Touring - question about France/biking

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View Full Version : question about France/biking


Visionquest
03-15-06, 02:06 PM
I'm leaving for Paris on the 29th to ride around France/Europe, and i don't know when i'm coming back.
I have a US Passport and that's all. Do i need to buy a round-trip ticket even if i don't come back on the "round" part? I have a one way ticket but a friend just mentioned that it's not possible for a foreigner to buy a one way ticket into the USA...does this hold true for Europe as well??? Thank you for all your help so far. Bon Courage!


markf
03-15-06, 02:55 PM
If they decide to scrutinize you, customs officials will want to see some evidence that you have some way of getting back out of their country at the end of your visit. Either a round trip ticket, another one way ticket to another country, or a hefty wad of cash will be good ways to reassure them.

I would suggest contacting the French consulate nearest your home before you leave for France to find out exactly what French customs will expect before they let you in their country.

axolotl
03-15-06, 04:48 PM
It's usually cheaper to buy a roundtrip ticket to France than a one-way ticket from the USA, at least. Perverted, but true. I just checked from one east coast US city for March 29 departures. The cheapest roundtrip ticket to Paris was $388. The cheapest one-way ticket was $860.

I've never been asked for proof of an onward ticket anywhere I've flown, including France, and I've flown to France quite a few times. If you have the good fortune to hold a passport from a first-world country, you'd probably have to really look like a complete mess to be questioned at all.