Tagged With "Visa"

This is a great compehensive post. Time to try and cash the money order that you've been holding! LOL

Wow! Thanks for this fascinating contribution, Lestertheinvestor. I was exhausted just from reading the directions for applying for the visa. It is quite obvious that Saudi Arabia doesn't want infidels visiting them. A few questions you might know the answer to: 1) Is the process stream-lined for a Muslim wanting to go to Mecca, and what kind of proof do they need to have that they're a Muslim? 2) Do you have any rough idea how many hours you spent on this process? Ball-park guess would do.

1) The process is easier for a Muslim who is going on a hajj. However, unless you are native born, you must present a document from the Imam of your mosque documenting your status as a Muslim in good standing. For a Caucasian woman who is a converted Muslim, you must still get permission from your husband or a male relative, along with the letter from the mosque to allow you to make the hajj. 2) Between my wife and I (she actually presented our documents each time to the consulate in Los...

What a bureaucratic nightmare! I wonder if there are countries that make it harder to visit than this one?

Originally Posted by Travel Luver: What a bureaucratic nightmare! I wonder if there are countries that make it harder to visit than this one? My wife and I have visited 119 countries, with China, Bhutan and Saudi Arabia the most challenging to enter.

My husband and I were invited to live there for two years while he did a medical fellowship in genetics. The challenge for me was that I am a very independent traveler, and I could not imagine how I would deal with the restrictions on women. In the end, those restrictions influenced our decision to go to Germany for two years instead. However, after having seen your photos, I am curious to see more. I regret that I do not know this part of the world.

Lincoln Memorial: Lots of visitors, room for many more.        Photo: ILA-boy / Wikimedia   The U.S. is on the way to hitting 100 million international visitors by 2021, according to Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. Last...

  Canada has many beautiful natural places to visit, like Lake Louise (above), as well as a number of world class urban centers.  Yes, the winters can be harsh but summers are nearly perfect.  It's not surprising that many people from...

38 countries citizens that didn't need a Visa to come to the US because of the Visa Waiver Program, are in for some changes. Homeland Secretary Jeh Charles Johnson announced these following changes to the Visa Waiver Program   Required use of...

 If you’ve never seen a travelers’ check and maybe don’t even know what it is, you’re like most overseas travelers these days. Going abroad no longer means planning to carry wads of cash, or trekking off to American...

A number of countries in areas including Southeast Asia and southern Africa are considering simplified regional visas, making travel easier for ...

Really. Brazil, which sends 2 million visitors a year to the U.S., has seen long waits for appointments and for visa issuance at U.S. consulates and embassies there. And since tourists=dollars, that's a problem.   According to travel industry...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection wants to check your social media before you enter the U.S.

2013 brought more foreign visitors to Japan than ever before. This is, in part, due to a weaker yen and an ease on Visa requirements.  This is a remarkleable achievement after the devasting Earthquake and tsunami.  Read more ...

The European Union votes today on possible visa requirements for Americans in return for US refusal to include all members in the Visa Waiver Program.

Are there changes coming to the Visa Waiver program? Read more and see.

China offering 6 day visa free transit visits to Shanghai to citizens of certain countries.

See what France is doing to attract more Chinese Tourists

"...payback for the years of the Raj?" I like the measured nature of the response, as well as the patience shown. And, for once, it's not US citizens being inconvenienced for the policies of its government.

Its because we give Indian Students an interview before they come to the UK to attend College. They get a 2 years UK "Student Visa" visa which also allows them to work for 20 hours a week. But when they arrive in the UK thousands of "students" vanish. And they fail to show up at their pre-arranged College. In those 2 years they assume another identity. So now they get a fingerprint and iris recognition photo before leaving the Indian sub-continent.. Which is only common sense - the US do it...

I'm surprised to see that Canadians will be included along with Americans in the vote for possible visa requirements. The US excludes 5 EU countries from the visa waiver program, Canada 2.

Canada actually has far tougher immigration standards than the USA does. So this doesn't surprise me. But it will make traveling less convenient and more expensive.

I hope it's an empty threat because, if passed, it would seem to have more serious consequences for our destination countries in the EU than for travelers. There are a number of places in Asia, for instance, that I postponed visiting for years while it was a pain to get visas. At this stage of the game I might not bother, having seen a great deal of Europe and content to revisit my favorites in future that make it easy. I suspect there's a large percentage of Americans who will content...

It doesn't seem to me there's a lot of sentiment in DC, and especially Congress, for expanding waivers, so this may come to pass. If so, hopefully easy online digital visas such as Turkey uses, and not the get-in-line-at-the-consulate sort.

The European Commission delayed by three months whether to introduce visa requirements for USA and Canadian citizens by asking EU member states and the European Parliament to discuss their stance. Even if there is new European Union's visa policy, travel to the UK and Ireland will still not require a visa for Canadians and Americans because the United Kingdom and Ireland have opted out of the European Union's visa policy.

The Indian government has just changed a number of its rules for tourist visas, making it possible for citizens of some countries to obtain a visa on arrival in India at the airport, while for the first time requiring U.K. citizens to visit a visa office.

It is nearly impossible to visit Saudi Arabia. If you have a business there, you can travel on a business visa. If you are going to visit Mecca on a hajj (pilgrimage), you can get a visa. Otherwise, you have to be an invited guest of the government.