They do not check every car or person but there are boarder guards and they can stop whoever they want to.
Nothing like the old days when I visited from the US to communist Hungary, now that was a check!
When I was on a train going from Amsterdam to Brussels, no.
When I was on a train going between Slovenia and Croatia - Yes
When I was on a bus going down the Croatia coast, there is a section of another country you cross...Montanegro or something similar and yes we got checked.
When I was on a bus going from Croatia to Italy I got checked and on the train between Italy and Slovenia I got checked.
So it depends.
It depends which countries you want to enter an from where. The UK immigration will want to see your passport and visa to allow you entry.
There is a difference between a Schengen zone, EU and Europe. Look it up.
usually no... but there are exceptions... sometimes before a political event or a football match....
Read UP about SCHENGEN maybe which does NOT, as some here seem to imply, COVER THE WHOLE EU......Between France and Germany there are NO CONTROLS..If however left Schengen (which also includes some countries NOT IN THE EU.(.Switzerland & Norway..) to go to THE UK and The Republic of Ireland..which ARE IN EU, but NOT SCHENGEN, then there are.....and these two have different visa requirements which can vary.....Arrivals by ferry are asked if British,Irish or other...If cross land border between Northern Ireland(UK) and the republic the border is an open one but visas etc are responsibility of the traveller.....For example a citizen of South Africa needs NO visa for ROI, but does for UK...
Within SCHENGEN you are expected to have docs to hand if crossing the border....We lived for a while near the France,Germany,Swiss border and always had the docs, in the glove box, as could cross borders several times a day.....Within the COMMON TRAVEL AREA of UK,ROI and British Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man & Channel Isles) NON Irish or British are expected to show passports as requested, when travel between the British parts and the Republic of Ireland, & check have relevant UK or Irish visa ,as required, even though MOST airlines do expect a valid passport from ALL these days....
I have never had to show my passport when driving or taking the train within the EU. I did not have to show it entering switzerland or czech republic either.
I have never had to get a Visa as I have an American Passport. Most countries in the EU don't require one if you are staying less then 90 days.
In Italy, while driving, we were stopped at a road check once, well inland and not near a border. When they saw we were Americans, and not drunk, they waved us through without a problem. It was a little freaky having guys with automatic weapons and no English pulling us over.
Sometimes thay do, but not always. If you take a night train from Italy to France the conductor will collect your passport and then show it to agents who board the train at night. I've also had my passport checked on trains from Italy to Austria. There are not formal border controls but immigation agents can and sometimes do check documents. In Italy, the carabinieri will have checkpoints set up at random points and require that you show your documents. It doesn't happen all that often, but it can.
Italy to France - no. As long as you are traveling between EU countries there are no checks. Even agreement countries such as Switzerland no longer check if you are coming from an EU country.
I'm an American who flew from Rome to Paris with my grandson and never had to show anything.
