I have recently been very annoyed at this. I go to Ireland regularly with my family (about every 6 weeks) The immigration officers recognize us now and joke around with us some times. When asked how long you are staying, I used to say as long as I can and when I find a good crime that will make you keep me. This year in April, May, June and July they passed me on without looking at my passport. I asked for a stamp and was told you don't need another. Finally convinced them on 2 of the 4 times to stamp mine. Would not stamp my childrens passport, said the line was too long. England just said your arriving from Ireland, we don't have time. What do I have to do, short of get arrested?

Exactly. "IT" and "VIPP" standing for "In Transit" and "Visa In Previous Passport" are pretty much the only two commonly used abbreviations by UK Immigration for visitors.

Are you sure they were working for Immigration (CIC) and not Customs?

The people at Canadian airports who stamp your passports are not Immigration but rather Customs officers. You usually only get referred to an Immigration officer in case of secondary inspection.

I've crossed from Italy to Switzerland and back about 20 times in a tour bus. They never stamp passports, they just look at the driver's paperwork and wave us through. Once, a few of the group were in the Swiss customs office getting their VAT forms stamped and they asked if they could have their passports stamped as well, and the officers obliged (it probably helped that they were attractive women).

I've got six years left on my passport and am running out of room, so these days, I'm not unhappy when they don't bother stamping my passport.

I have been disappointed to not be stamped travelling through Europe too. I do not have stamps for Italy, Portugal, Spain, Austria, or Belgium. I only have an exit stamp from Frankfurt and an exit stamp from CDG. Sigh.

On my most recent trip back into the US, I didn't get a stamp which surprised me. Every other time I have gotten one. Perhaps it was because the DHS guy was particularly surly and bored. Asking why we wanted to visit the US, he yawned and asked simply, "Why?" okay, someone needs a new job.

Canada always stamps.

Australia has only stamped me once coming home. This used to be much more common.

I am an italian citizen but I am a resident of canada.

Most of the times they will stamp my passport especially if I ask for a stamp. Last monday I got back into Canada at about 3am on this road going from NH into QC. The guy must have woken up my the noise of my car. He came out, briefly glanced at my italian passport, at my friend's US passport and handed them back. My firend really wanted a Canadian stamp so he asked. He said:"it is not our policy to stamp US passports". Then I asked, saying I needed one to prove to the imigration US that I did not overstay. He said:"it is not our policy to stamp residents' passports". I think he couldn't be bothered to walk back in, stamp our passports and walk back out. So we took our passport back, said "thank you" and headed towards Montreal.

Similar thing with immigration in the US. They will not stamp my italian passport if I already have a valid I-94W in it.

I've started giving up on the thought of getting Canadian stamps, BUT if you say that mentioning Canada Revenue works, then I'll give it a try!

There are also a few countries that you may or may not want to stamp your passport. Depending how you traveled to Cuba residents of the USA may not want to have a Cuban stamp in their passport. Also depending on what countries you want to visit afterwards you may not want an Israeli stamp in your passport. Fortunately both countries are very willing not to stamp your passport and fully understand why you may not want their stamps.

Maybe they (customs proper) can't stamp foreigners for some reason? Last year, I picked my sister up (she uses a U.K. passport among others) from SEA and drove back to Vancouver. Wanted to get duty-free booze so went through the truck crossing at Blaine. Customs there is open 24 hrs but immigration isn't and was closed at that hour (2am?). The customs agent there would have let her through if she had a Canadian stamp in her passport but it was a brand new one. We had to go back into the U.S. (the immigration agent there was surprised Cdn immigration at that crossing was closed), drive the 2km over to the next crossing where she went down to immigration and got her passport stamped.

That said, I did ask for a stamp when I came back to Canada once to renew a work visa. The agent at the border crossing obliged.

I love getting stamps. I should have asked for a Canadian one when they stamped my British friend's passport two weeks ago. Next time I will. I was happy on my last trip to Europe that I receieved stamps entering/exiting Frankfurt but I was a little sad that I didn't get them in Italy or in Switzerland. I flew in to and out of Italy from Germany and didn't think to ask. I took the train to Switzerland and the officers didn't even glance at my passport. Leaving Switzerland they hasseled some people a few seats away from me but when they got to my seat (in a group of four with 3 middle-aged women) they just walked right by. I really wanted a stamp and I will make a point to get one when I fly into Zurich next month.

I will also make a point to ask when I drive through Litchenstien and Austria. Does anyone know is Swiss resident permits go in your passport like visa? I'm also looking forward to a Brazilian visa.

You wouldn't have seen any immigration officers as you were travelling between Schengen treaty countries.

Better do the Swiss one before 2008 unless you plan to fly from outside a Schengen treaty country. The Swiss voted to join Schengen last yeara nd are scheduled to implement in 2008.

If you drive into Austria from Germany or Italy, I regret to inform you almost certainly will not see a customs, let alone an immigration officer, at the border. And you won't see one in Slovenia, Hungary, Czech and Slovakia (and Switzerland) when those countries implement Schengen.

My first flight into YYZ several years ago, the customs agent was very nice but didn't stamp my passport. A year or two later, I wanted a Canadian stamp so when driving across the border (Vt/Qc) I asked, and he obliged. Since then I've gotten stamped at YUL and also YHZ.

I now travel once a month to a city near Canada and drive across for fun when I'm there. I've yet to get stamped but I might ask next time to get a CDN Niagara Falls passport stamp.

Thanks for all of your responses!

So I guess the general idea it doesn't hurt to ask and more times than not you get the stamp!

Has anyone ever tried paperclipping their passport? My mother who is a FA does this, paperclips the second page to a blank page so the officer will always stamp on a blank page. Anyone else try this?

Ah, I stand corrected then.

Well this is good to know. I will deffinately get the Swiss stamp befor 2008.

So for a US passport holder if you fly from say CDG-MXP you do not even go through customs or immigration? You just walk in like flying LAX-SEA?