?
There is no truly practical discount card for regular flights in Europe that I am aware of. You are looking to fly often and this comes at a price. That being said, there is a number of tweaks where ...
- 26.4k
48
votes
Accepted
Am I entitled to compensation after flight delay due to aircraft problem blamed on a "hidden defect"?
In summary.
A special exception to the usual right to compensation was created by a recent ECJ judgment, where it considered hypothetically that ‘hidden manufacturing defects’ might be exceptional ...
- 37.3k
47
votes
Accepted
Can we use the "EU citizen only" lane when travelling by car with one non-EU passenger inside?
You are entitled to use that lane, not merely by car but also in airports, etc. as you are in fact covered by the EU freedom of movement (as the spouse of an EU citizen travelling with her).
The same ...
- 113k
46
votes
Accepted
French A roads, Spanish E- roads, Dutch E roads and German roads
Yes, there is such a system. The roads marked with a green label and letter E are marked in accordance with this system: E47 on the Denmark map is the European route 47, E1 on the Portugal map is the ...
- 6,976
41
votes
Can a non-EU citizen travel freely within the Schengen area without passport?
Schengen does not remove the requirement to have appropriate documentation when crossing borders (or even within a country). It only removes systematic checks at borders.
You can still have spot ...
- 89.7k
40
votes
Accepted
EU compensation - fire alarm at the Flight Crew's hotel
The courts (up to and including the European Court of Justice, which has the final say) have followed a slightly zig-zagging course in interpreting the "extraordinary circumstances" concept, so it is ...
40
votes
If denied entry to EU, what US city do they send me to?
Most of the time, if you are refused entry to a country, you will be sent back to the airport from which your flight to that country departed, usually on the same airline which carried you to that ...
- 62.5k
39
votes
Accepted
Auto/Manual transmissions in Europe
As a European, I would say that we definitely tend to drive manual cars way more than automatic, although automatic cars are becoming more common especially in city settings.
Compared to, let's say 10 ...
37
votes
Accepted
Why was I was allowed to bring 1.5 liters of liquid through security at Frankfurt Airport?
Frankfurt airport, like several others in Germany, has "C3 standard Explosive Detection Systems for Cabin Baggage" scanners which currently exempts the airport from needing to enforce the ...
- 4,094
34
votes
Accepted
Should a non-EU citizen always carry his/her passport in Germany?
When staying in Germany, you are by law required to be in the possession of a valid and recognized identification document, but not to carry it with you. This applies both to German citizens older ...
- 58.6k
33
votes
Accepted
Bringing whale meat in to the EU
The EU has banned all imports of whale products since 1982.
Penalties can include imprisonment and large fines.
Poland explicitly prohibits import by travellers of products of CITES species (no ...
- 5,132
32
votes
Accepted
What happens with your ticket if you are denied boarding due to a temperature check? (EU)
The question is indirectly touched upon in EU regulation No 261/2004 (the main regulation on compensation for missed or cancelled flights):
(j) "denied boarding" means a refusal to carry ...
- 113k
31
votes
Accepted
Traveling from Germany to other countries by train?
As long as you stay within the Schengen Area, you should be able to travel freely without any systematic passport checks, so in most cases, it looks exactly like domestic travel.
The Schengen Area is ...
- 89.7k
30
votes
Does the GDPR entitle me to refuse to show my boarding pass at EU airport shops?
Certainly, in the UK you can refuse. This has become common practice since the public found out the stores were pocketing the 20% sales tax savings with out sharing.
Here is a link to the British ...
- 605
30
votes
Accepted
Denied boarding apparently covered up as a delayed flight
TLDR: You were lucky to get your 300 Euros.
Here's what probably happened. 'Olorin' discovered a problem and thought they might have to delay your flight. They sent out a notice warning all ...
- 68.5k
28
votes
Traveling to Switzerland from the US with a transit in the Netherlands, what is the maximum amount of currency I may carry with me?
There seem to be two different things asked here. The question title is just, "Traveling to Switzerland from the US with a layover in the Netherlands, what is the maximum amount of currency I may ...
- 13.4k
28
votes
Wrongly got exit stamp from Schengen zone
There are visa types that have a limited amount of entries (usually 1 or 2) but you have a residence permit which does not have such a limit. Your residence permit allows you to leave and reenter the ...
- 906
27
votes
Accepted
VAT refund for a conference ticket in Sweden
According to the organizers, 'there is no VAT return for private citizens'.
This is a conclusive answer. VAT refunds are intended for things which will be exported from a country. For example, if you ...
- 17.7k
27
votes
Accepted
How to contact border authorities in EU/Schengen countries?
The competent bodies in each EU/Schengen state can be reached at the following e-mail addresses (mostly belonging to national departments, i.e. not a specific airport/crossing):
Austria: bmi-v-6@bmi....
27
votes
Auto/Manual transmissions in Europe
Is that the case in the rest of EU, or just a Spanish thing?
Percentage of cars with automatic transmission among 2018 sales (sales, not current fleet, and EVs are regarded as having automatic ...
- 59.6k
26
votes
If my non-stop flight is cancelled and I'm put on a slower indirect flight, am I entitled to compensation?
See https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm for an overview of the EU air passenger rights.
Layovers, by themselves, do not matter. But if the rerouting you're ...
26
votes
Accepted
Is there a limit on the number of a single item I can take with me on a plane?
The airline won't care and won't know, as long as you pack it all in a bag that meets its luggage requirements (weight/dimensions). That's also why they won't even publish guidelines and let you make ...
- 113k
24
votes
Can we use the "EU citizen only" lane when travelling by car with one non-EU passenger inside?
In addition to Relaxed's answer here are the relevant articles backing it:
Regulation 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code)
Article 2:
‘persons enjoying the right of free movement under Union law’ means:
(...
- 757
24
votes
Accepted
I am British, my children hold EU passports, which queue should we join at an EU airport?
You should have the right to go through the EU passport lane. This stems from the Schengen Borders Code article 10 (1) and article 2 (5)(a), read together with article 3 (2)(a) of directive 2004/38/EC....
- 113k
23
votes
Accepted
Buying goods online from Canada to EU is VAT free?
No, the CETA free trade agreement applies to duty/tarifs not VAT.
VAT is consumer tax and when you are the final consumer, you must pay that tax.
Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and ...
- 30.3k
23
votes
Bus failed to pick us up; must the operator refund our taxi fare?
This is a bit of a sensitive question. I believe there are some court cases (e.g. regarding maritime transportation) and sometimes divergent guidelines from national authorities but I am not familiar ...
- 113k
22
votes
Am I entitled to two compensations?
Am I entitled to two compensations, (1) one for the first cancellation and (2) one for the delay?
Most likely: yes. The law (link) is somewhat vague on the topic so this will have to be decided in ...
- 112k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible