Do they check passports on trains in Europe? Mostly no. This is because most European countries are in the Schengen area.
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No, there is no customs or border check. You won't even know that you have crossed the border unless you happen to notice that station signs are in a different language. If you are travelling entirely within the EU you won't have your passports checked and consequently won't have them collected.
A passport issued by an EU/EEA country will not be stamped on entry to another EU/EEA country. A passport issued by a non-EU/EEA country (United States, Australia, India ... ) will be stamped on entry to the Schengen Area (e.g. when you travel on the Eurostar from UK to France).
Be sure immigration officials stamp your passport upon entering the Schengen area and again when you exit. Carry your passport with you when traveling to other countries in the Schengen area in case officials reinstate internal borders without notice.
It is less and less frequent to see a stamp in the passport to the United States, so it is more common to hear immigrants questioning it. Why didn't they stamp my passport when I entered the United States? The reason is because everything is becoming more digitized and so many paper processes are no longer required.
Entering or leaving the Schengen Area, or between other countries there are ID (passport) checks. Usually these are done on the train, you do not have to get off the train. The Eurostar between London and Paris / Brussels is a special case. Passports are checked before getting on the train, both exit and entry checks.
The train will stop at the last station before a border and/or the first station after a border.Border control staff will then board and pass through the train, before it leaves the station.
The Schengen area comprises 27 European countries. There is normally no passport control on the borders between these countries. If you have a valid visa or residence permit in one of these countries, you can also visit the other Schengen countries.
From November passport holders will no longer have their passports stamped as the process becomes digitised. Following Brexit UK holidaymakers have been required to have their passports stamped whenever they've entered or left the Schengen Area.
ID DocumentsTo travel on Eurostar you need either a valid passport or a national identity card (EEA citizens and Swiss nationals). Babies and children must have their own valid travel documents.
If everything is running like clockwork, however, you have absolutely nothing to lose by asking politely for an official stamp. More often than not, the officer will be happy to give you one and you'll have an extra memory to take away from your travels. It can even work in places where there isn't immigration.