nickd

Hi -

Can anyone provide information on how being an EU citizen would make travel in the EU cheaper than for a US citizen? I've heard that its cheaper to travel in Europe as an EU citizen. Are airline tickets, hotel or other prices less expensive for EU citizens? How can I find these rates?

I'm a US citizen, but can apply for a British passport because my father is British. I'm trying to figure out whether its worth the cost of applying for the passport before I start buying plane tickets etc. to Europe for a trip this summer. I would really appreciate some advice.

Thanks!

norween

I can't imagine how citizenship could make a difference for travelling.
Most country-based dicounts in the EU are related to the country of residence (where you pay taxes), not the citizenship.

walkinaround

>>>>>>
I'm trying to figure out whether its worth the cost of applying for the passport before I start buying plane tickets etc. to Europe for a trip this summer.
>>>>>>

europe subscribes to the commonly accepted standards of international trade which look down upon different rates for nationals of one sort or another.

are you a british citizen and just need a passport or would you need to apply for british citizenship also?

rkkwan

If you're a student or senior, you can get reduced admission at many attractions. That's about it.

W9London

I'm not aware of any price difference for EU vs non-EU travellers. The only difference is EU citizens would be able to use a (usually) quicker immigration queue and not subject to limitation on how long you can stay within EU countries.

kenderina

Cheaper ? As an EU citizen (and resident) I don't think so. It's cheaper for residents (obvious..if you live near..flights are cheaper) and you can get some discounts on trains and a few things. But is has nothing to do with citizenship.

Tim_and_Liz

Ditto rkkwan...

It CAN be cheaper if you are a student or a senior. Some of the associated discounts are only given to EU citizens (or is it EU residents?)

Alec

For travel costs, though not EU citizenship per se, but EU or local residents can sometimes buy a pass that entitles them to a discount - usually on local transport or national rail. But by the same token, non-EU residents can take advantage of Eurail or Britrail pass that isn't available to residents, or car leasing deal with French manufacturers - again it's residence rather than nationality that counts.
The only genuine discount for EU citizens I can think of off the top of my head is at certain Spanish attractions, which give free or reduced entry to EU citizens (such as Fine Arts Museum in Seville, but you only save 1.50 euro or so).
The real advantage in European travel for EU citizens is ability to stay as long as you like in other EU states, to get a job, start a business or retire without permit or visa. You can also, through your own health care and social security scheme, get a free or reduced emergency medical care in other EU states, by applying for a free European Heath Insurance Card (E£HIC) - used to be form E111. While residents are sometimes covered, many countries insist you must be a national or married to one in order to get EHIC.

nickd

Wow - I'm surprised to hear that because a friend of mine was pretty convinced that there were cheaper airfares available to EU citizens. Does it maybe have to do with the cost of tourist visas being included with the price of an aireline ticket? Do US citizens pay tourist visa fees for countries like spain and greece?

janisj

&quot;<i>a friend of mine was pretty convinced that there were cheaper airfares available to EU citizens. Does it maybe have to do with the cost of tourist visas being included with the price of an aireline ticket? </i>&quot; Your friend was either pulling you leg - or had been fed the same info by someone pulling his leg . . . . .

norween

There are no tourists visas included in any airfare - those are completely dissociated things.
And US citizens don't need visas for less than 90 days in the Schegen area (Google for Schegen if you are interseted in what it is) - The Schengen zone includes Spain and Greece, so, no visa fees

W9London

To the best of my knowledge, airlines do not levy/collect visa fees. First of all, US citizens don't need visa in Spain or Greece so long as their stay does not exceed 90days.
Actually, VAT refund can be potential cost savings for non-EU citizens living outside of EU (if you buy luxury items in excess of certain amount).

Alec

I don't know about EU citizenship airfare discount (I've never heard of it), but it's true that transatlantic fare is often (usually?) cheaper flying westbound from Europe to US/Canada than eastbound. It probably reflects commercial reality and differing business models, as well as fluctuating exchange rates.

norween

&lt;&lt;&lt;Actually, VAT refund can be potential cost savings for non-EU citizens living outside of EU (if you buy luxury items in excess of certain amount).&lt;&lt;
Even if you are an EU citizen, you can claim the VAT refund when exiting the EU if you are a non EU resident (you have to show a proof of residence outside EU and your return ticket).

StCirq

I have both American and EU citizenship (and two passports), and there's no advantages I know of of one over the other, except as has been pointed out that there are some small discounts in Europe available to EU citizens that are pretty much equally offset by cheaper car rentals and such for American citizens.

I can't imagine British citizenship would make a difference.

walkinaround

if nick is not a british citizen, it will cost him about &pound;350 for citizenship and a passport. he may also need to take a test and go to a ceremony. this may take several months.

if he is already a citizen, he will need just a PP which costs &pound;66.

as an unsolicited opinion, if he is not already a citizen, citizenship is not something you do for discounts (which for the most part do not exist anyway), IMO. i don't mean to sound preachy but it's worth thinking about it from that angle.

for example, a lot of americans get irish citizenship for convenience around the eu, caring little about ireland. i wonder how they would feel about someone pursuing US citizenship only to make it easier, for example, to visit canada.

do american CITIZENS really get cheaper car hire deals? or are we just talking about deals for european travel that are offered in america? different travel deals are offered in different countries but i would be surprised if any are dependent on citizenship held. this is counter to international trade policies.

nytraveler

Can't imagine who told you this - it's simply not true.

Unless what they mean is that if you live in europe and are paid in euros your income hasn't lost value versus the euro as has those who are paid in US $.

rkkwan

Wait, does that mean I should have gotten discounts flying UA, AA, CO, DL, US, etc all my life since I'm an American citizen? Damn, those airlines owe me a lot of money!