Get a visa

"Don't take life too seriously...no one comes out alive!" - Elbert Hubbard

What is a visa?

A visa is a stamp or sticker that goes inside your passport and allows you access into a country. Some countries, many in Europe, do not require one at all, while other countries are strict enough to require one in advance of you arriving on their soil. A country can even detain you in the airport and put you back on the plane if you did not obtain proper permission to enter a country (in the form of a visa). Don't bank your trip on it, do a little research!

Do I need a visa?

Unfortunately there is no cut and dry answer to this question. To make matters worse, visa requirements can change for countries every year or so, so make sure your source of information is reliable. The best way to find out is to go to your first destination's embassy website to see the requirements for your country of citizenship. Different countries of origin may have different requirements, so you cannot always take another traveler's word for it.

Visa Resources:

Contact information for lots of embassies can be found here.

Visa requirements for US citizens can be found here.

You can get a third party company to help you with your passport, birth certificate or visas here.

Visa on arrival

Many friendly countries offer a "visa on arrival". This means that you may obtain the necessary visa once you arrive at their airport or border crossing. The length of these visas are typically 30 days, but can be as little as 2 weeks or as long as 1 year! Many times you will be asked to provide at least 1 passport sized photo of yourself, which is why it is a good idea to carry extras in your money pouch.

Sometimes it may be advantageous to obtain the visa in your home country before arrival at your destination, even if they offer it on arrival. This will help you avoid long lines in the airports, and may grant you a longer stay before it expires and you have to make a border crossing. To do this, you have to mail your passport (a frightening concept) along with the completed forms to the country's embassy. They will stamp it, collect a fee, and mail it back to you. If you choose this option, pay the extra for certified mail with tracking options. If nothing else, it will give you a peace of mind if your passport is a few days late coming back.

Rules and regulations

The visa requirements in some countries can be daunting. In many cases, many of the rules are not enforced. One such rule is the "onward ticket" requirement. The claim is that you must show proof of a means to exit the country before you are allowed in. This is rarely enforced and many travelers buy a one way ticket then exit via a border crossing overland to visit neighboring countries. Many times this law is in place to give the officials a mechanism to deny who they want. If you are asked, showing adequate proof of funds, which may simply be a valid credit card or US $100 cash, will do the trick. For more peace of mind, check the forums to hear from other travelers and their experiences.

Border etiquette

Some border officials are grumpier than others. If you catch one on a bad day, they DO have the option of throwing some outdated law at you or making your life difficult. Believe it or not, appearance does matter, and simply cleaning up before you cross a border can make your life easier. Remember that their twitchy stamp hand could change your entire trip so smile, be polite even in the face of their insensitivity, and follow directions closely, including on the forms.

You will often be asked routine questions at the border such as "what is your business here?" and "what is your occupation?". These guys are hardly interested in your life story or even an accurate answer, so just give honest, yet short answers. Save yourself some effort by not mentioning that you are "vagabonding" which will probably create a blank stare. Simply state that you are visiting on holiday as a tourist. If you are unemployed, say that you are a student. We are all students of life. :)

Misc

Getting a visa stamp in your passport for Israel may make it difficult to enter Arab countries in the Middle East. Jordan and Egypt are still allowing entry at this time, but other Arab countries will discriminate against you! It may be possible to have them put the stamp on a piece of paper that is stapled inside your passport, then tear it out later. Do not try to remove or mutilate the stamp if it goes into your passport, the entire thing could be declared invalid!

Border officials are legendary wasters of passport pages. In fact, I am certain that they are sent to a special school that teaches them how to place a stamp just right to take up maximum room in your passport. Although having every page in your passport stamped is certainly a goal to aim for, it can also mean having to get a new passport before your next trip!

China, while doing an OK job at trying to change their image, is still a communist country and they have some twitchy visa requirements. When filling out the application, avoid mentioning Tibet or other areas of controversy. Also, "journalists" may require a special visa for fear that you will spread the un-edited and non-government approved truth about the interior of the country.

Beware of "administrative boundaries" in countries. For instance, traveling from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong or Macau, counts as leaving the country and uses your one entry on a visa. You have to pay more for multiple entries if you wish to return back to the mainland.

In conclusion

Relax! Crossing a border, especially if it is your first trip, can be a nervous experience. There may be guards with machine guns and lots of guys in uniform. Unless you are carrying a backpack full of drugs (don't even think about it!) you have nothing to worry about and will most likely be welcomed into a new country.


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Step 4 - Medical preparations