Visas & paperwork

Bonjour, je m'envole pour Phnom Penh le 22 décembre 2019. Un aller simple sans billet de retour. Aurai je un problème aux douanes ou lors de l'enregistrement? Je n'ai nullement l'intention de m'installer dans ce pays, sauf que je n'ai pas encore décidé ou aller ensuite. Est ce la bonne solution de présenter l'achat d' un billet de bus ou de train pour un pays proche, je pense au vietnam? Avez vous connu cette situation? Merci

Hi there,

Next September (2025), we’re heading to Latin America as a family for a year, and we’re thinking of buying a vehicle (car, van, or camper) in Punta Arenas, Chile, to sell it later in Lima, Peru. While I don’t think buying in Punta Arenas will be too complicated, I’m looking for info on border-crossing requirements (Chile-Argentina / Argentina-Chile / Chile-Bolivia, and Bolivia-Peru), as well as the steps and conditions for selling the vehicle in Peru.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi, I’m arriving at BKK—how does exiting the airport work? I’m guessing: Immigration, then baggage claim, and then exit? Thanks!

Hi, we’re heading to Barcelona soon, and the Airbnb host is asking us to fill out a PDF form with our names, ID card details, address, and even our signatures. According to him, it’s one of the new rules for rentals in Barcelona. I’m really worried our personal info might end up who-knows-where? Has anyone else been in the same situation? Thanks. Have a great day.

Hi, I’m Algerian and I have a residence permit in France. In two months, I’m traveling to Japan with a Japanese visa, and I have a 16-hour layover in Incheon, South Korea. Do I need a visa to leave the airport and visit the area, or not? On the way back, I have a 20-hour layover in Beijing, and same question—do I need a visa to leave the airport or not?

Thanks for your help!

It’s currently possible for a French national to enter Belarus through any land or air border point and stay for up to 30 days, for any reason. I did this last November, driving my own car from France, entering at Terespol and Brest-Litovsk (7-hour queue on the Polish side for political reasons and 3 hours of formalities on the Belarusian side), and exiting through Lithuania (1.5 hours on the Belarusian side and 3.5 hours on the Lithuanian side for political reasons). The rest of the trip was a real pleasure...

Bonjour, Je vous écris car j'ai vu des informations contradictoires sur Internet. Quelqu'un saurait-il me dire s'il faut ou non une photo d'identité pour rentrer en Thaïlande depuis le Cambodge au poste frontière de Psar Pruhm / Ban Pakard ? J'ai un passepirt français et vais rester en Thaïlande 8 jours. Mille mercis pour votre aide.

Hi there,

I’m planning a few-month trip to Asia with my partner and our daughter, who’ll be 5 at the time.

We’d love to visit Bhutan. Do you have any recommendations for getting a low-cost visa? I know we have to go through a local travel agency, but do we always have to stay with the agency while we’re there? We’re not big fans of organized tours, so I’d love to find a way to travel there backpacker-style... Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Cynthia

Hi there,

My wife is from Madagascar (we currently live in France), and she wants to move back permanently. Can we buy a one-way ticket for her flight?

Looking forward to your reply, Eric

Hi,

I applied for an e-visa on January 8th and still haven’t received a response as of January 17th, even though the advertised processing time is three days. Anyone else experiencing these unusual delays? Can we file a complaint? Thanks in advance for your replies. Best regards.

Back in the good old days when the UK was part of the European Union, a European ID card was all you needed to visit. After Brexit, a passport became required. Now, on top of that, you’ll also have to pay (£10) for an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation):

UK expands digital travel system to include more visitors - GOV.UK

Eligible Europeans can start applying for this ETA from March 5, 2025, and it will be mandatory for travel from April 2, 2025.

Hi there, We’re heading to Japan soon and booked a room through Booking for our first two nights. The host is asking for a copy of our passports even though we’ve already paid. What do you all think? Thanks

Good evening and best travel wishes to everyone. I’m leaving soon for a two-month road trip in Southeast Asia. Arriving in Bangkok on January 14th, returning from Ho Chi Minh City on March 13th. I don’t have an exit ticket from Thailand because I’d like to keep some flexibility in my itinerary. Do you think my return ticket from Vietnam will be enough to prove that I’ll have left Thai territory within 60 days of my entry? I hope I won’t run into any issues boarding at Roissy or at immigration once I’m in BKK. What do you think? Thanks for your help. Christine

Hi there, We’re doing a staged tour of Africa in our Citroën Dyane 2CV. We left Belgium and our car is currently in Zambia. We’ll be joining it at the start of 2025 to continue on to Malawi and Tanzania. We’d love to chat with overlanders who’ve already crossed these borders with a vehicle—without necessarily having a carnet de passage, given the costs and guarantees required. Thanks

Hi,

I’m heading to the Algerian Sahara. I’m taking a flight from Paris to Djanet with a layover in Algiers.

Can anyone tell me how the entry visa process works?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi,

I’m planning to travel to China very soon, and I read in this article that getting a visa is really complicated. Can anyone confirm? Thanks so much. Nicolas

Hi there, I just got back to France and realized I don’t have a stamp in my French passport. Is it normal that at Suvarnabhumi Airport customs didn’t stamp my passport? I’m really worried because I have to go back in a month and I don’t know what to expect when I arrive at Thai customs. I’m afraid of the consequences, like a fine or worse—being blacklisted from entering Thailand. Has anyone else had this happen? And if it’s not normal, what can I do to avoid any problems?

Hi there, I’m planning a trip to Laos in February. I tried to apply for my eVisa online, but the system keeps telling me that both my address and the address of my hotel upon arrival are invalid, without any further explanation. I’ve modified them, shortened them several times, but nothing changes. I sent a message to ask for clarification but haven’t received a response. Has anyone else run into this problem? How was it resolved?

Thanks in advance, and happy New Year! 🙂

Hi, Is there still an exit tax to pay at the counter at the airport before leaving the country? (from Oman to France) If so, how many Omani rials is it now? Thanks in advance for your answer.

Hi there, has anyone got recent updates on getting the "PAP", the permit to enter Arunachal? The info I’ve gathered from here and there—pretty unreliable!—suggests it’s impossible to get this permit in Assam (Guwahati) and that it takes about 15 days if you go through an agency (but where are these agencies located???). Thanks for your reply (urgent!).

Hi there, On the apps.migracioncolombia form, they’re asking for my local stay address, including a phone number. Since we’ll be moving around a lot, we don’t have a fixed address. What should I do? Thanks in advance!

Hi, I’ve read on various semi-official websites that you can pay for the 30-day visa at the counter at the airport by credit card. Has anyone arrived in Laos recently (I’ll be landing in Luang Prabang) and can confirm this? If not, which currencies are accepted? Thanks in advance. Alain

Hi there, I’ve read that medication supplies shouldn’t exceed 30 days. How can I handle a two-month stay?

Thanks for your tips!

Hi everyone!

What a joy to be back on this forum where I’ve spent so many hours traveling and gathering info—let’s get started! 👋

Almost everything’s in the title, but just to clarify: As far as I know, you currently need a full French motorcycle license (A) to legally ride a scooter in Thailand, since they don’t recognize A1 or A2 licenses. Yes, I know most rental places only ask for an international car license (B), or sometimes nothing at all… but that’s not what I’m asking. What I’d like to know is whether you think this might change in the future, allowing A1 licenses (which are easier to get) or even car licenses (B), since you can ride a scooter in France with one. I don’t want to get a motorcycle license—I’m scared of motorcycles, even though I’m comfortable on a scooter. I’m a bit confused by their regulations. Thanks for any insights you can share!

Lulu56😅

After 13 years in the Schengen waiting room, Romania and Bulgaria are fully joining the free-movement zone on Wednesday, January 1, 2025, by road and air. Already partially in the zone with the lifting of checks in March 2024 at airports and seaports, they received the green light from their European partners in mid-December to enjoy the same privileges at land border crossings.

Hi, we're heading to Cambodia. We have the e-arrival visa, which was introduced last September and needs to be done only 7 days before departure. I'd like to know if we can complete the declaration online instead of on the phone, which would require printing the declaration. Thanks for your reply. Best regards

Hi. Does anyone know what time the Superrich on level -2 at Suvarnabhumi Airport stays open for currency exchange? I’ve got a flight arriving at night. Thanks.

Hi, I’d like to know—when leaving Guadeloupe via Pointe-à-Pitre Airport, do you have to pay an exit fee in cash?

Thanks

I'm looking for any recent info (2024) on entering Myanmar from Ranong in Thailand, as well as the journey up to Mawlamyine. Are there any restricted areas?

Hi there, I'm in Paris and looking to exchange some Tugrik bills. Maybe someone has some they brought back? Thanks so much! Have a great day