Do You need a visa upon entry

[jdza]

I plan on doing some backpacking in Europe for about 4 months and will go to as many countries as possible. I am wondering if I need anything other than my passport to enter all European countries. I wont be going to school or working so I dont need a visa for those purposes but will I be able to simply hop on a train from lets say Czech Republic to Austria or Poland to Russia with just my Passport?

Thanks

[GoKrazy]

It depends on the countries you are trying to enter and the passport you have. If you have a EU passport, then no you do not need a visa. Some countries that are not part of the EU (like Switzerland for example) allow you to enter for traveling purposes for a period of time (3 months for example) without any special paper work, but there are some restrictions.

You best bet is to search on the net for all the countries travel info site - for example this Swiss one - and look at their visa regulations. Or you can call your travel agent and ask them. Either way you will have to do some basic research.

Best of luck!

[jdza]

Hey,

I will be travelling on a Canadian Passport. If anyone can name a random European country and if you need a visa just to travel in the country that would be helpful.

Thanks

JDza

PS This board rules

[jdza]

I did some quick research and found that Russia, Ukraine and Belerus all require visa's if you are Canadian, other countries it seems like all you need is a passport. If I am wrong let me know

[tumblezweedz]

I travel on a Cdn passport and looked into this last year. Since EU accession last year you do not need a visa for short term travel (less than 90 days) anywhere in the EU, including Poland, Czech, Slovakia and the Baltics. (We did this circuit last summer so I know it works!) You do still need Visas for Russia and good ol' Belarus, who charge the earth (something like $200 USD) for a simple transit Visa because it's the only way they can get hard currency. I don't know what a tourist visa costs. Do be careful if you plan a train trip in this region, because you'll have to have a Belarusian transit visa if your train passes through any portion of the country. It used to be that the train from Lithuania to Poland had one stop in Belarus, and this adds a hefty amount to the cost of the trip! Now you can do the trip bypassing Belarus, but it pays to be sure before you get stopped at the border. Russian visas for Canadians are over $100 US, as well.