"Means of Subsistence" for Entry to Switzerland & Italy?

I have never been asked about my money situation when entering Schengen. Occasionally, I will get detailed questions about where I'm going and where I'm staying so now I keep a printout with my hotel list. I did get stopped going into Canada once. I was separated from my travel partners and questioned about how I was going to pay for my way.

All countries have in interest in knowing that you can support yourself while there. But if you are traveling with a US or Canadian passport, then I doubt you'll actually be asked this question for a short visit. When you move between Switzerland and Italy, there is no border check, so it's only upon arrival to your first stop and arrival to the UK. To be safe, you can carry a copy of a recent bank account statement as well as, what they're more likely to request, a copy of your flight itinerary to return home.

will you have a roundtrip ticket?

Rita & Laura,

Thank you for your input!

Stan,

I have all my flights to & from booked, and I will be carrying print-outs of the confirmations to be safe. Looks like I'll be adding a bank account statement to my travel docs, per Laura's suggestion!

On a related topic (hopefully this won't run afoul of forum rules)...

Can anyone give me an idea of how much time I should budget for immigration & customs upon:

(a) Arrival in Zurich (from SFO via LHR),
(b) Departure from Venice (to LGW), and
(c) Arrival in London (from VCE)?

I am a US citizen, and I will not have anything to declare at customs.

RE: (a) Arrive in Zurich: We were in row 50 of a Swiss Air Boeing 777 and were cleared passport control, pick up checked luggage including an oversized item, get cash at an ATM, buy train tickets at a staffed counter and make the train to Luzern in 50 minutes, having to wait 10 minutes for the train.

RE; (c) Arrive at LHR. Is London your destination or are you connected back to North America? If you are connecting, you may arrive at one terminal, need to go through security screening to get to your departure terminal and LHR is big.

Thanks Edgar,

Great to hear about your arrival in Zurich! I realize we may have an entirely different experience, but at least there's a possibility of it being equally quick. =)

Upon our arrival at LHR, we will be staying in England for a week before returning stateside.

I believe you are referring to the requirement to prove you can support yourself if you apply for a visa to stay longer than 90 days in the Schengen area. If you are traveling for less than that, no need to bring any proof financial responsibility (i.e. your bank statements).

Enjoy your trip!

I recall one recent trip (in the last five years) when I landed at London LHR, waited a little in line at Border Control with my card filled out except the address of the hotel I had reserved in Kings Cross. The name of the B&B was indicated on the card. The Border Control woman asked where that hotel was located. I carried no print out because I had reserved over phone, not on-line. Hearing her question, I was a bit miffed, told her, "I don't know the address of the hotel, somewhere on Argyle, I just know how to get to it from Kings Cross station. " (on foot). She was convinced.

I thought what if I had had no reservation at all, did not know where I would be staying specifically, ie provided no address on the entry card since I had planned to go to the YHA hostel at St Pancras as walk-in. .

If a copy of a bank statement is going to be required, I would have some concerns about the account numbers included with the statement. Lots of sensitive financial information to give to a third party.
If it comes down to this being a requirement, I would have to think about the risk vs rewards.

In 20+ trips from the US to Schengen countries over the past 13 years, I have never been asked to provide proof of means of substance. This is the first I've ever heard it even suggested. Our trips are usually for five-six weeks and no one has shown the slightest concern about how we're going to manage financially.

UK passport control can be fairly persnickety. As Fred says, you need to fill out a form where they ask you for the address of the (first) place you'll be staying, so it's best if you can be prepared to provide it. If you don't have a reservation (as in Fred's hypothetical), I'd be prepared to give the address of the place you plan to go as a walk-in. I've never been asked for proof of a reservation at the place where I said I'd be staying.

I've been asked how I plan to pay for things while in the UK. I just say "with debit and credit cards," but I've never been asked for proof of my financials. I figure that they believe me because I look like a moderately affluent American tourist. I don't know how things would go if I didn't.

What I have been asked for is proof of my plans for onward travel (i.e., a printout of the information for my flight back to the US). I've had to rummage for it in my bag while they waited. Once, I didn't have a printout, and they gave me a very hard time (although eventually let me in anyway).

No one is going to ask you to see a copy of your bank statement! For US citizens, you need only your passport to visit Switzerland. With a round trip ticket, you may be asked the nature of your visit, where you will travel, routine questions only.