I’m not sure that’s how that works. I think if you just have a layover and you remain in the secure area of the airport, you’re not technically passing through a point of entry and only required a visa for your final destination.
That is only marginally better. I have had near whole day layovers in Europe. The only thing that didn’t drive me insane was that I could walk outdoors.
I don’t care about $8, but freedom of movement should be a more respected human right (in both/all directions). Anything that rejects entry for reasons other than actual imminent concern for the safety of citizens is bad.
Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania are still not on the US Visa Waiver Program list, despite being EU members. So there is still no full reciprocity between the EU and US on visa-free access.
I don’t care about the price, It just sucks that there is ONE MORE thing I have to remember to do before traveling. It’s not like going international isn’t stressful enough.
You have to realize that every other country has been dealing with this forever, so think of it as Americans joining the rest of the world. It really isn’t that bad.
The article and their website explicitly say that for the majority of people, the application is processed within minutes, unless you’re on an interpol/europole watchlist and/or have a lengthy criminal record. The fee is $8/person, and if you can afford a plane ticket to Europe, $32 for a family of 4 is a drop in the bucket. And with the exception of business travellers, most people should be planning their trip well in advance.
How is that cynical? I see it as now Americans have to deal with what everyone else has had to deal with for decades, and the added requirement really isn’t a huge burden. For a country like America that has a hardon for immigration and the like, it seems a bit hypocritical that we’d get upset the EU would like added protections at their borders. Kind of a leopards at my face situation.
Right, it really isn’t that bad. It just requires a little bit of planning ahead of time, and the thing is good for 3 years. Most other visas are only good for 1 year iirc.
Sounds very similar to ESTA, which you have to get as a european visiting the US.
This one is a lot cheaper though, 8$ for 3 years, ESTA costs 14$ a year + 7$ at the port of entry (usually included in your airline ticket). Canada has this as well, ETA, which is also a lot cheaper.
“Most Americans, in fact, all Americans, are not used to doing this to go to Europe so there’s going to be lots of surprises at boarding gates with people being denied boarding over the first couple of weeks if this goes into effect.”
Maybe just require verification of the authorization to book international flight? If it says you need it to book a room, I have to imagine there's some way for airlines to verify it.
And if you point them to that, they say that illegal immigrants don’t have to that and that Europeans are killing civilization. Conservatives are really beyond saving.
Even if there was no such program, it’s EIGHT DOLLARS. Who gives a fuck? If you’re traveling to Europe from the U.S., the plane fare alone will be exponentially higher. Hell, we renewed and expedited our passports a few months ago and it cost us $500.
Hey instead of charging us regular people 8 dollars for exercising the right of migration why don’t they just raise taxes on all those shitheads flying on private jets? No?
Obviously its way past time for us to leave NATO and let the Europeans finally start paying the bulk of their own defense instead of the US taxpayer. I also think we should write our congressmen to insist they pass a law requiring the same VISA app for the EU to come to America.
Lol.
The more comments I read the sadder I become. They have no information outside their own little fantasy-filled bubble.
Try living amongst them. They are dumb farm animals with anger management issues and don’t give a flying fuck about anyone but themselves and “owning the libs”. I’m convinced they’re all sociopaths.
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