[net.travel] Crossing the Iron Curtain

dcn@ihuxl.UUCP (Dave Newkirk) (01/07/85)

I am planning to buy a new car in Europe this spring, and I would like to
visit Berlin.  Do I need a visa to cross the DDR via one of the approved
roads to get to West Berlin?  As I understand it, you don't need a visa
to visit East Berlin from West Berlin, but I'm not sure about driving
through East Germany.  Please reply by mail to:

				Dave Newkirk, ihnp4!ihuxl!dcn

bhs@siemens.UUCP (01/14/85)

Dave:

Ity is me again...this time about driving through East Germany. The visa is
typically issued at the border, it is really a formality. However, a word to
the wise: The East German government runs the next best thing to a racket on
the transit routes, of which there are only three. They are in dire need of
foreign currency, and will often nab you for driving 101 Km/H. Also, there does
not seem to be a fixed ticket rate, it is based on how much cash you have on
hand, from what I've been told by friends. Do not even dream of leaving the
transit route, they will get you in seconds five.

				Bernard H. Schwab
				Siemens RTL
				Princeton, NJ, 08540

iles@hplabs.UUCP (01/15/85)

I'm new enough on the net that I don't know what path to use to get a mail
message to you, so I'll post my response.  I drove to West Berlin two years
ago with a couple of Germans.  I'd called the American Embassy in Bonn
first to ask about visas, and they said I didn't need one.  It was a different
story at the border.  They made a big deal about me not having a visa for
WEST Germany, and I had to get out of the car, wait in line, and pay 5 DM
(about $2 at the time) for a visa.  On the way back, just before crossing
back into West Germany, I had to repeat the process.  Lesson from all of this:
don't panic if they stop and hassle you about a visa and don't rely exclusively
on what the American Embassy tells you.  To go into East Berlin (without the
car) from West Berlin, you need to wait in a line, pay for a visa, and 
exchange money at their rip-off exchange rate.
	Michelle (venus@hplabs!iles)

dcn@ihuxl.UUCP (Dave Newkirk) (01/16/85)

Thanks to those who replied to my original article.  I contacted a
visa service in Chicago that verified the result.  You can drive
through East Germany to West Berlin without prior preparation.
It's called a `transit', and you just have to check in at the border
before crossing to purchase a temporary visa.  It works the same
way as the 1 day visa to visit East Berlin from West Berlin.

				Dave Newkirk, ihnp4!ihuxl!dcn