Moby_Spout Posted July 15 #1 Share Posted July 15 We're US citizens and our flight transits thru Munich to the Stockholm cruise departure port. United Airlines pinged me about a transit visa for Germany and the Schengen region. Not a 'regular' tourist visa, but a transit visa. From what I can find, US citizens, among others, are exempt from this airport transit visa. True?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OneSixtyToOne Posted July 15 #2 Share Posted July 15 (edited) 3 hours ago, Moby_Spout said: We're US citizens and our flight transits thru Munich to the Stockholm cruise departure port. United Airlines pinged me about a transit visa for Germany and the Schengen region. Not a 'regular' tourist visa, but a transit visa. From what I can find, US citizens, among others, are exempt from this airport transit visa. True?? US passport holders visiting for less than 90 days do not need a visa. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months before expiration. You will go through passport control in Munich. Note that in mid 2025 this may change. Europe is requiring US citizens to apply for an electronic visa. Some have said this is tit for tat since the U.S. is requiring it for foreigners to enter this country. Here is the State Department link: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/US_Travelers_in_Europes_Schengen_Area.html Munich transit visa only applies to certain countries: https://www.germany.info/blob/917514/d7511f4c7c8abcadbf209968aaea36bb/airport-transit-country-list-data.pdf Edited July 15 by OneSixtyToOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Peregrina651 Posted July 15 #3 Share Posted July 15 Expanding what has already been said... The EU and Shengen Area are in the process of rolling out ETIAS -- "a new electronic travel authorisation that is for travellers who currently can travel to Europe without a visa."* It will not be ready until mid-2025 and even then, I read that there will be grace period (because you can imagine the thousands and thousands of application that will have to be processed). ETIAS is an electronic system that certain travelers are required to enroll in for travel to Europe (particularly the Shengen Area). You are authorized for a period of time (5 years?) not by the vacation. The requirement is based on the passport you carry, not the country where you reside. "ETIAS is required for citizens of countries that currently enjoy visa-free travel to the Schengen Area. This includes countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and"* New Zealand and UK. In other words, the citizens of the countries where Viking markets its cruises. Read more about it on the ETIAS website. https://etias.com/etias-application *quoted material is from the ETIAS website. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CDNPolar Posted July 15 #4 Share Posted July 15 However EES is being implemented too and that to my knowledge is being implemented starting October this year. Difference being this is not an apply for before you go but a requirement for finger prints and pictures on entering the EU. The one thing that may be advised is for longer connection time if you are connecting flights in the EU this fall/winter. We know that this will not go so smoothly that everyone will flow like they do now. There will be lines and delays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfocruiser Posted July 15 #5 Share Posted July 15 Just a cautionary note there are many commercial sites which appear to be official bit are not. I "think" this is the official site 😉 https://travel-europe.europa.eu/index_en 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photopro2 Posted July 15 #6 Share Posted July 15 (edited) 3 hours ago, CDNPolar said: However EES is being implemented too and that to my knowledge is being implemented starting October this year. Correct, though I don't think a start date has officially been announced. All indications have been that it will be sometime after the Paris Olympics. In fact Viking trialed this when we arrived in Barcelona after the Southern Atlantic crossing in spring. We all had to "report" in person with our passports to a police officer on the afternoon we docked. It was a bit of a farce as we had already arrived in the EU at Málaga and most people had even been into Barcelona that morning. None the less we all had to show up in the cruise terminal for a face to face with the official. No fingerprints or photos were taken but I am sure it was an early shakedown test for Viking TA arrivals next year. Edited July 15 by photopro2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CDNPolar Posted July 15 #7 Share Posted July 15 44 minutes ago, photopro2 said: Correct, though I don't think a start date has officially been announced. All indications have been that it will be sometime after the Paris Olympics. In fact Viking trialed this when we arrived in Barcelona after the Southern Atlantic crossing in spring. We all had to "report" in person with our passports to a police officer on the afternoon we docked. It was a bit of a farce as we had already arrived in the EU at Málaga and most people had even been into Barcelona that morning. None the less we all had to show up in the cruise terminal for a face to face with the official. No fingerprints or photos were taken but I am sure it was an early shakedown test for Viking TA arrivals next year. Everything I have read and continue to read about the EES is that it is set to launch this year in October. The ETIAS was delayed for sure because of the Paris Olympics, but the EES is a separate system, as I am sure that you know. If you are transiting and connecting through a EU airport this year from October on, be prepared for longer wait to get through Passport control unless you hold an EU passport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photopro2 Posted July 15 #8 Share Posted July 15 15 minutes ago, CDNPolar said: Everything I have read and continue to read about the EES is that it is set to launch this year in October. You are certainly right about the rumors which suggest Sunday 6th October. I am just surprised that nothing has yet been announced on the official EU website. See https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/smart-borders/entry-exit-system_en I also agree with you that EES will be much more disruptive to travel. ETIAS is something you can deal with at home before you leave. EES will impact people while on a trip because of the additional requirement to gather biometric data at the first entry point into the EU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CDNPolar Posted July 15 #9 Share Posted July 15 2 minutes ago, photopro2 said: You are certainly right about the rumors which suggest Sunday 6th October. I am just surprised that nothing has yet been announced on the official EU website. See https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/smart-borders/entry-exit-system_en I also agree with you that EES will be much more disruptive to travel. ETIAS is something you can deal with at home before you leave. EES will impact people while on a trip because of the additional requirement to gather biometric data at the first entry point into the EU. I am personally preparing for this to happen this fall. We were debating on a which way to have our two cruises this fall go, and we chose the direction that we can fly direct without connections. This way, when we land in Barcelona in October and Amsterdam in November, if we have to do the EES we don't have to stress about a connection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Peregrina651 Posted July 15 #10 Share Posted July 15 (edited) 1 hour ago, CDNPolar said: We were debating on a which way to have our two cruises this fall go, and we chose the direction that we can fly direct without connections. This way, when we land in Barcelona in October and Amsterdam in November, if we have to do the EES we don't have to stress about a connection. Or connect through UK? Edited July 15 by Peregrina651 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moby_Spout Posted July 15 Author #11 Share Posted July 15 Thanks for all the helpful comments! We won't be reprising Tom Hanks in The Terminal this trip. 😁 I did confirm with German and Swedish consulates that no transit or other visas were needed. Both stressed awareness of the ETIAS for future travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westerdam Posted July 17 #12 Share Posted July 17 On 7/15/2024 at 8:09 AM, photopro2 said: You are certainly right about the rumors which suggest Sunday 6th October. I am just surprised that nothing has yet been announced on the official EU website. See https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/smart-borders/entry-exit-system_en I also agree with you that EES will be much more disruptive to travel. ETIAS is something you can deal with at home before you leave. EES will impact people while on a trip because of the additional requirement to gather biometric data at the first entry point into the EU. It is still up in the air if it is going to happen by October 6th. Rumors are of yet another push back to allow yet more time for them to get it up in running. A lot of the problems are with smaller airports and ports like Corfu in Greece crossing to Albania and in a larger scale crossing on the ferry between Dover and Calais in France. The official announcement if it is going forward October 6th will be by the end of August. Stay tuned I suppose! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CDNPolar Posted July 18 #13 Share Posted July 18 On 7/17/2024 at 12:48 AM, westerdam said: It is still up in the air if it is going to happen by October 6th. Rumors are of yet another push back to allow yet more time for them to get it up in running. A lot of the problems are with smaller airports and ports like Corfu in Greece crossing to Albania and in a larger scale crossing on the ferry between Dover and Calais in France. The official announcement if it is going forward October 6th will be by the end of August. Stay tuned I suppose! It is a situation that we just have to be aware of.... and wait and see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Peregrina651 Posted July 18 #14 Share Posted July 18 (edited) 1 hour ago, CDNPolar said: It is a situation that we just have to be aware of.... and wait and see. And consider when we make flight arrangements. An hour and a half might not be enough, no matter what the airlines say. Edited July 18 by Peregrina651 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CDNPolar Posted July 18 #15 Share Posted July 18 4 hours ago, Peregrina651 said: And consider when we make flight arrangements. An hour and a half might not be enough, no matter what the airlines say. Absolutely! This is why I hope it is implemented this fall as we have two flights into Europe that do not have connections - one in October and one in November. I want to get this part overwith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westerdam Posted July 20 #16 Share Posted July 20 EES has now been pushed back to the 10th of November with the possibility of a one week extension to the 17th. Frankly, at this point I would not be surprised to see it delayed further! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmecologist Posted July 24 #17 Share Posted July 24 (edited) On 7/19/2024 at 10:35 PM, westerdam said: EES has now been pushed back to the 10th of November with the possibility of a one week extension to the 17th. Frankly, at this point I would not be surprised to see it delayed further! I sure hope it gets pushed further! We have a Danube river cruise scheduled from November 10 – November 17. Edited July 24 by farmecologist 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanne59 Posted July 26 #18 Share Posted July 26 We flew in/out of Paris, in Catania, out of Milan and into Edinburgh this summer, and I just love all the facial recognition and the ease of transitioning through customs into the country, in each airport. With that in place in so many airports, I am hoping the addition of the new upcoming requirements, once added to our online profiles, will help out with the anticipated long lines...one can hope?!? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw1776 Posted July 26 #19 Share Posted July 26 Just hoping my face does not break the equipment & get me blackballed again. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkster77 Posted July 27 #20 Share Posted July 27 (edited) We did the facial recognition passport control in Heathrow last fall. Made the process very quick. Then, it was only available for arrivals from the EU and maybe 10 countries (US, Canada, Switzerland, Australia are 4 I remember) Please correct me, anyone, if I have "misremembered". Edited July 27 by sharkster77 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CDNPolar Posted July 27 #21 Share Posted July 27 Did the automated gates in Sydney Australia and it was so quick and efficient. Cannot wait for this to be in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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