Freedom of movement in the EU - what is the purpose of your visit?

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When you're asked a question, you give more information to a trained examiner than simply what's in your answer. Your tone of voice, degree of eye contact, your body language and facial expressions, how long you take to give an answer: all these and more communicate information. El Al famously extensively train their security personnel to pick up on and correlate all this other data; various customs and border services around the world try, and to varying degrees succeed.

So don't get hung up on the idea that you're being asked a question just because they want to know the answer. Sure, what you say will be of interest to the border guard, but what else you communicate while answering will be of interest also. They're trying to identify people using fake credentials, people entering with the intention of committing crimes, people impersonating other people, and the like, and asking a few simple factual questions gives such people a chance to give themselves away.

You do, as you point out, have a qualified treaty right to enter Bulgaria as an EU Citizen. So you could perfectly happily give anodyne and content-free answers if you wanted: I'm just coming to see Bulgaria, I don't have any particular plans, I don't really know where I'll be staying, etc. You may find your questioning is more prolonged than those who are prepared to answer in detail, but at the end of the day you are an EU Citizen, and your bona fides are in order, so they need a good reason not to admit you, and you're not obliged to provide them with one.

Upvote:0

Immigration Officers have to establish that the ID card/passport is a genuine document (not forged or counterfeit) and that the person presenting it is the rightful holder of that document (not an impostor).Tech equipment goes a long way but a conversation with the passenger helps to establish credibility. For example an Officer may ask a few clarifying questions if encountering an 18 year old with long hair and a full beard presenting a passport whose passport photo was taken 5 years earlier when they were a baby-faced school boy with a crew cut. The Officer may ask if the passenger has more recent photo ID such as a driving licence. In respect of intra-EU travelers,these actions are not to impede free movement but to ensure that the person facing the Officer is the person who is entitled to free movement by virtue of presenting a genuine document, of which they are the rightful holder.

Upvote:10

Freedom of movement does not imply freedom from immigration inspection. The border agent may ask you whatever they want, including nothing at all. Freedom of movement is about the right to travel to, live and work in another member state without the administrative issues of visas and work permits, etc.

Freedom of movement is not absolute, either. If you are deemed a risk to public safety or public health, you may be refused entry.

This is common. As an Irish citizen entering Ireland I am often asked where I went and what I did there.

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