Comments on: Can’t I Just Show Up? Visa Considerations for Travel Hackers

By: Beth

Beth — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 01:40:00 +0000

Super interesting concept! Can you make some for other countries’ passport holders? I’m from the UK and could really do with something similar. Best regards!

By: Kyle Stewart

Kyle Stewart — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 03:36:00 +0000

This is a great resource, thanks for putting it together. I made the mistake of booking a ticket to Venezuela before checking the requirements, you can add them to the list under a new category (5) Annoyingly difficult.

By: shonuffharlem

shonuffharlem — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 02:28:00 +0000

In reply to ej01. Or just skip going to an antisemitic country!

By: ej01

ej01 — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 01:06:00 +0000

I’ve been to Saudi Arabia… The easiest way, by far, would be to go on an Umrah or Hajj visa, which is open to all Muslims, but you can only do it with an official tour group. The second easiest way is a work visa, which a dizzying percentage of the population there have. The third option is how I got in: A business visa. I had to send my passport to their embassy in DC and it took them about 3 weeks to get it back to me. They used two adjacent pages of my passport – the left was for the visa that covers a full page and the right was for tax stamps denominated in SAR and entry/exit stamps applied when entering and exiting the country.

By: ptahcha

ptahcha — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 21:06:00 +0000

In reply to Eric Boromisa. Perhaps a post on visa requirements and application process/pitfalls in general? [I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!]

By: Eric Boromisa

Eric Boromisa — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 19:00:00 +0000

In reply to ptahcha.

Yes, I’ll add that at the top of the table. Apologies, it’s just the US 75% of TC’s readership – UK and Canada are next at 3% each — if you’d like to compile a similar resource for other countries, we could probably wrangle Scott into a guest post.

By: PatMike

PatMike — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 14:55:00 +0000

In reply to Baqa. I did that a few years ago. We stayed at the W St. P, which was just across the street from the bus drop off. Well worth it. Get a window cabin on the St. Petrerline ferry.

By: ptahcha

ptahcha — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 14:39:00 +0000

To be fair, I think you need to disclose that this is from an US passport holder perspective. The visa application process is significantly different for holders of other passports. As an example, a Schengen visa can be difficult if you need one to visit one of the Schengen countries in Western Europe.

In addition, for Bolivia, US citizens can apply for a tourist or business visa upon arrival.

By: Neal

Neal — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 13:34:00 +0000

Great, consolidated resource. I wanted to help share a small update to your footnote on China. In some cities, like Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, etc. there is actually a 144 hour visa (6 days). The requirement to visit a 3rd country, just like the 72 hour, still applies.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/metro/Everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-144hour-visaexemption-transit-policy/shdaily.shtml

By: garyfox

garyfox — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 12:53:00 +0000

I think it’s worth pointing out that this information applies to US citizens. At least, I assume that. As far as I know, it does not apply to UK citizens, who, for example, do not need visas for Brazil or Bolivia.

By: Baqa

Baqa — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 12:20:00 +0000

One exception / loophole to the “Hard” Russian visa – no visa is required to visit St. Petersburg for 72 hours if you arrive and leave via a ferry from Helsinki and buy a “tour” (in this case, a shuttle bus to/from the city from the ferry terminal purchased from the ferry company suffices). My family and I will be doing this in August to get a taste of Russia without needing to jump through the visa hoops.