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A Frenchman tried to smuggle his Russian wife into the European Union by hiding her in a massive suitcase, without realising there had been no need for the would-be James Bond scheme.

Poland's border guards detained the man, who authorities said was in his 60s, on Friday at the railway station in Terespol, an eastern town on the border with Belarus.

The size of the luggage drew the suspicion of the officers, according to border guard spokesman Dariusz Sienicki.

"To their surprise, a woman in her 30s emerged. It was the Russian wife of the owner of the suitcase," he said.

"She was alive and well and didn't require medical attention."

The couple, who had been taking the train from Moscow to the French city of Nice, were soon released after questioning and decided to return to Belarus.

Little did they know the woman would have had no trouble entering the passport-free Schengen travel zone without the over-the-top caper.

"Had she been sitting next to her husband, she would have made it through without incident," Sienicki said.

Non-EU citizen spouses are allowed to enter if they can prove their marital ties, so that families can stay together.

Instead the couple had risked "a three-year jail sentence because of their attempt to evade border control," he added.

"This was the first time I've seen someone travel like this. She very well could have been a victim of human trafficking."

AFP