What counts as visiting a country?

Transit passengers are visitors only if they make a stop and enter the country’s legal territory. Staying airside, you don’t enter.

Leaving the plane is enough. The rule accepts even “a plane fuel stop, provided that you disembark” and set foot in the territory, and doesn’t mention immigration.

Asked whether an airport transfer counts, MTP answers “no.” Where passport control exists, you must enter through it.

Visits involving airports don’t count, “irrespective whether immigration is crossed or not.”

You stopped and entered the country, so you’re a visitor on a transit trip: a same-day visitor, or a tourist if you stay the night.

“Even the shortest visit would suffice” once you set foot in the territory.

You entered through passport control, and there is no minimum time for a visit.

Crossing immigration but staying in the greater airport area doesn’t count. Neither does a night in a hotel inside the airport area.

A stop inside the country makes you a visitor. Without a night there, you’re a same-day visitor.

“Even the shortest visit would suffice” once you set foot in the territory.

Entering through passport control is enough. There is no minimum time.

A short time near the airport without a significant cultural or natural sight doesn’t count. Going well beyond the airport area for a major sight or time with locals does.

“Entering a geographical area without stopping there does not qualify as a visit to that area.” A stop does, and each country sets how long it must last.

Counts if you get out: you must “disembark from your aircraft, ship, or vehicle and set foot in the territory.”

By car, it counts if you were awake. By train, it counts if you were awake in daylight; after dark, step off at a station stop for a selfie with the station sign.

Passing through without a notable experience doesn’t count, and neither does a gas-station stop. Stopping for a significant sight does. On a train, you must at least get off.

A visit without an overnight stay makes you a same-day visitor, also called an excursionist.

“Even the shortest visit would suffice” once you set foot in the territory.

Enter through passport control where the border has it. Where it doesn’t, as within the EU, stand with both feet on land inside the border.

Counts when the day includes locals or a significant sight. Crossing the border line and turning back doesn’t.

No fixed rule. How cruise passengers are counted depends on how the country’s accounts treat the ship they arrive and leave on.

The rule names “a port-of-call” as enough, provided you go ashore.

Going ashore counts; enter through passport control where it exists. Sailing through territorial waters doesn’t.

Leaving the port area, even a little, counts. Staying inside the port area doesn’t, and neither does seeing the country from the ship.

A visit with an overnight stay makes you a tourist, or overnight visitor.

“Even the shortest visit would suffice” once you set foot in the territory.

Counts once you’ve entered, through passport control where it exists.

A night in a hotel counts even if you do nothing else, unless the hotel is inside the airport area.

Business is a tourism purpose. The exception is travel to be employed by a resident entity in the country.

“Even the shortest visit would suffice” once you set foot in the territory.

Once you’ve entered, “no further qualitative criteria is required.”

Travel for business meetings where nothing else is experienced still counts.