Visa Requirements
Many countries we visit on our travels will require visas, some of which must be obtained before you leave home, and some of which can be obtained en route. Whilst the ultimate responsibility for obtaining visas is yours, we will endeavour to assist you wherever possible.
The visa requirements for your trip will vary depending on where you are going, where you are from, and where you are a resident. We provide details about each country on your trip at the bottom of your detailed trip notes - the information provided is given in good faith, and we do try to keep the visa information as up-to-date as possible. However, please be aware that we strongly advise that you research yourself and/or use a visa agency. Please also be aware that rules regarding visas change, often with no prior warning.
For visas that are needed in advance, you can choose to submit the applications directly to the relevant embassy/consulate (in which case please thoroughly research what is involved for each country you need to apply to, as it can often be quite complicated and confusing to do this way).
We recommend instead that you use a visa agent to assist you with your applications, which keeps the process much simpler. This way can often work out more convenient for doing multiple applications.
If you need to submit your passport together with your applications, we recommend that you avoid making any travel plans in the weeks leading up to your departure. However, if you do need to travel in this period please let us know as soon as possible so that we can help you work out the options for your visa application process.
Most countries require that your passport is valid for at least 6 months after your entry into the country and has at least one blank page for stamps by immigration officials.
Letters of Invitation
Some countries require letters of invitation (LOIs) from an agent within that country before you can apply for the visa itself, (e.g. Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, China). If these are needed they will usually be arranged by the trip operator at no cost to you – however, you MUST provide the information requested by the operator in order for them to arrange these letters of invitation. Once the letters of invitation are issued, you can either choose to use a visa agency to assist your actual visa application, or you can choose to do the application independently.
ESTA
Please note that if you are flying into or via the USA, you must get an authorisation via the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) prior to your journey. If you do not have an ESTA you will be refused travel. Please see here for details and to apply.
There is a similar system in place for travelling into or via Canada, known as the Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA). Please see here for details and to apply.
