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by hammock 1447 days ago
>There are costs for tourist visas in some countries

Only in third world countries, or for third world visitors. Freedom of movement between countries and cities is a cornerstone of modern civilization

3 comments

Unless I'm reading the wrong site, it looks like the visa application fee for someone eligible for the US visa-waiver and ESTA looks to be $14. Not sure if this was an intentional US-3W joke though. Non-VWP looks like Tourism B-2 and $160?

I wouldn't have guessed China and India are third-world. From a quick search, both seem to have visa costs. Thailand, Turkey, also. Someone from China visiting the UK seems to cop UKP100 for a Standard Visitor visa. I'm pretty sure I've paid visa charges for various not-overly-third-world countries in the past.

You got me on Thailand but the rest of the countries you mention are not first world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-world_model

Perhaps I meant to say “non first world” rather than third world, as well

I'm Australian. To visit the USA as a tourist, it's US$160 for a Tourism B-2 visa or US$21 for the ESTA under VWP. I might be missing another option as a tourist, but the ESTA is certainly the encouraged option and one I've used a couple of times before.
Foreigners will soon be required to apply for an ETIAS to visit Europe where previously I didn't need a visa to visit from Australia.

Is the EU third world too?

I find it somewhat concerning that charging tourist visa fees for third-world visitors is listed as an exception, as if the fees and often more laborious interviews and documentation that the majority of people in the world face doesn’t negate the so-called freedom of movement in virtually every western country.
> Only in third world countries, or for third world visitors.

Why did you feel you actually had to say this?