TWA884

That's a huge difference, especially for those living in places that don't have embassies or consulates of the countries that they intend to visit.

An electronic entry authorization can be processed in minutes; depending on the country, a traditional paper visa can take days or weeks to obtain.

GUWonder

Lots of countries issue visas in passports without the visa applicant coming in person to the embassy/consulate/government contractor's offices to apply. Traditional visas take more time than an evisa, but the point is that the electronic entry authorizations act as visas of a sort.

TWA884

Even if one does not have to apply in person, sending a passport to an embassy, consulate or contracted issuer leaves one without a passport for days or weeks while the visa application is being processed. Some have to obtain a second passport if there is a need to travel in the interim. It's a huge difference in convenience factor from having an authorization issued online almost instantaneously.

MSPeconomist

You generally don't need to pay visa service agency fees when it's some sort of electronic visa or entry permit.

GUWonder

People can apply for traditional visas without paying visa service agency fees, unless the country issuing the visa decides to do otherwise in a locality.

And electronic visa regimes have come with fees being charged of people who didn't previously need to pay visa fees for the countries that transition (at least in part) to evisas for otherwise the same kind of travel.

There is indeed a difference in convenience.

A worse inconvenience in some ways is having an evisa that gets revoked after initial issuance and purchase of tickets. Countries with evisa regimes seem to become far willing to invalidate larger numbers of evisas than they were with just traditional visa/no visa regimes.

FateSucks

I will not be happy about this! I am going to France this July and I hope it does not affect my vacation at the very least!

Still, pretty stupid how Canada and the U.S. Does not accept all the schengen countries. The US rejects countries based on visa rejections rather than visa overstays like other countries, which explains why only 38 countries can visit the US visa free while other major countries have a bit more.

The U.S. Does need to change its ways, but this a inconvenient move by the EU Commission toward ordinary travelers.

In the long run this may not affect me once I apply for my Mexican passport, who accepts all EU member countries.


The EU parliament and member states can decide by vote to implement the proposal, so there might be a chance this might not happen.

mfkne

What a pity then that the U.S. charge $14 for an entry permit. It's a visa for all intents and purposes, and that's why the reciprocity had disappeared and it's about time the EU/Schengen reestablish that reciprocity by requiring visas (and fingerprints and photographs) from U.S. citizens. Mind you, an electronic visa would do, I don't think it's realistic the EU/Schengen will require traditional visa from U.S. citizens.

GUWonder

The US Government has gone on record as saying the 5 EU countries not on the US VWP list (i.e., Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania) will not be allowed into the US VWP because those countries haven't done the "security" changes that the US wants and that those countries don't meet the other administrative standards to be admitted into the US VWP.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-s...threat-from-eu

The US position is more or less that we won't allow these 5 EU countries into the US VWP until each of those countries separately enters into new bilateral agreements with the US and the visa rejection rates of those countries' nationals drops much further.

TWA884

Would you prefer to pay $160 for a real US visa?

mfkne

No, the preference would of course be to return to visa and ESTA free travel, as previously agreed between the U.S. and the countries participating in the VWP. But since the U.S. singlehandedly changed the rules, they cannot cry foul on the other party of the agreement levelling the playing field.

GUWonder

Countries have various visa fees. Even the US has different fee amounts for some different visa types.

The Schengen countries instituting a US-style visa regime and offering an evisa of sorts for the same amount as the US ESTA? That wouldn't mean most EU citizens would be hit by a fee of $160.

Personally, I would prefer to see the US ESTA fee eliminated. I also wouldn't mind if the ESTA process were eliminated and not replaced by something worse. Unfortunately, my preferences in these matters won't come to fruition, as the government is hooked to fees much like a crack cocaine addict is hooked to cocaine.

TWA884

The $160 figure that I cited is for a non-petition-based nonimmigrant visa, i.e., tourist, business and transit, the type that is waived for those eligible for the Visa Waiver Program and the most commonly used by visitors to the United States.

The fees for types of US visas are listed here: Fees for Visa Services

HawaiiTrvlr

I lived in Germany from 1987-1990 and I went to France several times with my passport. Not even a second glance by most board guards. I know I never had a visa. Maybe because I also had a military ID card but they never asked for that either.

Barciur

A good compromise would be to at least make the visas free by the US for the Schengen countries. $160 is a lot of money. Often, you can get a $300-$400 ticket RT from say Poland to the US. So on top of it, you end up being forced into paying a non-refundable $160 which is HALF of the minimum monthly wage in Poland. Pretty obnoxious treatment.

And I agree - visa refusal is ridiculous. Why? It's controlled by the consular staff. I could apply for a tourist visa and not get it because the consul does not like me. There is no formulas. It's all about whether he likes you and feels that you're safe or not. Overstay stats are much, much better to go by and make more sense.

:D!

OK, so if you are a consul who thinks his job description is to refuse as many visas as possible, wouldn't you find it suspicious that a Polish citizen is so eager to visit the US that he would spend 2 weeks wages on a visa?