At y base, we have what they call "Zaryu Card" or Resident card in English.

As a foreigner, you must always have it handy because it confirms your status in the country.

Failure to not have it one you will attract a FINE.

Long story short, It is imperative to have a document that confirms your status in a country thats not yours.

Passport etc.

Pidgin2:
You don't know what freedom is until you lose it

Hmmm, I've been reflecting on the concept of 'Freedom' for a while, that's certainly a way of looking at this situation Nice!

Evaberry:
lol




Most nairalanders don't know what a passport is neither do they have one.

Ah well, the post is targeted to those who do AND/OR are planning to.

Also, we are making progress. Gradually

DickDastardLION:
trash

The post? Or my experience? Even trash gets recycled so I am fairly certain there is some value here

ip2121918021:


Freedom is being able to travel across 26 European countries without a visa.

This is the best comment on this thread. I hail!!!

eluquenson:
Thanks for sharing

I was happy to. I hope you found it useful.

Akanbibabatunde:
^{Just how a friend was detained for 8hours in Paris for not having an I D} ....

chatmate:
my own expr

This happened to me in Poland, for about 15min I was with a polish girl and with other naija friend by train station, then, I was with my dutch permit study card.. and they wanted to go home with me, but I refused lol, (HOME KE LOL OMO NA WAHALA B DAT O) they started speaking polish to the girl, the girl was pissed and shouted at them, the police asked her to be polite later they had to leave and I was just laughing. hahaha...


For sure this happen to me every time i fly within the European zones, your permit is not enough. !!!

abeg can I travel without visa to ireland anyone? with just study permit..(make dem no send person back to 9ja o lol)

Haha, funny experience. Sorry I don't know about Ireland

ipobarecriminals:
God bless u for ur gentleman attitude not like we dey do back home,brag%fight with Niagra police(some of them are cursed with bribe/thieves) when stopped. We began to speak in unknown tongue(mixed grammar with pidgin)bring out phone and kal a Ghost superior just to xcape delay.

Home is the best

successinlife:
It is legal for police in shenghen states to ask for your identity,resident card or your passport as a student or visitor,note-all shenghen citizens move around with their identification card for so many reasons,one is in case of disaster/danger for fast and easy identification that would help to administer the first aid and onward treatment should it be grave,like cardiac arrest or when blood is needed to easily know your medical history and blood group.It should also be noted that criminals are easily trapped and arrested because of regular crime database,psychiatric cases are not also left out.All these are just to protect the citizenry,nationals and foreigners inclusive.

USA and Nigeria do not follow this system of policing and this is why these two countries may not ask for passports or identificattion.UK is an exception because they do not have identity as well but mere giving your name and date of birth all is known about the person in few minutes though i am not 100% on how UK policing works but i have been asked and giving my data helped to let me off,i was only asked to tell them the day i came into the country,which i gave and parents name was also asked.I think should there be any discrepancy,i would have been held.

My advise,criminals prefer staying in small towns because they think the police control there is not much,hence the police work at random and may stop anybody to ask for identity,this they do to their citizens too,it is not racism and i think it is for our safety.

About asking for assistance in English where English is not their language,it is a loto game,I will not blame a Czechs for not speaking english,
just as i will not blame a Nigerian that doesn't speak french in Ibadan/Enugu or Kano.Every nation is proud of their languages.Learn the basics or have a translation devise handy if you find yourself in a country you don't understand their language.

A most valuable contribution to the conversation. Thank you!

Chivasex:
painfully enough, that is the way things are in the fucking EU states.

I was in Holland on a visit so went across to visit some ladies. We went out to have a drink in some corner cafe during the day, say about 3:45 pm. When we were don drinking I decided to walk back to my hotel and had to cross a small road to the other side of the walk way home. This was in Hague.

I got to the traffic light and hot the buzzer and was waiting for green light to walk across. Suddenly I say about 2 white guys walk past me and through the lights while still red although there was no oncoming vehicle, then I decided to go across too, this was about 6pm now. Immediately I crossed the cops pulled up and started asking me all sort of questions that never made sense meanwhile the other guys were still with sight and were walking on the side walk.

I did not response and was still going when one of the pulled his gun on me and I got furious. They asked for my passport, I told them I dont have, they asked me where I was staying at and I told them, they asked for an ID and I gave them my Texas drivers license and at the point I was speaking with some strong texas accent.

They gave me back my drivers license and they left.

The truth is as long as you are black they will always want to Bleep with you.

Wow, really interesting. Sorry it's a bit funny with the Texas accent though

Thanks for sharing

olaboy1:
Do you have your student visa as a stamp on your passport or it's a card?
The police of course can stop anyone at any time for questioning and their is really not much you can do about that.
Within the Shengen zone you must hold an acceptable form of identification even to get into the clubs and most times they are driver license issued by any of the EU countries or national passport, you should be happy the Nigerian passport is still acceptable because some years ago you couldn't use a Somalian passport as a form of identification.

Your attitude with the police was the best as someone on a student visa, you don't want to spend your study time pursuing some fruitless court cases against the police or government except you are a permanent resident.

Final advice, if you plan on staying permanently in Europe then avoid police confrontation as much as possible as everything here is documented, if you are stopped on a routine check make sure you are at your best manner and put up some smile, be respectful to the police as they have a hand held device that they can enter information of all that transpired from that stop against your passport number, car reg or personal identification number if you have one.

I had a friend that was stopped in the UK many years ago when he was driving on a visit there, he returned back to Shengen and applied for student renewal like 2 times/2 years consecutively with no issues, but on a 3rd renewal or so the UK and Shengen started sharing Shengen information and what transpired at that random traffic stop in the UK got him deported from Shengen zone.

Just wow!

Okwute001:
Bro, firstly, we thank God for you. Because if you hadn't remained calm and obeyed them, who knows? It might have been a different story. Again, this is why I keep saying that I will remain in my country no matter what. What if these people had hurt you. Nobody would have known the full story because there is no way they will tell the truth with you being a foreigner. All the same, my people una don hear. He who has ear, let him hear!!!

Well, such trifles shouldn't stop us from exploring the world God has given us. Please do endeavour to travel and learn something and come back to help home with it.

Just my thinking.

sesther:
Thanks for this information.
can I chat with you personally pls? Thanks

I PMed

DICKtator:
Wait!

Lithuania?

Wtf are you studying there?
Do you intend staying back or you gonna come home with the degree?

You have no idea how many times I am asked the bolded.

I do intend to come home at some point No where is better, except Singapore

joinnow:
They could not speak fluent English but the instruction was clear: ‘Passport’, ‘car’, ‘hotel’.

My version
Always passport carry

I believe you

EgunMogaji:
It's common sense really.

Here in the US, you're required to

1) have state issued identification

2) residence card or passport if a foreigner

You were under arrest and you were going to not go with them?

Modify your social behavior to comply with local laws. If not for your safety but as an ambassador to the black race.

Sir, this has nothing to do with ambassadorship of any race or country.
And I was NOT under arrest, the police wanted to prove my identity.

Finally, my behaviour is fine, on the other hand, I am a bit worried about your reading skills

bezimo:


I would disagree to always carry your passport around, your experience must have been an isolated case, off course due to racist Hungary police.Those eastern European countries are typically racist to blacks.

I lived in one of the Schengen states for 2 years during my Masters studies and offcourse travelled to other Schengen states but at no time was I ever asked by the police for my passport when in those Schengen countries. I only presented my passport at the Airport when entering or exiting. This was between 2012-2014. So your experience though unfortunate cannot be generalised.

Hardly unfortunate, more educational. If it can happen once, it can happen again. And I make no efforts at generalisation, only to share and recommend.

Artorius:


Sir, this has nothing to do with ambassadorship of any race or country.
And I was NOT under arrest, the police wanted to prove my identity.

Finally, my behaviour is fine, on the other hand, I am a bit worried about your reading skills

I am outstandingly worried about your upbringing if you're unable to grasp simple rules of law.

Your behavior is deplorable and an injustice to law abiding travelers.

You're a waste.

And please don't butter me up with your silly salutes, I can see through thing veil.

You were under arrest/detainment until you proved your identity.

It's s shame that hard workings LEO have to waste their time with dolts like you.

EgunMogaji:


I am outstandingly worried about your upbringing if you're unable to grasp simple rules of law.

Your behavior is deplorable and an injustice to law abiding travelers.

You're a waste.

And please don't butter me up with your silly salutes, I can see through thing veil.

You were under arrest/detainment until you proved your identity.


It's s shame that hard workings LEO have to waste their time with dolts like you.

Pray, educate me. What law did I break? An EU law? Please cite it, so that I and other travelers who do not abide by said 'law' can learn from you who are well educated in matters of 'law'.

Artorius:


Pray, educate me. What law did I break? An EU law? Please cite it, so that I and other travelers who do not abide by said 'law' can learn from you who are well educated in matters of 'law'.

It's not my job or duty to educate you.

I'm sure the EU police will eventually orient you.

EgunMogaji:


It's not my job or duty to educate you.

I'm sure the EU police will eventually orient you.

You cannot give what you do not have

Let me give you something I have. A detention is NOT an arrest.
https://criminal-law.freeadvice.com/criminal-law/arrests_and_searches/arrest-detention.htm

Apparently, your deficient reading skills make for incomplete or unsystematized knowledge. Please repent

Artorius:


You cannot give what you do not have

Let me give you something I have. A detention is NOT an arrest.
https://criminal-law.freeadvice.com/criminal-law/arrests_and_searches/arrest-detention.htm

Apparently, your deficient reading skills make for incomplete or unsystematized knowledge. Please repent

There's nothing you have that I need or that can be useful for me. If you noticed, I didn't even quote you but posted in general.

Many on this thread have already said more and I can't help you any further.

It's not of any benefit to me if you understand or not as you can't help a wasted brain.

You're inconsequential.

EgunMogaji:


There's nothing you have that I need or that can be useful for me. If you noticed, I didn't even quote you but posted in general.

Many on this thread have already said more and I can't help you any further.

It's not of any benefit to me if you understand or not as you can't help a wasted brain.

You're inconsequential.

Argumentum Ad Hominem. Your approach from the beginning which is typical of your kind.

Run along, I meant no offence. I merely pointed out that your slur on my 'social behavior' had no substance Thanks for the chat

Artorius:


Argumentum Ad Hominem. Your approach from the beginning which is typical of your kind.

Run along, I meant no offence. I merely pointed out that your slur on my 'social behavior' had no substance Thanks for the chat

It wasn't a chat. I never take offense at dimwits because they can't help themselves. This is why they break common sense laws all over the world

And you can never ever have the wherewithal to dismiss someone of my caliber.

Now, you can tuck tail like the runt that you are though

Artorius:


Well, such trifles shouldn't stop us from exploring the world God has given us. Please do endeavour to travel and learn something and come back to help home with it.

Just my thinking.

chief, I think you should read my comments before you respond.. I have seen the world my friend. And I am still touring..

Okwute001:
chief, I think you should read my comments before you respond.. I have seen the world my friend. And I am still touring..

Oh true. I understand that you are a seasoned traveller, I was only making a general comment for all readers

If you ever find the time, it would be nice to share an experience that all of us can learn from. People like me just start to learn the work, so I'll prefer to be forewarned

Most of the comments on this thread are hilarious, and they are borne out of ignorance.

There is no law that says an immigrant must carry his/her residency documents on his person all the time. Immigration doesn't need to physically see your residency documents in order to identify you, they can do so using only your name and date of birth. It seems most people on this thread keep on saying that an immigrants has to have his/her travel documents on him in case he/she gets asked for it, that's a completely ignorant view. Everyone legally in a country have all their data in a centralized database which is accessible if their identity needs to be verified, law enforcement doesn't need to see your documents to identify you. Your name and date of birth will suffice.

It's ridiculous for anyone to always carry residency documents around for no reason, and it's totally unnecessary.

claremont:
Most of the comments on this thread are hilarious, and they are borne out of ignorance.

There is no law that says an immigrant must carry his/her residency documents on his person all the time. Immigration doesn't need to physically see your residency documents in order to identify you, they can do so using only your name and date of birth. It seems most people on this thread keep on saying that an immigrants has to have his/her travel documents on him in case he/she gets asked for it, that's a completely ignorant view. Everyone legally in a country have all their data in a centralized database which is accessible if their identity needs to be verified, law enforcement doesn't need to see your documents to identify you. Your name and date of birth will suffice.

It's ridiculous for anyone to always carry residency documents around for no reason, and it's totally unnecessary.

Absolutely spot on Thanks for contributing although I fear some will come barking

claremont:
Most of the comments on this thread are hilarious, and they are borne out of ignorance.

There is no law that says an immigrant must carry his/her residency documents on his person all the time. Immigration doesn't need to physically see your residency documents in order to identify you, they can do so using only your name and date of birth. It seems most people on this thread keep on saying that an immigrants has to have his/her travel documents on him in case he/she gets asked for it, that's a completely ignorant view. Everyone legally in a country have all their data in a centralized database which is accessible if their identity needs to be verified, law enforcement doesn't need to see your documents to identify you. Your name and date of birth will suffice.

It's ridiculous for anyone to always carry residency documents around for no reason, and it's totally unnecessary.

spot on.

Artorius:


Haha, funny experience. Sorry I don't know about Ireland

You need a visa to Ireland. It's not part of Schengen member.

I did without visa.

thx

Artorius:


Haha, funny experience. Sorry I don't know about Ireland