Travel Bureaucracy
Jun. 17th, 2007 10:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deirdreWhen we landed in the UK, we had to fill out a landing card. There was only one possible form. Immigration lines were EU citizens and non-EU citizens. We had a short wait both times, under 5 minutes.
When we landed in Athens, we had to fill out a landing card. There was only one possible form. Immigration lines were EU citizens and non-EU citizens. There was no wait at all.
When we visited Egypt, NCL handled the visa, so our passports were handed to us with the visa stamps already in our passport. The $20 was conveniently billed to our onboard account. No wait.
When we visited Turkey, NCL handled the visa, so our passports also had all the relevant stamps in place. The $20 USD was conveniently billed to our onboard account. When we disembarked for the day in Izmir and Istanbul, we were given a landing card (one possible form) to fill out for when we returned to the ship. No wait.
When we flew back to the US, non-citizens had to fill out one of three possible forms, which were explained in detail. People, even non-English speakers, were expected to understand which of the forms they needed, which really isn't that easy. Of course, citizens didn't have to fill out a form, which was a good thing, because I'm not sure I'd have picked the right one.
There were four immigration lines in the US. US Citizens, New Immigrants, and I can't remember the two others. Our line (for US citizens) took between 5 and 10 minutes.
There was no line for people who didn't already have visas, as there were in other countries.
For anyone traveling to the US: I'm sorry about all the forms. It's embarrassing.
When we landed in Athens, we had to fill out a landing card. There was only one possible form. Immigration lines were EU citizens and non-EU citizens. There was no wait at all.
When we visited Egypt, NCL handled the visa, so our passports were handed to us with the visa stamps already in our passport. The $20 was conveniently billed to our onboard account. No wait.
When we visited Turkey, NCL handled the visa, so our passports also had all the relevant stamps in place. The $20 USD was conveniently billed to our onboard account. When we disembarked for the day in Izmir and Istanbul, we were given a landing card (one possible form) to fill out for when we returned to the ship. No wait.
When we flew back to the US, non-citizens had to fill out one of three possible forms, which were explained in detail. People, even non-English speakers, were expected to understand which of the forms they needed, which really isn't that easy. Of course, citizens didn't have to fill out a form, which was a good thing, because I'm not sure I'd have picked the right one.
There were four immigration lines in the US. US Citizens, New Immigrants, and I can't remember the two others. Our line (for US citizens) took between 5 and 10 minutes.
There was no line for people who didn't already have visas, as there were in other countries.
For anyone traveling to the US: I'm sorry about all the forms. It's embarrassing.