5 Countries that are quite complicated to visit
There are destinations for which you can get visa applications accomplished in a matter of minutes over the internet. There are travel destinations though which may take weeks or even months. We put spotlight on five countries which may be bit tricky to go to.
If you are planning to go to one of these destinations, you may want to plan ahead and also call the respective embassy to ask about their visa process.
China
Who does not want to see the Great Wall of China, walk in the grounds of the Forbidden City, explore Shanghai, or check out the Terra Cotta Warriors.
The visa application for China has a long list of requirements and details with the form to accomplished recently stretched to four pages.
You need to put in detail where you will be staying, your occupation, nationality, family members and details about them, and other countries which you visited in the last 12 months and your purpose of visit.
You cannot mail in your application but have it delivered by you personally or by a visa representative to the Chinese embassy which holds jurisdiction where you live. You also need to apply for a special permit if you intend to visit places like Tibet and other regions. The process can take just around four days but it may be rejected if the application form is not accomplished properly.
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro will be hosting the Olympics in 2015 plus all the natural wonders this country boasts off, and anyone can be lured in to visit.
The application for visa to Brazil might be confusing. It is because of the fact that their consulates in different locations might have their own sets of rules and requirements. Some consulates may require a married traveler to have a letter from his or her spouse permitting him or her to travel. Other embassies though may not require this.
It is best to call the consular office first and ask for the requirements for a visa application. You need to give it around a month to complete procurement of the visa.
India
India has a lot of reasons to magnet tourists from all over the world. Aside from the pure beauty of the Taj Mahal, wild reserves of Rajasthan, there is also the urban magic of Bollywood and Mumbai.
Around 8 million visitors from the United states flock to India. It is not really that difficult to get a visa to enter India but it is the processing that may be a bit tedious. If you do not foresee the lengthy process, you might be caught in some delay with your travel plans.
The first thing to do if you are planning an India holiday is to apply for a visa thru Travisa Visa Outsourcing which handles visa processing for the government. This contractor will inform you about the consulate or embassy which has jurisdiction over your application.
You will also be asked for some proof of residency and proof of billing for a major utility. You might want to ask the consulate on the supporting documents needed for your application.
Russia
The Kremlin, Bolshoi Ballet, and other cultural treasures are reasons enough to dream of going to Russia.
If you plan on going to Russia, you will be needing an invitation letter. You can be sponsored by a hotel based in Russia or a travel company tat is acknowledged by their Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can also ask the assistance of visa agencies like A Briggs Passport and Visa Expeditors, Travisa, or VisaHQ.
You might also want to ask someone who understands Russian to check your visa before your flight so you can confirm the indicated dates of possible stay, hotel, and other details of your itinerary.
The visa processing time might take a while so you need to plan well ahead. You can apply two months ahead of you trip. Make sure that you do not overstay in Russia beyond the dates indicated on your visa or you might be stuck in the country until a new visa is approved.
Kazakhstan
You might be familiar of this country made popular by the fictional character Borat. But even without the Hollywood film, Kazkhstan is the 9th biggest country in the world in terms of size. Its culture is a good mix of Soviet, Western, and Islamic influences. It boasts of several UNESCO heritage sites like nature reserves and petroglyphs. Thrill seekers has a lot of mountains to conquer thru trekking, hiking, or skiing.
Like other countries ending with “-stans” has a difficult visa application process. You need to write a personal letter detailing your intent, purpose, and details of visit to the consular office which holds jurisdiction over your location.
Approval of the visa might take a few weeks so you might want to apply a month before your trip. Kazakhstan has implemented new visa application rules in 2010 but it seems there is still a big room for improvement.