My ID expired a few months ago and I just booked an appointment at the police station, but it's not until three weeks from now. I wanted to go to Lisbon next weekend with some colleagues. Will they let me through at the border or do I absolutely need to bring my passport?
What nobody mentions is that although technically within Schengen you're not supposed to be able to enter with an expired ID, the reality at land borders is way more relaxed - they often don't even stop you.
But here's the important part: if they do stop you and you're not carrying anything valid, they'll send you right back without any questions asked, and then you have to explain why you weren't carrying documentation.
If you have a passport, just use that and you're done, problem solved. If you don't have a passport, your only realistic option is to wait until you get the appointment first, because gambling with an expired ID is risky, even though plenty of people have done it without issues.
Do you have a valid passport or some other ID document that's current? Because it's crystal clear: with an expired ID they won't let you cross the border into Portugal, even if you have an appointment to renew it. The authorities don't do "almost almost" 😅 You absolutely need a valid ID document. If you have a passport and it's in order, that's your lifeline for your trip next weekend.
If you don't have a passport, you've got a couple of options. One is to try to move up your appointment at the police station (sometimes there are cancellations or you call directly and get lucky), but honestly with three weeks to go and it being Friday, I don't see it happening. The other is just to postpone your trip to Lisbon until you have your ID renewed - I mean, Portugal isn't going anywhere 😄 I've seen people try to get through with expired documents and it's just denial after denial at the checkpoint. It's not worth the hassle at the border.
It's not as straightforward as it sounds. The reality is it depends on a lot of factors, starting with whether you have a valid passport or some other document that works. Portugal is within the Schengen area, so technically border controls are more relaxed than they were years ago, but that doesn't mean you can cross without valid documentation. An expired ID officially won't work, that much is clear, but the thing is that border police are often more flexible than you'd expect, especially if they see you're in the process of renewing. That said, it's a risk I wouldn't take myself.
What I'd recommend is calling the police station where you booked the appointment directly and explaining the situation. Sometimes they'll give you an emergency appointment if you give them context, or in the worst case they'll give you a temporary receipt that does work for travel. If you can't get anything like that, get your passport if you have one, even if it expired not that long ago - with an expired passport the controls are way more lenient than with an ID. And if you don't have a valid passport, honestly, postpone the trip. It's not worth spending the whole week in Lisbon stressed out about being turned back at the border. There are plenty of weekends coming up.
Do you have a passport available or some other valid document? Because look, even though some say land borders are lax, it's not a risk worth taking if you're traveling next weekend. The police station needs three weeks, so if you don't have your passport in order right now, you'll probably have to postpone your trip to Lisbon until after you renew your ID.
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