On going to Europe

[Avotius]

This summer im planning a trip into Europe for about a month. I plan to visit a few countries and need to know some information about visa's and what not. The plan is to visit France, Germany, Holland, and see how much time there is for anything else.

I am currently living in china but I hold an American passport. I don't know what kind of visa I need for going into Europe. Anywhere online or any personal experience information anyone could give would be appreciated. Also my girlfriend will be coming with me, she holds a Chinese passport, im sure the rules are different for her.

Any information anyone can provide would be very helpful!

 

[kully]

A mate came over on a Chinese Visa this year and it was sorted within a week. That was to the UK, I can't imagine the other EU countries being any different.

I've never seen a border crossing checkpoint between the countries you mention (using motorways), once you're in the EU it's very efficent to get around. The downside is the bananas - they now have to be straight.

You will need a seperate visa to go to Switzerland if that is something you are looking into.

Getting around. Are you going to hire a car? Otherwise you might want to get a Euro train pass.

 

[Avotius]

Like Kully said: you need no visa. You girlfriend will need a Schengen visa for Europe and a separate one for Switzerland. Should be easy to get.

Enjoy,

Roland.

so....I just get on the airplane and show up with no visa stuff or anything?

 

[kully]

No, your g/f needs a Visa (and probably for each country). Just you won't be stopped (say) at the Germany/Holland border for a passport check.

You will not need a visa.

 

[lubitel]

Take a passport! 😉 and a camera

 

[lubitel]

you might get stopped at holland/germany border for a marijuana check, though

 

[kully]

you might get stopped at holland/germany border for a marijuana check, though

Yeah, those German guards are bloody cheeky. They should buy their own.

 

[BJ Bignell]

Write a letter to, or call, the local Embassies of the countries you are planning to visit, and ask them specifically what the entry/travel rules are for yourself and your girlfriend. At the very least, you could talk to a qualified travel agent in your area, who will have experience sending locals to Europe.

Get the rules for going to Europe, and then check back about four weeks before you leave, to make sure that there haven't been any recent changes to these rules.

Also, it might be a good idea check if there are regulations that you must follow in order to leave China, and then to re-enter when your trip is over.

I was once denied exit from Qatar, when trying to return to Canada. It's a pain in the ass when this type of thing happens, so it's better to be prepared.

 

[Avotius]

I have looked online for the requirements for the schengen visa but all I can find is places that want a lot of money for the information

 

[varjag]

Getting a Schengen visa might pose more difficulty than one not accustomed to visas in Europe would think 🙂

First, you have to apply for a visa to a specific country in Schengen zone, not some "general Schengen" visa. I would suggest your gf to check out which embassy in China has the shortest queues (any of the popular destinations would likely have them enormous) and firendliest reception, and start from there. Take notice that EU doesn't equal Schengen: there are EU states outside Schengen and non-EU states within it.

Getting a Schengen visa requires a rationale. Something like invitation from a party within the destination country with a statement of commitment to cover your expenses if you fail to do so yourself. Be prepared to pass an interview in the consulate service. Depending on where you go it can get very anal; they e.g. can ask you a proof that your foreign friend inviting you is really your friend. Some people I know had to turn in personal letters to embassy clerks.

In case of tourist group visa the agency handles that but you're bound to the group. Since your GF will accompany you, it might be a reason sufficient enough, but in either case would require some paperwork.

You will also have to pay around 50 euro per visa in most embassies. If you find an agency willing to handle queues and paperwork for you, it will cost some too.

Either way good luck - Europe is a place worth visiting.

 

[VinceC]

Border crossings are pretty uneventful within the EU, akin to crossing a state border with the U.S. Americans have no visa requirements for monthlong stays in the EU. A fellow-traveler with a Chinese passport probably will require a travelers visa. For American citizens, the U.S. State Department lists travel and visa requirements for each county (Switzerland's worth taking a look). For the Chinese fellow traveler, I'd check with the German or Netherlands Embassy or Consulate in China.

 

[VinceC]

>>Write a letter to, or call, the local Embassies of the countries you are planning to visit<<
Most consulate Websites have Visa info online.

When I was in Germany and Austria this summer, there didn't seem to be any particular shortage of visitors from China.

 

[varjag]

Schengen states are allowed to perform border checks, although it is uncommon.

I had to pass through a check when crossing German-Netherlands border by train in 2003. If you have different country of destination in your passport it might be a problem.

 

[varjag]

Roland, I (being a national of Belarus) had to spend far more time in queues to Norwegian, French, German etc consulates than I would've liked. It is obviously doable but not necessarily a painless experience. The earlier Avotius sorts that out locally, the better.

 

[nksyoon]

In 2003 there were passport checks on a train between Zurich and Barcelona. Travelling by car, there are still occasional passport checks between Italy and Switzerland. Travelling by coach in 2004 between Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Germany there were passport checks.

 

[VinceC]

Good rule of thumb is for passports to be at least 6 months from expiration before travel. 1 year is better.

 

[BJ Bignell]

The official German embassy website for China is Deutschebotschaft-China.org. They won't charge you anything for the information you need, although it will likely cost some money to actually get any visas required. You will find other contact information there, as well.

 

[jaapv]

For Shengen there is a visa necessary for Chinese citizens, not for USA passport holders, according to the website of our Ministry of foreign affairs. However France requires a visa for USA students, journalists on assignment and crew members of ships and aircraft. Beware: it may seem there is no border control in Schengen countries, but there are occasional spot checks behind the actual borders. Visa can be applied for at any embassy of a Schengen country, which means in practice the one with the shortest wait. It may well be that a number of countries offer an Internet service in this respect - do a Google search.

 

[hth]

If you are american, you should not need any VISA. Your girlfriend needs at least a Schengen VISA.

UK requires different VISA as far as I understand. Switzerland is also different than the rest of europe (1970 they allowed females to vote and just a couple of years ago they joined UN...)

If you travel by car, it is very uneventful to go around, but German customs can be alert close to Holland border.

It is probably much more hazzle if you go by airplane.

Contact the consulates in Chinese Beijing for each country you plan to visit for more information.

/Håkan

 

[Tin]

Avotious,

As others said, you wouldn't need a visa to most European countires. Seven or eight years ago, and with a Canadian passpport, I didn't need a visa to visit some East Eurpoean countries---inluding Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Hungary.

However, your girl friend not only will need visas ffor European countries, but she should also check with Chinese authorities to see if there are any travel restrictions to foreign countries. From what I understand, China would allow its citizens to travel to some foreign countires as part of a tour group only, but not as an idenpendent tourist. I think part of the problem is that certain countries place those restrictions on Chinese citizens. China normally makes some kind of agreement with individual countries regarding travelling. But I don't know how that practice would apply to Europe. And of course, policies can change overnight. So it is prudent to check and double check before you are ready to go.

Tin