nous sommes 2 futurs tours mondialistes qui n'avons pas pensé aux problemes du visa aux Etats - Unis !
En effet, nous arrivons le 10 decembre a Los Angeles et nous allons par nous - meme jusqu'au Costa Rica, de la, nous reprenons l'avion le 15 mars, soit 95 jours plus tard !
Le probleme est qu'il faut avoir un billet A-R et/ou justifier d'un départ dans les 90 jours a venir, et ce pour éviter de payer un visa qui coute 90 E !😕
Comment faire alors ?😠
J'ai lu dans une discussion que prendre un billet de bus pour le Mexique n'etait pas considéré comme valable, nous nous creusons la tete car il est hors de question de payer ce prix la (surtout que ce n'est pas le seul pays ou l'on doive acheter un visa), alors si quelqu'un connait bien les formalités américaines, pouvez - vous nous eclairer ?
Merci d'avance !😇
Malheureusement, les regles pour beneficier d'une exemption de visa sont tres claires. Il faut un billet de retour ou de continuation vers un pays non frontalier dans les 90 jours suivants la date d'entree.
Donc si vous ne voulez pas acheter de visa, achetez un billet d'avion aller simple de n'importe quelle ville américaine vers un pays tiers hors mexique, Canada et caraibes, mais je crains que cela ne vous coute plus cher.
Alors on ne peut pas réserver un bus qui va au Mexique ? Ca ne compte pas comme retour?
On ne compte rester que 3 ou 4 jours aux US, prendre un bus pour la frontiere et apres prendre notre billet au Costa Rica comme prevu.
C'est dommage d'acheter un visa alors qu'on y reste pas ...
Malheureusement, ce n'est pas un cas qui vous permet de bénéficier de la loi sur l'exemption de visa. Je comprends que ce soit dommage, mais même si vous ne restiez qu'une heure dans un aeroport americain, vous etes soumis a la loi sur l'exemption de visas et vous devez donc respecter toutes les clauses pour que votre séjour soit accepte. Pourquoi ne prenez vous pas un vol qui arrive directement au Mexique?
Autre solution: quand partez-vous du Mexique? par quel moyen de transport?
Si vous pouvez montrer à l'officier à votre arrivée que vous avez un ticket de continuation vers un pays hors d'Amérique du Nord dans un délai de 90 jours après votre arrivee aux US, je pense que c'est bon. Demandez confirmation a l'ambassade (l'appel est cher je crois) mais d'apres ma comprehension des regles du VWP ce sera a l'officer du Customs and Border Protection de trancher:
Au fond, en reflechissant bien a ta situation, je pense que le plus tendu ne sera pas a l'arrivee a LAX mais au depart de ton vol pour les Etats Unis. Si la compagnie et l'agent du check in ne veulent prendre absolument aucun risque, ils pourraient peut etre te refuser l'embarquement...
Au fond, en reflechissant bien a ta situation, je pense que le plus tendu ne sera pas a l'arrivee a LAX mais au depart de ton vol pour les Etats Unis. Si la compagnie et l'agent du check in ne veulent prendre absolument aucun risque, ils pourraient peut etre te refuser l'embarquement...
Et ils le feront sans hésiter. Il leur faudra la preuve du sortie du territoire américain.
alors dans ce cas, il y a une autre strategie, mais c'est vraiment pas tres clean...
Tu achetes des billets de retour ou de continuation echangeables et remboursables (en gros de l'eco plein tarif... attention ca va etre cher...), par exemple Los Angeles-Costa Rica pour que ce soit cohérent avec le reste de ton itineraire, etc. qui te serviront de preuve de continuation a l'embarquement.
Ensuite, devant l'officier d'immigration, je te conseille d'utiliser tes billets de bus (loas angeles-mexique + billet de bus pour sortir du mexique) et de dire la verite, sans preciser les billets pipo que tu vas te faire rembourser. Il se peut qu'il ne te pose aucune question si tu lui dis que tu viens pour 4 jours tourisme, mais comme il verra sur son serveur que tu es arrivée sur un billet aller simple, tu auras certainement droit aux questions...
Je te conseille de ne jamais mentir devant un officer d'immigration car c'est est un delit assez grave, donc ne prend pas de risques inutiles. Ensuite, tu te fais rembourser tes billets pleins tarifs au comptoir de l'aeroport, a los angeles le lendemain, ou au mexique, le tout etant de le faire avant la date prevue pour ton vol aller. Fais bien attention a les prendre sur une compagnie sans frais de dossier, car ces frais ne sont jamais remboursables en regle generale.
Merci pour vos conseils
J'ai changé mon depart de sydney pour los angeles afin que je reste dans les 90jours jusqu'à mon avion costa rica toronto via miami (arrivée le 16 decembre aux US depart le 15 mars de san josé et depart le 19 mars de toronto pour londres)
vu que je ne peux pas me permettre d'acheter un billet d'avion remboursable, je vais tenter le billet de bus pour L-Al/ mexique + billet de bus sortie mexique que je vais acheter avant de partir
j'espere que ca va le faire avec tout ca car obtenir un visa est tres onéreux (90E + deplacement a paris) mais on va apeller l'office du tourisme americaine qui est ouverte a partir du 10 juin pour la confirmation
au pire on modifiera les dates toronto londres pour les insérer dans les 90 jours, c'est a dire 15 mars maxi, cela fait une bonne preuve de continuation car je pense que le billet retour doit etre pris des US
Sinon qu'est ce qu'ils peuvent nous faire? Nous questionner pendant 24 heures et voyant qu'on est clair dans nos propos nous laisser partir ?
nous avons pensé aussi a prendre un vol pour le Mexique mais on passerait par les US alors le probleme est toujours la, vu qu'on a qu'une continuation bus pour le Costa Rica
merci encore en tout cas !
Sinon qu'est ce qu'ils peuvent nous faire? Nous questionner pendant 24 heures et voyant qu'on est clair dans nos propos nous laisser partir ?
malheureusement, ce que vous risquez, c'est de voir votre embarquement refuser à Sydney... et ça c'est moins drole car convaincre un agent de check in, ce n'est pas la meme chose que convaincre un officier d'immigration... ils n'ont pas le meme sens des responsabilites:)
Je vais me rendre au Laos au printemps prochain. J'ai toutefois une question avec le formulaire à remplir pour l'entrée/sortie du territoire thaïlandais. en effet, je vais faire un PAR-BKK, puis train pour le Laos (je sors, donc), et je vais revenir sur le territoire Thaïlandais encore une fois via le train, pour reprendre mon vol retour. Dois-je remplir, du coup, deux formulaires ?
Hi there,
I have a 9-seater passenger vehicle that I use for my business in Paris, transporting people.
I’m planning to go to Algeria with my family.
The vehicle registration lists my company as the owner.
Can I get a TPD (Temporary Admission Document)?
Will I need a KBis extract or a power of attorney?!?
Thanks for your help.
Worst case, I can add my personal name as a co-owner on the registration, but that would be a real shame!
Hi,
I’m bringing Seresta, an anxiolytic (tranquilizer) from the benzodiazepine family,
to help me sleep.
I’ll have the prescription with me.
Will this be a problem at customs, and do I need to declare it?
Same question for antibiotics?
Thanks a bunch!
Hi,
I’m writing to ask for some info—I’ve heard that you **must** have travel insurance to land in Zanzibar.
What’s the process, and which insurance should I get?
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Best,
Seb
Hi there,
I’m a French citizen living in Switzerland, and I set up an RV LLC in Montana, USA. Through that, I was able to register 3 vehicles (an RV, a Jeep, and a Harley) with Montana plates.
I’d like to spend 3 months in Mexico, but it seems complicated—maybe even impossible—to cross the border from the US with all 3 vehicles.
Can anyone give me some advice?
Hi, are there any travelers who’ve recently crossed the border between Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan) and Beineu in Kazakhstan?
It was closed for a while.
Thanks for any info!
I bought a one-way flight (Ryanair) and a return flight (EasyJet) to spend a week in Morocco in April.
My passport expires 3 weeks after the return date.
Some websites say the passport must be valid for 3 months at the time of entry.
However, it will still be valid both on entry and return, but its validity will only be 1 month at the time of entry (and 3 weeks on the return date, everything prepaid).
It's an individual family trip.
The consulate can't give me an answer—they're still looking into it (really!)
Last year, we stayed for 3 months in Thailand, north of Khao Lak, and were able to benefit from the 2-month visa exemption, renewable for one month by going to Takua Pa to validate a 1-month extension (1,900 baht).
This year, it’s a disaster for us—not only were we planning a 4-month stay, adding a visa run in between (which some say is quite risky), but the law is apparently changing in the coming months with the return of the 1-month exemption (plus the usual 1-month option). So, we looked into applying for a 6-month multiple-entry visa, allowing a maximum of 60 consecutive days in Thailand. However, I can’t find anywhere the minimum time required outside Thailand between two stays—do any of you have an idea?
Thanks for the info! If you’d like tips on Khao Lak and the surrounding areas, we’ve got some experience, though things change fast!
Cheers,
Bruno.
My partner, our 8-year-old daughter, and I are going on vacation to Gex.
We’ve decided to spend one day in Switzerland and another in Italy. Will we need ID (national ID card or passport)? Do we also need ID for our daughter?
Hello,
We’ll soon be moving to Madagascar long-term.
As a French national, I need to obtain a short-stay visa that can be converted to a long-stay one. To do this, I have to send the required documents to the Madagascar embassy in Paris.
No issues with that procedure so far.
If I get this visa, once I arrive in Madagascar, I’ll need to provide the same documents to the Ministry of the Interior in Anosy. I’m trying to find an email address or website for the Ministry to check which documents I need to submit (I think they ask for additional ones).
If you have any info on this, I’d appreciate your replies.
Best regards,
M. Buisson Eric
I’d like to know if anyone has already applied for a private visa to Russia with an invitation from a Russian resident.
I traveled earlier this year with an e-visa, but since I want to stay longer, I’ll be visiting my friend who lives in eastern Russia.
For the visa application, does the invitation need to be on an official paper form issued by the Russian ministry? And most importantly, do I need to present the original for the application, or is there an electronic version that can be sent directly to the consulate in France?
Thanks for any info if you’ve gone through this process before!
I filled out the B2 form to apply for a visa, created an account on Atvis to pay the visa fees and schedule a meet-up, but every time I try to pay with my Boursobank Visa 1st card, they refuse the payment with a message telling me to check my details (address), even though everything is correct. Does anyone know why this is happening, or maybe they don’t accept Visa cards? Are you aware of this?
Thanks for your feedback!
Elisabeth
There are rumors going around about the ETA: it must absolutely be on your smartphone in the "ETA" app.
Paper documents might not be accepted.
Is this real or just a hoax?
Thanks, I’m leaving in 3 weeks. My passport is good to go and my ETA is still valid for a year, but I only printed the email I received.
Thanks everyone.
Hi there,
We need to apply for a B2 visa because we visited Iran in 2018. It currently costs $185, but they’re planning an additional $250 fee per person for the same visa—it’s been approved but not yet implemented. Does anyone know when this fee will take effect?
Thanks in advance!
Elisabeth
Hi there,
In November, we're heading off on a 4-month trip. We'll be landing in China and plan to leave the country via a land border into Vietnam.
I’ve read that China may ask for proof of exit within 30 days (flight ticket or other reservation). Since we’d be leaving by land, I’m wondering how this works in practice.
Has anyone here been in this situation recently?
Did the airline ask for an exit ticket before boarding?
Did Chinese authorities require proof upon arrival?
Is a train/bus ticket to Vietnam sufficient?
Is a cancelable or flexible reservation accepted?
Hi there,
Just a question that’s probably been asked before (though usually the other way around for my situation :))
My wife and I are heading to the US.
On her ticket, it only has her maiden name (e.g., Martine DUPOND).
On her passport, it’s written as Martine DUPOND épouse AVRY.
No issues for travel, I hope I did the right thing with the ticket?
Then for the ESTA, is just Martine DUPOND enough, or do I need to include the "épouse AVRY" part like on the passport?
Thanks in advance!
Hi there,
I’m spending a few days in San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) and would like to cross the Argentine border to make a loop toward Salta and then return to Chile to drop off the rental car.
I’ve heard that crossing the border can be tricky!
Is it possible with a rental company’s authorization? Which company, and at what cost?
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Best regards,
Arnale
I saw on the French Embassy in Peru’s website and the Peruvian Consulate in Paris’s site that the rule is to have a passport valid for 6 months *after the arrival date* (not the return date).
I arrive in Peru on August 13, 2019 (for about twelve days), and my passport is valid until February 16, 2020.
That’s 6 months and 3 days after my arrival date in Peru. In my opinion, I’m good to go.
But could I still be denied entry if they say I don’t cover the return date or that I’m too close to the 6-month mark?
I read on the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website that it’s possible to apply for a temporary driving permit in China, valid for 1 month.
I’m planning to rent a car (without a driver) to explore part of the country next August, so I was wondering:
Has anyone here already gone through this process upon arrival?
How long do the formalities take on the spot?
Is it possible to handle these steps in advance, before arriving in China?
Hi there,
My departure is slowly approaching, and now that I’ve got my Russian visa sorted, I’m fine-tuning the rest of my trip to Tajikistan. Since the Tajik visa is no longer required for stays under 30 days (for French nationals), I’ll need to visit the Ministry of Interior (OVIR) to register within 10 days of entering the country. No big deal, though, since I had to go there anyway to apply for my GBAO permit. 😉 However, I’ve *seen* several reports from travelers (mostly motorized) mentioning that you need an entry permit for Kyrgyzstan, which has to be arranged in advance at the Kyrgyz Ministry (consulate?) in Dushanbe. Otherwise, you’re *stuck* at the Kyzyl-Art border (with no Wi-Fi, of course, to try and sort it out). The most recent report was from a year ago, so I’d love to know if this is still the case and if it’s indeed at the Kyrgyz Ministry (consulate?) where you need to go for this pre-authorization.
Does anyone have any recent info on this?
Thanks in advance!
Hi everyone.
I’m leaving for almost 3 months in the Philippines (11 weeks total) starting in early May.
I already have my round-trip ticket.
The problem is, I don’t have time to get a 2-month visa because the process takes nearly a month.
From what I’ve read here and there, I need a return ticket valid for less than a month when I arrive in the Philippines to prove my good faith.
After that, I can apply for a 30-day extension at the immigration office.
I’m planning to either buy a fully refundable ticket to the nearest country or a fake ticket.
For 3 months, I’ll need to extend my visa two more times before my return date to France.
My question is this:
Will immigration ask me each time I extend my visa by one month to show proof of an exit ticket matching the new visa extension date?
Is it possible to extend directly by 2 months before the initial 30 days expire?
Thanks in advance for your experiences and tips! 😊
I’ve been to Thailand several times, but it was about 20 years ago…
There’s a new system in place now, it seems.
TDAC – Thailand Digital Arrival Card.
Before arriving, I apply for a TDAC, okay.
If during my stay I cross the border to spend a few days in Malaysia and then re-enter Thailand,
do I need to submit a new TDAC application?
Do I use the same TDAC as when I first entered the country?
Or do I initially have to pay for a Thai multi-entry visa?
Thanks in advance for your insights—I can’t find the answer online.
My partner (Mexican) entered France on January 21st as a tourist. She was therefore entitled to stay for 90 days in the Schengen Area. She’ll be leaving for Mexico on April 16th, so she’ll have “used up” 86 days.
She plans to return to France on July 18th. According to the European Commission’s Schengen calculator, this new stay “may be authorized for a maximum of 90 days.” That’s not very clear ("may be," "for a maximum of").
The text of Article 6 of the European regulation (2016/399) states that for a stay planned in the territory of the Member States, not exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period, one must examine "the 180-day period preceding each day of the stay." That’s not very clear either.
My partner wants to return to France for a 90-day period starting on July 18th. Is this possible?
There are two ways to look at it:
1) The first day she spent in the Schengen Area was January 21st. That day will drop out of the calculation 180 days later, on July 20th.
From July 20th, she’ll get back 1 day of possible stay; on July 22nd, 2 days; and so on. All the days from her previous stay (January 21st–April 16th) need to be outside the 180-day rolling window.
The last day of her stay was April 16th. Looking 180 days ahead, that brings us to October 13th. From that date, she’ll be able to return for a full 90 days.
2) The number of allowed days is calculated for each day of the new stay. In other words: the 180-day window is recalculated every day, not fixed at the entry date.
If she re-enters France on July 18th, she’ll only have a “credit” of 4 days. But with each day of her new stay, one day from the previous stay (January–April) will drop out of the calculation. The rolling window allows her to “replace” days from the previous stay with those of the new stay, without ever exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period.
In this case, my partner could stay in France for 90 days starting on July 18th.
The Prefecture doesn’t provide any information, nor does Air France, and in the forums I’ve checked, opinions are divided. Thanks for any insights you can share!
Hello,
We’re planning to travel to Indonesia (Sulawesi with family) next July and August for a stay longer than a month (about 6 weeks).
I’ve seen that it’s possible to get a 60-day visa before departure, but I’ve also read about people having a lot of trouble getting it (some even didn’t manage and had to leave without it).
We absolutely need to have these 4 visas BEFORE leaving because once we’re in Sulawesi, I’m not sure we’ll be able to go to an embassy to request a visa extension after 30 days.
In short, how can we **100% guarantee** that we’ll get our 4 60-day visas before our trip this summer?
Hello, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!
We’re heading back in October for a trip through Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
I have a question: for our route, we’ll need to cross the Zambia and Zimbabwe borders twice each. From experience, I know we won’t have any issues with Botswana.
But for the other two countries, I can’t find a clear answer.
All your tips are welcome!
I’m currently a student on a gap year, and I don’t plan to go back to school right away. That said, traveling really interests me. But I’ve been wondering: does being a student come with any perks when you decide to go abroad? The real question is whether I should re-enroll in a program just to keep that status without actually attending.
hi everyone,
I’m French and live in France, and my Thai girlfriend just told me she’s pregnant—she lives in Thailand. First step, a paternity test to set my mind at ease. What steps do I need to take to recognize the child? Can I do it before the birth or only after? Where do I need to go, and what paperwork is required?
Just to clarify, I want him to stay in Thailand but be able to come to France anytime without any issues!
Thanks for taking the time to read and reply.