Why do citizens of EEA nations and Switzerland no longer have their passports stamped upon entry and departure of another country of the European Economic Area or Switzerland?
I would love to have a stamp from every country I visit but the officials do not give them any longer...
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People, the Schengen is not the reason why you don't get a stamp if you are an EU. Part of the EU stated purpose is to allow free movement of its citizens. Schengen is a treaty which allows a person needing a visa for one of its members to visit all of its memebers.
Also, if you ask the people to stamp your passport, they will.
Stamps are designed to be proof that you visited / left a country and that you had permission to do so. Given that all EU / EEA citizens have a legal right to travel between the member states under Schengen they've become unnecessary. The answer is to broaden your horizons! There are plenty of countries out there in the wider world that still want to decorate a couple of pages of your passport with stamps and sticky bits.
Almost the same as above.
Try to go to places that require visas for your nationality - you will be stamped endlessly!
The EU/EEA cannot stamp EU/EEA nationals - that's the point of the Schengen Agreement. Or Treaty. Or whatever it is!
Find an Australian relative & apply for an Australian pasport - you'll get stamped for every single European country you enter & leave!
Or if you really want a challenge, find a South African relative & apply for a passport - there is almost no country that will take an SA passport without endless visa requirement & stamping enough to make you wish you'd never asked the question!
**NOTHING RACIST OR OFFENSIVE INTENDED BY THIS MESSAGE - I WORK IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY MYSELF, SO I OFFER ONLY THE CYNICISM SUPPLIED BY MY CLIENTS!**
The only time an EEA citizen can get his/her passport stamped within the EU is if he/she lives outside the EU and is required to prove that for taxation purposes. Then upon entry/departure of the EU he/she will have to request that from the immigration officer of the point of entry/departure.
As your friend is American, she'll need a visa to go to Spain and Italy... but I do not think she'll need six (6) stamps if the destination is around the aforementioned countries as they are Schengen States (Schengen States are a group of European countries which have signed an agreement to allow free circulation of people within the territory of the member countries) if you have a Schengen Visa you can go to all the following countries; Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and recently added are: Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia. All these countries except Norway and Iceland are European Union members.. Schengen countries / territories. However, for UK and Republic of Ireland she will need 2 separate Stamps. Hope your friend will enjoy her cruising over Europe..
the easy answer is if you want a stamp in your passport just ask at the point of entry even if it is in the EU if you ask them they will stamp your passport
I know what you mean! I traveled all across Europe last year and would have loved to have had my passport stamped so I could remember where I went.