Ma fille a l´intention de partir fin septembre aux Etats-Unis. Elle restera en principe 3, 5 mois en Colorado et après elle partira en Mexique pour 3, 5 mois et ensuite elle retournera pour une semaine en Colorado avant de rentrer en France. J´ai lu sur le site de l´Ambassade des Etats-Unis qu´avec le Visa Waiver Program tu ne peux dépasser les 90 jours dans la région (US, Mexique, Canada). Je me demande si que cela s´applique également au visa B2 qu´elle voudra demander avant de partir?
Une deuxième question est la suivante: Puisqu´elle ira (avec des amis Américains) de Colorado en Mexique en voiture, je me demande si les douaniers à l´aéroport de Denver (à son arrivée au mois de septembre) acceptent cet argument ou bien exigent un billet d´avion de Colorado vers le Mexique.
Une 3ème question: Etant donné qu´elle retournera une dernière semaine en Colorado avant d´entrer en France, est-il mieux de prendre directement un billet aller-retour Paris-Denver (fin septembre-fin avril) ou bien faut-il mieux prendre un billet Paris-Denver, Mexique-Paris et modifier après le billet pour Denver-Paris?
Et la dernière question: faut-il demander un visa plusieurs entrées (multiples) ou bien est-il donné automatiquement?
Le visa B2 est donné pour 10 ans, avec 6 mois par an sur le territoir Americain.
Le fait d'aller 3 mois au Mexique, n'arrête pas le décompte... donc les trois mois et demis de séjour au Mexique font partie de ces 6 mois.
Une fois arrivée sur place, elle pourra organiser son temps comme elle l'entend, Colorado, Mexique en voiture..les douaniers de Denver n'ont rien a voir avec cela.
Elle devrait par contre, faire une demande de visa bien a l'avance.. le décompte ne commence que lorsqu'on franchit la douane américaine...
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness, all foes to real understanding. Likewise, tolerance, or broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in our little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. -- Mark Twain
Merci beaucoup Fabienne pour ces réponses. J'en déduis donc qu'elle ne peut pas retourner aux Etats-Unis après son séjour au Mexique.... puisque 3, 5 et 3, 5 fait 7. J'ai cru comprendre qu'elle ne peut même pas prendre sa correspondance aux Etats-Unis pour rentrer en France?
Pour moi c'est quand même pas très "logique", puisque le visa qu'on donne est pour les Etats-Unis et non pas pour le continent de l'Amérique du Nord, n'est-ce pas?
Gebou: Tu as raison. Si elle rend son I-94 a la sortie des US (en allant au Mexique), le decompte s'arretera, et elle pourra revenir. (la dexieme fois, les americains riquent d'avoir des suspicions, il serait prudent de ne pas voyager avec des citoyens US lors de ce passage de frontiere (ils peuvent se separer pour se retrouver du cote US) quelques autres conseils: http://franceservice.com/visas/precautions.shtml )
Fabienne: Et non, le Mexique ne fait pas partie des US. Et "automatic revalidation", le programme qui consiste a faire ce que tu decrit (en gardant le I-94 lors du passage au Mexique) n'est possible que pour les sejours au Mexique/Canada de moins de 30 jours. Je consoit que certains ne le sachent pas, mais de la a faire de la desinformation ...
Merci beaucoup Olwagner. Ceci confirme ce que j´ai entremps trouvé ailleurs sur les sites officiels de Etats-Unis. La seule question que je me pose est : Accepteront les autorités à sa première entrée aux Etats-Unis qu´elle entre munie dun billet avec un retour des Etats-Unis 7 mois plus tard? ´Que penses-tu? 😄
Merci beaucoup Olwagner. Ceci confirme ce que j´ai entremps trouvé ailleurs sur les sites officiels de Etats-Unis. La seule question que je me pose est : Accepteront les autorités à sa première entrée aux Etats-Unis qu´elle entre munie dun billet avec un retour des Etats-Unis 7 mois plus tard? ´Que penses-tu? 😄
En imaginant qu'elle n'ai rien de louche (i.e. elle n'a pas ete aux US aux court des 12 mois precedent, le passeport qu'elle utilise n'a pas ete declare vole ...) et qu'elle peut repondre "No" sans hesitation a toutes les questions au dos du I-94W (
http://www.path2usa.com/immigration/resources/sample/I-94w_form.pdf ), le douanier la laissera entrer sans probleme (quand ils doivent vider 3 Airbus 747, et qu'ils n'ont pas de suspicions, ils posent une simple question et laissent le touriste entrer)
Un conseil cependant: dire la verite, rien que la verite, mais pas toute la verite.
Il est inutile de fournir des informations qui ne sont pas demandees (particulierement son calendrier atypique, ou le fait qu'elle a des copains qui sont citoyens US).
Example:
Q: What is the purpose of your stay?
A: Tourism
ou
Q: Where are you going?
A: Arizona
Et non pas "Arizona, then I'll go to Mexico, and back to the US"
ou
Q: How long do you plan to stay?
A: One month and a half
Et non pas "Seven months, but I'll go to Mexico in the midtime"
Sinon, deuxieme conseil: quoi qu'il arrive, elle doit rester extremement polie et respectueuse des douaniers.
Et ne pas mentir (au moment ou le douanier dit "did you lie before or are you lying now?", ses chances d'etre admise aux US seraient quasiement nulles)
Je pense sincerement qu'elle n'aura pas de probleme mais je donne ces conseils car il vaut mieux prevenir que guerrir.
Merci Olwagner pour tes réponses. Les choses commencent à s´éclaircir. 🏴☠️😏
Une toute autre question est la suivante.
On a regardé un peu les prix des billets d´avion et on a l´intention de les acheter sur Expedia. Toutefois, comme ma fille a une carte Maestro elle ne peut acheter son billet sur internet et c´est donc moi qui le paiera avec ma carte bancaire.
Comme il s´agit des billets électroniques j´ai toujours compris qu´à l´aéroport il faudra montrer la carte bancaire avec laquelle le billet a été payé, ce qui n´est dans son cas pas possible. J´aimerais bien connaitre les expériences et les règles par rapport à ce point.
D´ailleurs j´ai vu des billets sur Air Canada, mais il n´est pour moi pas clair si la date de retour est éventuellement modifiable (c´est un billet au tarif plus bas) et je ne sais pas s´il est bien de passer par Toronto ou Montréal pour son escale. Vos expériences et connaissances sont les bienvenues (avantages et inconvénients).
Est-ce que la carte Maestro (Indigo Crédit Lyonnais) peut servir aux Etats-Unis et au Mexique ou bien est-il mieux de prendre une carte Visa?
Je ne pense pas que le fait de ne pas avoir de carte bancaire l'empeche de prendre l'avion (ca risque de l'empecher d'utiliser la borne electronique, auquel cas elle devrait aller au guichet pour demander sa carte d'embarquement). Alternativement, elle pourrait s'inscrire au programme de voyageur frequent de la companie aerienne qu'elle va prendre, enregistrer ce numero lors de l'achat du billet, et utiliser ca comme identifiant (a la place de la carte bancaire).
J'ai eu une bonne experience avec Air Canada. Je trouve que la qualite des prestations a bord etait meilleure que celle des companies americaines (ou qu'Air France - et meme qu'Air India😛). J'avais apprecie l'espace pour les jambes et la qualite des sieges. C'est un peu comme la difference entre une 2eme classe dans un train francais et une 2eme classe train allemand/ou suisse.
Les douaniers canadiens sont sympa en general. Par contre, elle risque d'avoir a recuperer ses bagages pour les reenregistrer (mais ca serait egalement le cas si elle avait sa correspondance aux US). A Toronto, quand j'avais une correspondance vers New York, j'ai du recuperer mes bagages dans un autre terminal que les autres passagers. Il faut faire attention a ca, au risque de ne recuperer les bagages qu'une semaine plus tard.
Douane Canadienne (immigration): Hello, I'm in transit (yep, a Montréal tu peux le faire en francais, mais il faut le faire en anglais ici) Ok, where are your going? New York Have a nice trip !!!
Tourniquet a bagages: Zut, tout le monde a ses bagages et pas moi😮 ; tant pis, je m'occuperais de ca plus tard (j'ai mon vol pour New York a prendre).
Douane Canadienne (bagages):
Non, rien a declarer (si seulement j'avais ces bagages)
Oh tiens, y'a un truc qui s'appelle "luggage pickup for transit to the US". Et miracle, mes bagages sont la 😎 !!!
J'ai egalement recupere les formulaires d'immigration US dans cette salle.
A ce moment la, j'ai refile la cocaine a mon copain canadien qui m'attendait. Bon, ok, je deconne, mais c'est marrant que les bagages en transit ne soient pas a declarer a la douane canadienne, alors meme que le voyageur y a acces alors qu'il est sur le sol canadien (dans la plupart des autres pays du monde, les bagages en transit ne sont pas a declarer, mais le voyageur n'y a pas acces durant son transit).
Douane US (immigration):
Ah, oui, ils sont sur le sol canadien. Detail que je n'avais pas encore precise. Je trouve que c'est pas mal, parce que tu n'as pas de retard du a l'immigration lors de l'arrivee aux US.
Douane US (bagages):
J'ai file le formulaire a un douanier qui n'en a rien a foutre.
Ensuite, j'ai remis mes bagages sur le tapis prevus a cet effet. Et j'etais pret a embarquer - sans avoir a me soucier de la douane lors de mon arrivee a New York
Merci pour ton aide. Une question que je me pose est si elle ne prend pas de visa mais qu'elle partira sous le visa waiver programm, la règle de 30 jours ou plus hors des Etats-Unis s'applique-elle également pour pouvoir demander à nouveau l'addmission ?
Effectivement, mais je ne vois pas l'interet de la chose (de garder le I-94).
L' "automatic revalidation of visa" (garder le I-94, revenir dans les 30 jours et avoir le temps considere comme tant passe aus US) n'est vraiment interessant que pour les personnes qui ont un I-94 valide et dont le visa est expire. Outre ce cas de figure, je ne vois pas l'interet de la chose. Je continue a lui conseiller de rendre son I-94 quand elle quitte les US.
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!
I’m heading to Laos next spring, but I have a question about the Thai arrival/departure form. I’ll be flying PAR-BKK, then taking the train to Laos (so exiting Thailand), and later re-entering Thailand by train to catch my return flight. Do I need to fill out two forms in this case?
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 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.
