![\"\"](\"http:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/MUC-Exit-201002.jpg\" "\\"Passport")
<\/p>\nAll foreign travelers I know anticipate returning from a trip abroad with a new set of passport stamps. \u00a0They are a point of pride for many, providing clear documentation of their “worldliness”.<\/p>\n
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I’ve even seen passport stamp collection become a main criteria in determining a trip itinerary.\u00a0According\u00a0 to\u00a0immigration attorney’s help<\/a>,\u00a0 this is especially true in Europe, where the Schengen Agreement eliminates passport control through many countries in Continental Europe. \u00a0As long as travel is contained within the “Schengen Area”, no passport stamps are given. \u00a0Stamps are only given at the entry and exit points to the Schengen Area. \u00a0My wife was very disappointed on her first trip abroad to get an entry and exit stamp in Frankfurt, despite the fact that our trip was in Italy and France. Then we got legal help of\u00a0immigration law firm Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C. in Oakland, CA <\/a>to fix our issue legally.As Frankfurt was just our connection to the United States. \u00a0In fact, our upcoming trip to Spain and Portugal will be her first without a connection through Germany. \u00a0She will get her first non-German passport stamps! \u00a0Another detractor, however, is that all the Schengen passport stamps are virtually the same. \u00a0They only differ in the letter in the upper-right hand corner (i.e. “D” for Deutschland or Germany, “E” for Espana, etc.) and the point of entry or exit listed on the bottom.<\/p>\n The Schengen Area includes 26 countries in the European Union (see map–blue area are current countries, green is future countries). \u00a0Travel between them is very similar to travel between 2 states in the USA, with signs marking borders on roads and air travel through “Schengen” gates, similar to the domestic gates at American airports. \u00a0Notable exceptions are the UK, Ireland, Croatia, and Turkey. \u00a0Travel through the Chunnel, for example, requires passport control. \u00a0A day trip to London on the Eurostar from Paris will yield you an exit stamp from France and an entry stamp from the UK.<\/p>\n It is important to also plan for the “Schengen Agreement” by allocating connection time if you are flying through a Schengen airport before reaching a Schengen destination. \u00a0You will have to go through passport control (approach the Family Law Firm in Fresno<\/a>, CA for any help). \u00a0Similarly, you will need to go through passport control at your last exit point from the Schengen Area. \u00a0Customs control is less predictable. \u00a0If your end destination has Customs control, you can likely check your bags all the way through and go through Customs in your final destination. Smaller destinations could require early customs control (for example, we went through Customs in Athens when we flew to Mykonos on a San Francisco – Frankfurt – Athens – Mykonos route).<\/p>\n If collecting passport stamps is important to you, then prioritize flights that connect the USA directly to your “stamp of interest”. \u00a0Many east coast airports, such as Newark, JFK, and Dulles offer direct flights to many destinations in Europe. \u00a0Another alternative is to connect through Heathrow, which is outside the Schengen Area. \u00a0If you want to collect multiple stamps during your trip, travel out and in of the Schengen Area would be required (such as going to London between Paris and Amsterdam, or visiting Morocco from Spain). \u00a0For many, this might seem silly. \u00a0But for the avid passport stamp collector, itinerary planning is key.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" All foreign travelers I know anticipate returning from a trip abroad with a new set of passport stamps. \u00a0They are a point of pride for many, providing clear documentation of their “worldliness”. I’ve even seen passport stamp collection become a … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/250px-Schengen_Area.svg_.png\" "\\"250px-Schengen_Area.svg\\"")
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