Travel at your own risk? Unwittingly, you may find yourself at the center of diplomatic conflicts that are escaping you. Sometimes it is difficult to know what can feed the enmity of certain states among themselves. But a gesture can save you from unpleasant situations. pay attention to the stamps on your passport. Because certain notations in your travel documents can lead you to pay additional costs or even simply prohibit you from staying in an area.
Difficulties traveling to the US after visiting Cuba
The information recently shocked many travelers. If you are a French citizen and want to travel to the United States, you should pay attention to the areas you have visited before. For ordinary tourists, the routine requires you to fill out an online document called an Esta, a travel authorization that allows French citizens to enter the United States without a visa and stay for 90 days.
However, if you have visited certain countries in recent years, you are no longer eligible for Esta. This especially applies to Iran or Yemen if you have traveled there since March 1, 2011. But recently, another country was added to the list: Cuba, which has been classified as a “state sponsor of terrorism” by the US State Department since January 2021. Travelers who have stayed on the island since 12 January 2021 are no longer subject to the simplified Esta regime.
A decision that has immediate consequences. Before going to Uncle Sam’s country, you will need to apply for a visa at the American consulate, even if you have previously been accepted by the American authorities. However, as noted by the British daily newspaper The Telegraph A few travelers were able to go to American territory, even recently visiting Cuba. The trick: Make sure your precious notebook is not stamped, but a separate document. It must then be clarified to the Cuban authorities at border control.
Since 2013, there are no stamps in Israel
To anticipate potential problems for its visitors, Israel has left passport stamps since 2013. “The Israeli border police give the traveler a blue paper sticker to keep during his stay”, explains France Diplomacy. Because the slightest mention of his passing within the Jewish state could result in a ban from staying in Lebanon or Kuwait.
While travelers are now exempt from any passport stamps, some delicate situations remain, particularly for those traveling by land between Israel and Jordan. Stamps posted in Jordan can clearly show the date of entry and exit from the territory. Again, ask the authorities to seal another document if possible.
Watch out for some tourist stamps
In 2020, the accident made headlines around the world. A British man was refused entry to a plane to Thailand… because of an unofficial stamp in his passport. On one of the pages of his precious notebook was a souvenir stamp from visits to Machu Picchu and Vinicunca National Park in Peru. Memories that made the Qatar Airways teams during a stopover in Doha, Qatar. As a result, his passport was declared invalid. The passenger had to urgently process his travel document. And offload the €1,000 pass equivalent to the administrative costs incurred by its woes. So a word of caution for those who like to collect stamps.
Source: Le Figaro
