Visa for U.S. citizens

Does anyone know for a fact that Americans DO NOT need a visa if you are visiting France as a tourist for a few days (2 weeks)? Their website is sooooo confusing!!

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All the guidebooks say that US citizens do not need a visa for tourist visits of no more than 90 days to the Schengen area.

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Hi -

Your guide book should have made this very clear. If it did not, you need to get another guide book because you have no idea what other pieces of basic information it is missing. I usually start out with the Rough Guide when I%26#39;m about to visit a new country, and add one other, perhaps, Frommer.

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thanks.... I will get the guidebook you suggested!

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real_me_atlast: I%26#39;m not sure whose website you%26#39;re looking at, but you will be fine with your passport.

While sydneynick%26#39;s advise it spot on, unfortunately, I%26#39;ve found that most Americans who have not visited Europe have no clue what the %26quot;Schengen area%26quot; actually is..... Essentially, though by no means an exhaustive explanation, it%26#39;s the members of the European Community area... so once you pass immigration through one of the Schengen Countries, you are free to move about the member countries without further Passport control..... If you are unfamiliar with this, it would be best for you to Google the term %26quot;Schengen area%26quot;, and become more acquainted with this.

Bonne route et bonne chance.

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If you go to this page below from Department of State, you can click on the region, select the country, and read its entry requirements for a US Passport holder:

travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html

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I did wonder what it meant thank you for explaining!

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As long as you are not staying in excess of 90 days AND you are not working (or going there as a normal part of your work) you will not need a Visa.

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and just for clarification -- an American can visit the Schengen region for 90 days out of any continuous 6-month period.

So if you stay 89 days in France, you don%26#39;t reset the clock by going to Switzerland for a couple of days.

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Especially now that Switzerland is part of the Schegen treaty.

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Nuts. You%26#39;re right -- they just joined the Schengen area this spring, and I forgot about it.

Anyhoo -- the limits still apply, and you can%26#39;t reset just by leaving the Schengen area.