I'm a Canadian citizen taking a day trip from London to Paris on the Eurostar in August. Do I need a visa or is my passport sufficient? In researching so far all I can find is that I "may need a visa". I think it's probably too late to get a visa now so I'll change my plans if I have to. I was going to buy my Eurostar ticket before I leave. Is it cheaper to buy it when I arrive in London?

According to the France DK Eyewitness Guide, it says that Canadians who plan to stay in France for under 3 months do NOT need a visa.

Thanks, Amy. I didn't think I needed a visa but wanted to be sure before I left.

No.<BR><BR>I am a Canadian and have visited France twice tihs year already,visa is not necessary. In April, arriving Lille from London by Eurostar,nobody even bothered to check anything.

Thanks, JC. I was wondering what it would be like going through Customs there. As you know, going to the U.S. now is becoming something of an ordeal. Not complaining under the circumstances but you have to leave so much extra time now for the lineups at the airport.

Same experience as the earlier poster: arrived at Gare du Nord from Victoria Station, and there wasn't any customs checkperson, or any checks whatsoever. The EU must presume that all of its travelers are compatriots from within the EU!!!

Bonjour<BR><BR>Denise, the reason there is no check between the UK and France, or any other Western European country, is that the first port of entry takes care of all customs procedures for the whole of the EU. This means that you're automatically allowed entry into all EU countries, without further control. This also applies to some extend to Switzerland, due to a bilateral agreement on customs procedure.

Florence, that is only true for customs (your bags), not for immigration / passport control. The UK and Ireland are *not* in the Schengen zone (common immigration zone), so there should be passport control when arriving in France from the UK. However, the French often don't bother. <BR>A Chinese friend of mine had a difficult time getting a Schengen visa, and then when he arrived in France from London nobody bothered to check. I am sure a lot of foreigners who do need a visa know this and don't bother getting one anylonger.

ttt

But whilst the French customs often don't bother with Passport Control, British Customs do. We didn't sign up for the Schengen Agreement specifically because we wanted to maintain our own border controls. It's felt that many economic immigrants make a beeline for the UK, rather than just any EU country, as we're viewed as being fairly soft on immigrants (benefits, housing etc) when you're in, so an open border with France would mean a great influx of immigrants to the UK who've made it to other EU countries.

Again, as an American, nobody asked for any passport or immigration information when we arrived on the Eurostar from London to Paris. This was true for everyone on the train, as far as I could discern.<BR><BR>Denyse