VISA Question?
 

I will be traveling from the US to Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic next spring. I was wondering if I will need any VISAs for those countries or is a passport sufficient? Thanks for your help.

Your up-to-date passport will be sufficient for all three unless you are trying to stay longer than the usual amount of time.

If you wouldn't ask the next person you see on the street this question, why would you accept an answer here? It's likely this info is accurate, but wouldn't you feel better if you got it from an official source?

We visited those countries last year and did not need visas.

American citizens don;t need visas. You say you;re traveling from the US but not that you're citizens. I don;t know if this was deliberate - or just your choice of words.

It doesn't matter if you're coming from the US - but what your nationality is.

And yes - the best way to be sure is to check with the web sites of the governments in questions.

But considering the number of Americans on this board that have gone to all those countries without visas I would find it incredible that we're wrong.

Strange comparison, nyse. It is doubtful the average person I'd meet on a street would know, but with a huge number of currently traveling experts here, I'd accept the answers I got to be accurate. If a visa were needed for any of those countries I'd be more than amazed if no one here knew that! Gee, what information would YOU accept here without questioning it?

A good place for information on entry requirements for US citizen travelling to other countries is http://travel.state.gov/foreignentryreqs.html. This is the US State Dept website with information on the entry requirements to many countries, with links to the embassies.

>>>>
Gee, what information would YOU accept here without questioning it?

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i don't think that the point is that you can't get the right information here but more that this is not the best source. the embassy sites will be accurate, easy to get to, up to date and free. in fact, probably quicker and easier than posting a question here and waiting for all the answers.

i suspect that it's just a matter of wording but as NYT points out, the OP is not clear on his or her citizenship. therefore this question could have easily been answered based on incorrect assumptions. i would suspect that the embassy websites are more clearly worded to indicate that the visa requirements are based on citizenship.

finally, the consequences of not having a visa if you need one are great (ie not being able to travel). i would not trust my entire holiday (or business trip) on the information provided by you jokers (no offense) when it is much easier to just go to the source.

There's a great difference between factual info (what time does the flight leave) and advice/opinion (what should I pack? where should I stay?) And I would argue the consequences of missing a train are greater than those of missing the best gelato!

Well the consequences of that happening may be much greater, but I'd argue that the liklihood of getting the wrong gelato is MUCH higher than the liklihood of getting the wrong visa info.

And as to regarding whether the original poster is a US Citizen or not -- surely SHE knows if she is. Isn't that all that's important? Frankly if she isn't one and didn't mention so, then she deserves to get the wrong information. How dumb would you have to be to post such a question without mentioning the fact that you aren't a citizen of the US while mentioning that's where you're coming from?

oh no, another "blame the stupid poster" thread. bodes ill for the day to start out that way, later kids.

I also would NOT accept visa information from an on-line forum. I am scheduled to visit the Middle East in November, and since I have an Israeli stamp in my passport, I was concerned that I would be barred from certain countries. I called their embassies in Washington, DC, and in a few minutes, I got the answers.

I agree with NYSE -- these forums are good for opinions (what to see, best restaurant), but I am surprised how often questions relate to medical advice or visa requirements: I wouldn't ask any on an on-line forum.

Michael

2tired2night, I hope that was meant as a joke or certainly didn't reflect anything about my post. Who is blaming it on the poster? I was saying that other posters are suggesting because the poster didn't specifically point out that she is a US citizen (even though she said she was coming from the US) that she might be an alien. What strange logic. I was NOT calling the poster dumb, but I was saying the poster would have to be if indeed she is a foreign citizen and phrased her question the way she did. Who would ask a visa question without indicating that they aren't a citizen of the country they carefully explained they were coming from?

Now if TopFlight comes back to tell us she isn't a US citizen I'll have to eat my words, but I strongly doubt that's going to happen.

If anyone's starting the morning off badly, it sounds like it's the person trying to accuse people of bad mouthing original posters when that clearly hasn't happened!

i guess your style needs work. maybe you don't mean to sound so sarcastic.

Or maybe your reading needs work?

Overlooking key words like "if" and ignoring the fact that I was clearly giving a scenario that was not what was happening, should have indicated what was meant.

On the other hand, unless I'm mistaken I do see one VERY sarcastic remark posted here.
"oh no, another "blame the stupid poster" thread. bodes ill for the day to start out that way, later kids."

you are mistaken. that wasnt' sarcasm.

don't u ever get tired of fighting with people? or exhausted from having to constandly prove you didnt mean what they thought? im trying to make nice here, you have alot of information to share w/others but the delivery needs work. not being rude, sarcastic, etc. admire your willingness to help others but it comes at a price, sort of like dr. laura (thank you for answering my question and the opportunity to be verbally abused) and for the record i loathe her, just drawing parallel between "helping" styles.

Interesting comment. I wouldn't be "fighting with people" if you hadn't taken the time to post that insult and slam me for supposedly saying something that you totally misinterpreted. There was NO blame being put on the poster, so why did I have to try to explain myself just because you were unable to read or comprehend my post? Because I don't like being misinterpreted.

I really shouldn't have to "prove" I didn't mean what you thought, I agree. If people like you can't understand simple analogy or subjunctive mood, I should just let it go. I agree my major fault here is trying to explain what I already said to people like you who just aren't able to comprehend such things -- and who feel it important to try to stir up trouble where there is none. I don't know why I bother, but I really hate being misunderstood, and I prefer not writing in two or three word sentences of one syllable words so that a few of you will be able to understand.

The irony of all this is that I was actually defending the original poster, and I get slammed for supposedly blaming her for something!

wow, you're so much smarter than the rest of us, me particularly. i shouldn't even be allowed to read your posts, much less respond to them, lol.

Sorry, fellow, did not realize it hurt your feelings so much to be misunderstood, apologise again, and yet again!

"i shouldn't even be allowed to read your posts, much less respond to them,"

probably a good idea if you're going to misunterpret them so badly and make comments accordingly.

Duh. Yes it does hurt my feelings -- not when people misinterpret my posts, but when they proceed to "slam" me when they do so. Wouldn't it you?

Thanks for the apology.