Danube Visas

[BryanSA]

Hi

We will be doing prague to Bucharest from 12 July 2006. We are not from the USA and would typically require visas for most of the countries visited. Many of the stopovers are just for a day (or less) and I was wondering how strict the customs officials are as far as visas are concerned for river cruisers just passing through for the day.

Are there "official" customs and immigration checks at each stop?

Having to organise six visas is quite a pain, never mind quite an expence!!

 

Feedback from past cruisers would be apprecated.

[steamboats]

BryanSA,

 

Being German and therefore a member of the European Community we didn´t need any visa for our Danube river cruise. You didn´t mention your nationality but many countries do have agreements about needing a special visa for tourist visits.

 

All I can tell you is that the cruise line did collect our passports and kept them until the end of the cruise (in our case as the cruise ended in Vienna after only 23 h because of flooding we got them back for the bus trips). One reason was to make sure you return your keys. The main reason was that leaving Austria (we started in Passau, Germany) we also left the Schengen Community and therefore there is a passport control before leaving Vienna. Although Slovakia and Hungary are members of the EU they are not yet members of the Schengen Community and there are passport and custom controls at the border. We were bussed to Bratislava/Slovakia and Budapest/Hungary and did encounter passport controls. We had 2 US citizens aboard and our shore tour manager said "all European". As the officer realized there are non Europeans on the bus he wasn´t very friendly anymore.

 

So I don´t want to risk travelling without a visa. You will at least encounter passport controls when entering the Czech Republic (starting your cruise in Prague). You need a visa for Germany/Austria (Schengen Community, no controls within Schengen countries, only when entering or leaving the Schengen area) as you will be bussed to Nuremberg/Germany to start the cruise part. There will be at least a passport control when leaving Vienna. And I assume there are passport controls each time you arrive in a new country after leaving Vienna (Slovakia, Hungary, Romania). Romania (Bucharest) is not yet part of the EU.

 

If you don´t want to be sent back home (on your expense) get your visas!

 

steamboats

[BryanSA]

Many thanks

We are from South Africa and require visas for most countries. We did'nt want to spend Euro360 on visas if nobody was going to look at them!

[steamboats]

Hi Bryan,

 

Thought you´re from SA :) . I just checked the German visa regulations (www.auswaertiges-amt.de) and you will need a visa for Germany. As Germany and Austria are Schengen countries the good news are that this visa is also valid for Austria! You have to apply for the visa in the German Embassy or consulate in South Africa. It´s not possible to get the visa at the border.

 

steamboats

[Twice_a_year]

Hi Bryan,

 

Thought you´re from SA :) . I just checked the German visa regulations (www.auswaertiges-amt.de) and you will need a visa for Germany. As Germany and Austria are Schengen countries the good news are that this visa is also valid for Austria! You have to apply for the visa in the German Embassy or consulate in South Africa. It´s not possible to get the visa at the border.

 

steamboats

 

And you are one of them. I've been looking for info on Euro Cruises and have seen your responses to many. They are to the point and most informative. This response is just a "thank you" from all of us who view your messages with appreciation.

 

I only hope that I too could some day be able to help so many people. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

[steamboats]

Twice_a_year,

 

Thank you very much! You make me blush!

 

And you´re all very welcome with your questions! I´ll try my best to answer them all.

 

steamboats

[jgnova]

Bryan,

 

We were on the Mozart cruise 02-09.04 and there were 2 passengers from SA. They were on the bus with us from Vienna to Budapest and had visas for Hungary. They may also have had them for Slovakia. Please check the visa requirements for each country you are visiting.

 

j

 

Hi Bryan,

 

Thought you´re from SA :) . I just checked the German visa regulations (www.auswaertiges-amt.de) and you will need a visa for Germany. As Germany and Austria are Schengen countries the good news are that this visa is also valid for Austria! You have to apply for the visa in the German Embassy or consulate in South Africa. It´s not possible to get the visa at the border.

 

steamboats