Because “including Spain, France and Greece” is a rather lacking description for 30 European countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
No. They’ll need to fill out a form online before they go. Europe is only requiring this because the US has forced similar bullshit on Europeans for years cos “terrorism”.
Even domestically, Americans hate this crap. No one likes the TSA. No one thinks they do a goddamned thing. It’s a massive invasion of privacy and a huge waste of money. And then we have this “Real ID” thing looming over us just to get on an airplane (again, for a domestic flight only).
You’d think we could unite against such a simple common enemy but apparently no one has the time. I guess politicians are worried about a sudden glut of unemployed TSA workers who’s only job skills are identifying the water bottle I forgot in my bag.
I never got this. What legal implications does stating that you’re not a terrorist have to enable persecution that they couldn’t enforce otherwise if you were actually a terrorist?
Like, if I were a terrorist, I doubt I’d have a huge problem with lying, so the whole thing always feels silly.
Well we’ve been paying the ESTA electronic visa for years now every time we’ve wanted to visit the US. It’s fair game to require the same
Saw people freaking out on FB about this and how “I guess Europe doesn’t want tourism!” I don’t think $8 is going to be a barrier for entry on a $1000 flight…
Also people saying “Europe is charging Americans a fee to enter” when really they’re charging all non-Europeans. Typical American conservative self-victimization.
$8, don’t break the bank on this one folks.
The visa, which will cost about $8, is similar to the one that European tourists are required to get when traveling to the U.S., which costs $21.
That’s quite the difference.
It’s the same, but in the US you have to add the sales tax ($2) and then tip at least 110%. That brings the total to $21.
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Hospitals have entered the chat
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Dayum, right??!! I have health insurance and work in ahl hospital and being hospitalized would destroy me financially.
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It’s a ridiculously sad reality that life saving and life preserving healthcare here is a “luxury” that can crush people’s future security.
I think a lot things are actually cheaper here than in many European countries. Including paychecks.
Is that $21 or $21 plus some random tax when you get to the till because fuck you?
Not the price of the visa, but the visa itself is similar to the ones that Europeans have had to get for a long time.
Yep. Better cancel all my plans. $21 is just way too much.
Wait, this wasnt the case yet?!
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We do need one, but Americans, as well as many other friendly countries, have what is called “Visa on Arrival” which means that you are automatically afforded a Tourist visa just for the asking and you can get it when you arrive at the country. It’s easy for Americans, who hold one of the strongest passports in the world, to forget that that visa process for many people can be a long and expensive one, even for something as seemingly mundane as tourism.
This basically adds a “pre-authorization” step once every 3 years to make sure you’re not an axe murderer or fall into any other ne’er-do-well category so they don’t have to watch you pitch a fit at immigration when you get denied entry.
Edit: I’ll add that I pay $100 every five years (Global Entry) so that I can get back into the US on my return flight with as little friction as possible.
I never had an issue getting back into the US. I remember on my first trip I was waiting at customs and the guy was grilling the lady in front of me for a while. When I walked up he just glanced at my passport, said “welcome home,” and I was good to go. Is that not typical?
Global entry means not waiting in that line at all. It’s fucking magical. I’ll definitely renew mine. Basically you just breeze through all this shit like it’s the 90s again.
Is that only for entry back into the US or also entry into destinations?
The only really bad experience I had was in Sweden. That was goat rodeo. Some British dude almost threw down over a guy trying to skip the line.
For the 1-2 times a year I may fly internationally, a 20 minute wait isn’t a huge deal. Of course I’m one of those psychos that’s shows up 3-4 hours early for a domestic flight.
US only
We ended up having to cancel a Christmas trip to Portugal because apparently it takes more than 3.5m to get a Schengen visa with a Chinese passport that time of year. Not even with the $500 VFS Global line jumping fee.
Same. I keep seeing this posted like it’s some.huge thing but I’m just like “OH NO! Things are now like I thought they already were, only cheaper than I would have assumed.”
Yeah, that scratches the inflated image of the US citizens. But why…idk
I’m guessing because of migration. More USA citizens want to leave the US and overstay in the EU. This way its a bit more tedious and easier to track.
It’s just part of a larger expansion of a program that simply happens to include Americans. I really don’t think they care about us that much; we’re not that special.
Seems like it’s more so covering the costs of doing automated background checks or something like that. Like making sure you aren’t on any bad lists so they can prevent you from arriving instead of having to deal with you when you’re already there.
It’s not technically a visa, Americans are still granted that upon arrival it seems.
No, it’s a diplomatic tit-for-tat. Even though the EU and US have visa-free travel, the US imposed the ESTA on travelers from the EU (and elsewhere I’m assuming) some years ago. It’s a not a traditional visa, it’s a “Travel Authorization.” And it costs money to apply for one. It’s not expensive, nor hard to get, and it lasts a few years, I think, but from the EU perspective, why should their citizens have to pay for an ESTA to the US, while US citizens can travel to the EU for free? So the EU is finally retaliating by leveling the playing field and imposing an ESTA on American travelers.
While I know some people who have emigrated from the US, most people just whine without any backbone
Can confirm, am noodle-boi
TIL: Americans didn’t need a visa before
Still don’t. This isn’t a VISA.
I’m confused, didn’t Americans need a VISA to visit European countries? They just jump into a plain and fly here with their passport and no questions asked?
If it’s like this I had no idea…
Yep. In the last two years, I’ve been to Italy and the UK, and each time, it was quite literally just show up to the airport with my passport, get it scanned upon arrival, and that was that.
Sweden was the same way, I didn’t need a Visa. I hadn’t traveled in a while (2006), and I was surprised I got stamped to enter the EU in my layover in Iceland (2022) last year. Now I gotta worry about this, because I plan on visiting my folks in Sweden every few years. It doesn’t seem that bad, and I have zero reason to think I’d be rejected, but it’s yet another hassle even if it’s only $8 (but that’s fair if we’re charging Europeans $21, I’d even pay $21 without complaintif it changes to match).
OMG, though… those poor Brexit bastards traveling through Iceland. Me from the US was just “stand in line, they ask why you’re traveling, stamp the passport and you’re on your way.” Brexit folks had to go down some spiral stairs into some cave next to the elevator shaft and it looked like the passport equivalent of “the cheap stadium seats.”
That’s quite bullshit honestly. As far as I know if I wanted to go to US I’d need a VISA.
America is only tied for
eighthninth in passport strength, thanks to Singapore taking the top spot from Japan. There are 40 countries which have the same privilege coming into the US (called the Visa Waiver Program here). Of course, the US has had an ETA for quite a while, so this is a tit for tat.Not if you’re Canadian
This is literally how it is. There is no paperwork to fill out, you just show the man in Amsterdam your passport, he asks if you are here for work or pleasure, and then you wink at him and say “plaisir monsieur” and then he rolls his eyes and gives you a stamp which is good for 3 months.
I’ve been to a few places in the EU, Japan, and India. I needed some stuff for India, but for the EU and Japan I just got on a plane and showed up.
It’s technically not a visa but an electronic travel authorization much like the US and Canada have.
Exactly - the title and the article is incorrect. Americans will still be afforded a visa-on-arrival for tourism and other approved short term stays. Additionally, the authorization is valid for three years and can be used for multiple stays within the EEA. I believe the UK is also implementing an ETA (edit, maybe I got the acronym right this time), but I think it is only valid for two years at a time.
In a way it’s silly, but it also reduces that chance of a disruption/entry denial at the entry point to the Area.
I love Americans freaking out about being subjected to the same shit they force all others to go through.
Americans have no idea how border checks work. Remember that next time they share opinions about immigration.
What a pain in the ass.
Good. They should keep us out entirely if we haven’t had a mental health exam, a cultural knowledge test, and learned the language.
So leave Nato when?
