# Could countries refuse to grant Americans entry? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 28, 2025, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917 "2025-02-28T12:26:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/21 "2025-03-01T11:34:02Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > where they pretend that they don’t actually _want_ to leave the country When my husband was plant engineer for a wire mill in Baker County, FL (just west of Jacksonville) he had people working for him who’d never left the county and never wanted to. One guy was told he’d have to go out of state for training, and he said he’d quit if he had to leave the county. Some people… > [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > Immunity can be documented even if the vaccine records no longer exist, I may ask my Dr about this on my next visit. I thought I had all the “usual” childhood things back in the 60s, but my mom claims I never had chicken pox. CVS has a comprehensive record of my Covid, flu, pneumonia, shingles, and RSV, easily available on line. My husband and I are booked on a 28-day cruise this June/July - I’m guessing maybe we should do this now just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/22 "2025-03-01T11:35:40Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > my mom claims I never had chicken pox. The chickenpox vaccination didn’t exist in the 60s (I know, because I had the exact same issue). My mom couldn’t remember whether I had ever had the disease because I’d had so many rashes as a kid (I literally had a pediatric dermatologist named Dr. Spot). ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/23 "2025-03-01T11:43:33Z")
It can be hard for Russians to get a visa to EU, so I guess if the new Trumpian world order ends with Russia and USA on one side and the rest of western countries on another, there may be restrictions on American citizens too. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/24 "2025-03-01T12:39:11Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > 51% is very low, even if the article wants to sound optimistic protraying it like record numbers. It can be both and probably is. Which is where I disagree with @Czarcasm - they don’t need to _pretend_ they don’t want to leave the US because many actually don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/25 "2025-03-01T12:45:11Z")
Could countries refuse entry? Yes. Country-101. Will they? Probably not. It’s a lot of tourism money to give up not to mention Trump being a dick does not mean I am a dick. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/26 "2025-03-01T14:33:24Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I was born before the MMR vaccine, and did end up with measles and mumps, and chicken pox. Had they developed the MMR vaccine back then, I have no doubt it would be the reason for another trip to the doctor. But no records of those long-ago vaccinations remain. I’m in my mid 50s, so I avoided getting the MMR diseases through vaccination whereas my older siblings had at least measles. Chicken pox in 1976 sucked. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/27 "2025-03-01T14:37:39Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > Chicken pox in 1976 sucked. I had Chicken Pox in the early 70s but I think it was on purpose. Brother or sister got it so we were all put in a room and we all got it. Parents saw to it. A week of sick kids and done. It is a vague memory though. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/28 "2025-03-01T14:38:03Z")
I had chicken pox twice. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/29 "2025-03-01T14:52:50Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I had Chicken Pox in the early 70s but I think it was on purpose. Brother or sister got it so we were all put in a room and we all got it. Parents saw to it. A week of sick kids and done. > > It is a vague memory though. It’s a very clear memory for me. We went to the Holiday Inn in Grand Island New York for a few days over New Year’s Eve with family friends. About two or three days later I came down with CP. My dad came home from the office with an origami craft book. If there is anything a 6 year old boy would love more than intricate paper folding while dealing with a high fever and uncontrollable itching, I don’t know what it is. /s ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/30 "2025-03-01T15:35:23Z")
I still have my [yellow card](https://www.amazon.com/INTERNATIONAL-CERTIFICATE-VACCINATION-PROPHYLAXIS-W-H/dp/B07TCRVDFY) but it’s not completely up-to-date. When I first started traveling overseas (Nepal, Thailand, India) I got a bunch of shots from my company “Travel Doctor” and I kept that as a record. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/31 "2025-03-01T15:37:15Z")
I had one of those, but it was so out of date it went out in the rubbish in one of my moves. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/32 "2025-03-01T22:57:05Z")
The only one suggested was measles. I had measles and mumps as a kid and chicken pox as a teenager. Of course, I have no proof of having had measles. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2025, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/33 "2025-03-02T02:39:32Z")
Really asking… Once in the EU can a given country refuse entry to a US citizen? (I really do not know…I think once in the EU you can go anywhere without any fuss but not sure.) Put another way, can any country that is a member of the EU (27 countries I think) individually say they refuse entry to someone from a country outside the EU? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2025, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/34 "2025-03-02T02:57:33Z")
When I was travelling from the UK to France (when the UK was still in the EU), I needed to show my Canadian passport to the French authorities at St Pancras before I could board the Chunnel. Since I wasn’t a citizen of an EU state, I didn’t have an automatic right to enter France from the UK. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2025, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/35 "2025-03-02T03:07:04Z")
Not the EU, but Schengen. Once you’re in any Schengen country, you can theoretically go to any other Schengen country without passing through border controls. The Schengen countries are similar to, but not identical to, the EU. Britain was never part of Schengen, even when it was in the EU. > **[Schengen Area](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area?wprov=sfti1#)** > > The Schengen Area (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}English: /ˈʃɛŋən/ SHENG-ən, Luxembourgish: \[ˈʃæŋən\] ⓘ) encompasses 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it mo... ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2025, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/36 "2025-03-23T14:15:26Z")
Which means Ireland is not part of the Schengen Area either, so yes, they can refuse you entry, if they feel like it. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/37 "2025-03-23T14:25:10Z")
What happens at the first Schengen country that an American tries to enter? Could France deny entry to an American flying in from New York? I understand that once you’re in the Schengen area there’s free movement, but I’m curious about the initial entry point. Is there a common set of entry requirements for the entire Schengen area, or is each Schengen country able to set its own entry criteria? ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2025, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/38 "2025-03-23T15:06:06Z")
See [the EU information page](https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/schengen-area_en), particularly the section _[Travelling to and within the Schengen area](https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/schengen-area_en#travelling-to-and-within-the-schengen-area)_. There is a set of common rules for who may enter. The page links to a PDF with list of countries whose citizens require a Schengen visa, and those who can enter without visa. The USA is on the second list. Edited to correct spelling errors. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2025, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/39 "2025-03-23T15:08:08Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I understand that once you’re in the Schengen area there’s free movement, but I’m curious about the initial entry point. Is there a common set of entry requirements for the entire Schengen area, or is each Schengen country able to set its own entry criteria? There are some minor differences, but ultimately each time you present yourself for admission at any border where you do not have an absolutely right of entry, it’s up to the official at that time to admit or deny you. Having an ESTA or a B1/B2 visa to enter the US doesn’t mean they can’t decide that they believe you will not honour the terms of entry and send you packing. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2025, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917/40 "2025-03-23T16:46:12Z")
> [@Tusculan](#): > > See [the EU information page](https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/schengen-area_en), particularly the section _[Travelling to and within the Schengen area](https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/schengen-area_en#travelling-to-and-within-the-schengen-area)_. There is a set of common rules for who may enter. The page links to a PDF with list of countries whose citizens require a Schengen visa, and those who can enter without visa. The USA is on the second list. > > Edited to correct spelling errors. See also this cite > **[ETIAS](https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en)** > > Official EU website on ETIAS, the new travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers to enter 30 European countries. The EU was about to implement an electronic visa-lite system for darn near everyone effective Jan 2025. Which has now been delayed, probably for IT reasons, until late 2026. Exactly how EU & Schengen interact in this case is probably some of what’s triggering delays. I could imagine some concerns driven by the issue of the OP. If/when USA-ians are en masse _persona non grata_ in at least some EU or Schengen countries, then what? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-countries-refuse-to-grant-americans-entry/1014917.md?page=1)