Isn’t (wasn’t) a US driver’s license all that was required for Americans to visit Mexico and Canada? 
But to answer your question the answer may have to do with the EU and Schengen rules whereby entry into the UK can (could) be all that is (was) needed to continue to travel across much of Europe. This is a question, not a statement.
Yes, we could go into Mexico with a drivers license but those times are over. We need a passport now.
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Thank you. I didn’t know that. Maybe I’m too old and haven’t caught up with the times but I do remember that we (I mean “we”) needed a visa to visit the US while American citizens needed none to visit most of Western Europe. I’m talking about the 1970s and such. Besides all of that I think there is a misconception on what a visa really is … or what it isn’t. Technically (I suppose) any time you are given a stamp in your passport it is considered a visa in so much as your time within the country is limited from the date of the stamp. The difference here is in the other sort making an application beforehand through embassies abroad that may … or may not … require paying a fee … and being issued a more formal stamp in your passport before arrival. Both are visas but only one can be issued at the border upon arrival. Does this help to understand it or have I made it even more complicated? 
I lived in Germany from 69-74, 83-88 and 89-90 then all I had was a Military ID card and didn’t need a passport. But since I’ve retired I need a passport and they stamp my passport when I enter and leave.
Back when I was in the military, I went to Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Spain, France, Czechoslovakia with just a military ID card. I got in Trouble when I was leaving East Germany because I was allowed over there. When I was coming back from Italy they would let me go back through Austria with. Military ID card, even though I went ski there every year. They made me go through Switzerland to get back to West Germany.
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I lived in Germany myself in the 1970s in both Freiburg i.br. and West Berlin. As a resident of West Berlin I passed through the DDR a hundred times in all directions and went to Alexanderplatz any time I felt like it. I needed nothing more than my simple Ausweis. One morning I noticed maybe a hundred or more Pakistanis. I soon found out that they had found a loophole in the system whereby coming to west Berlin from the East required no paperwork from them. The hole was plugged up rather quickly.
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WOW. 1972 That’s some Adventure ‘Young Man’.
One would certainly not see those Buddhism sculptures and caves now, As if !!
Wait a minute. Let me see if I understand this. ONE: Are you saying that they would allow you to travers Austria or that they would not allow you to trasverse Austria? TWO: Are you an American citizen? THREE: Are there or were there American military based in Austria? Something is wrong with this picture. Austria didn’t share a border with the DDR and one of the corriders to Berlin was from Bayern anyway…
Austria was not part of some European agreement. It depends on the guard at the border crossing (zoll). Most of the time they would just wave me in. That was the Austria/ German border. But coming back from Italy going to Germany, the border guard would not let me drive back through Austria to get back to Germany. He made me turn around and told to go through Switzerland. In which I did.
I went skiing in Austria a lot and they would just wave me through.
Yes, I’m an American citizen and my wife was a German citizen.
No, there are no US military bases in Austria.
I think actually there were American military bases in both Austria and Italy. Well, you were an American military so you know better than I - for sure - but what I think is: ONE: Either the Italian border guard was wrong or … TWO: You are confusing Austria with ČS.
Yes, there is a US Military bases in Italy. None in Austria, only military there were for the embassy.
I was coming back from my honeymoon in Italy and I know the borders of Europe pretty good, minus to former eastern block countries. A the time I was afraid Switzerland would not let me through because they were neutral but they just waved me through.
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Is the “Green Card” method still valid, for seamless entry to the US. ?
Yes, but you have to use a port of entry. I work with 2 people that have green cards, one is from Panama and the other is from Dominican Republic and my wife had a green card before becoming a citizen.
Took my wife 10 years to get her citizenship
[quote=“Robin1, post:50, topic:107560, full:true”]
… my wife had a green card before becoming a citizen. Took my wife 10 years to get her citizenship [/quote]
10 years!? Is that normal?
Thanks for updating.
So it does appear to have altered.
We had a Green Card, as a family of four visiting tourists. Citizenship not requested or an issue.
Not sure about designating port of entry. As it was always Miami on multiple occasions over some 10yrs.
It was seamless fast and straightforward. No questions asked at entry.
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I was in the military and my duty station kept changing. The first place we dealt with was in Atlanta, when assigned to Georgia. then went to Germany every thing on hold. Then assigned in Tennessee so we had to use Nashville then went to Korea and everything was on hold again. Came back to Texas and had to deal with San Antonio that is where we finally got through everything.
Every time I changed locations the paper work had to be sent forward. This was before computers.
“Hurry up and wait”. Among other places, I was stationed at Fort Sam Houston prior to shipping out to Vietnam. I’m sure you know where it is … Fort Sam, I mean. 
With all of that moving about I assume you were a career man. Are you settled into civilian life now? Is it going OK?
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Yes, I can understand you were worried about not being allow through Switzerland because of their neutrality, 
As far as I can see, the American military left Austria in 1955 so you are certainly right about no Americans in Austria. 
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Not many kangaroos either. 
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No, but lots of wieners.
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‘To have a Visa or not to have a Visa’ that is the question…
It’s all academic anyway. If you want to enter the UK and enter into a world of crime and drugs you can just waltz in from France (and possibly elsewhere) no visa or papers required.
But the people who have to obtain Visa’s are the ones who are the least likely to cause trouble anyway.
A bit like lowering speed limits. All the people who drive safely and observe the speed limits are the ones least likely to have an accident but be inconvenienced. But the ones who break the speed limits and drive recklessly will just ignore the new speed limits and carry on as before.
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