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advice visas

Visa Advice

Information correct at 1/March/2002

Summary
It is probably best to organise visas before you leave. We met cyclists who arranged their visas is their home country and there visas were always cheaper and 'better' than ours (i.e. multiple entry and longer duration). You also do away with the stress and hassle of arranging them en route. It's not 100% certain that you can obtain all the necessary visas whilst on-the-road.

General Information
The following information is purely based on our own experiences and the experiences of other who we have met on this trip.

  • We obtained no visas before we left Britain
  • This information is for British citizens only (unless otherwise stated)
  • All of our visas and extensions have each required 2 or more passport photos. Probably best to carry a large stock for the journey. These can be taken very cheaply anywhere along the journey at camera shops
  • We found an invaluable source for up-to date-visa information is the 'Thorntree' on the Lonely Planet website. Go to lonelyplanet.com. Anyone, anywhere can leave a question on this service and will almost definitely get a reply from fellow travellers within a day or so - very useful
  • No visas were required until Turkey

Definitions

Visa Duration - This is how long you are allowed to stay in a country. Extensions are usually available to prolong this period.

Visa Extensions - A visa can normally be extended, allowing you to spend longer in that country. For example, we had a 30-day Iranian visa, but we extended it to 60 days because we needed longer to travel through. This is normally a straightforward process, which costs extra money.

Visa Validity - This is how long you have to enter a country after the visa has been issued. For example, we applied for and received a 30-day Iranian visa while we were in Istanbul. The validity of this visa was 3 months. So we had up to 3 months from the day we received the visa to enter Iran. Once in Iran we were allowed to spend up to 30 days there.

Go straight to:
Eastern Europe     Turkey     Iran     Pakistan     India     Nepal

Post charityride countries:
China     Mongolia     Russia     Baltic States     Belarus

Country Specifics

Eastern Europe
No visas were required until Turkey. EU citizens can travel freely through Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

Turkey

Type

Tourist Multiple Entry

Duration

3 Months

Validity

Immediate

Cost

£10 GBP

Issued at

The Bulgarian/Turkey Border at Edirne

Time taken to issue

10 Minutes

Extensions available?

?

Notes

This is a simple procedure, but make sure that you have a £10 note if a UK citizen, or other currency (Dollars) at the border.

 

Iran

Type

Tourist Single Entry

Duration

30 Days

Validity

2 Months

Cost

$60 USD

Issued at

Iranian Consulate, Istanbul, Turkey

Time taken to issue

10 Days

Extensions available?

Yes (see below)

Notes

An Iranian visa was not available at the Turkey/Iran border. This visa must be obtained in advance of arriving at Iran. We opted to apply for our visas in Istanbul. This proved to be a simple, but lengthy process. A few people we met in Istanbul said that they had waited slightly longer. But Istanbul is a great place to spend the time. Everyone we met who applied for a visa in Istanbul got one. When applying it is probably best not to mention that you're on bikes. It is also advisable to wear conservative clothing to the Iranian consulate and keep legs and arms covered. Women must wear headscarfs at the consulate. The visa's validity was 60 days. This means that you have to enter Iran within 60 days of the visa being issued. The 30 day period starts from the date you enter. We applied for a visa extension in Shiraz (South Iran). This extended our visa by a further 30 days and cost $20. If you fail at Istanbul, don't worry, try again in Ankara and nearer the border at Erzurum. We met UK tourists in Iran who spent hundreds of dollars going through visa agencies back in the UK thinking that was the best way to get one - wrong! They were only issued 10 day visas, so the moral of the story is to go straight to an Iranian consulate or Embassy and apply direct - cut out that middle man!

 

Pakistan

Type

Tourist Single Entry

Duration

30 Days

Validity

3 Months

Cost

$30 USD

Issued at

Pakistan Consulate, Zahedan, SE Iran

Time taken to issue

3 hours

Extensions available?

Yes - although we did not

Notes

The consulate at Zahedan is a small, friendly and an 'informal' one. We met a Slovenian there who has been travelling overland to India every winter for 20 years and always applies for his Pakistan Visa here. If you are not British or American your Visa will cost $1 - $3!

 

India

Type

Tourist Multiple Entry

Duration

6 Months

Validity

Immediate

Cost

$50 USD

Issued at

Indian Consulate, Istanbul, Turkey

Time taken to issue

7 days

Extensions available?

No

Notes

An Indian visa was not available at the Pakistan/India border. This visa must be obtained in advance of arriving at India. You might not want to do the same as us. The visa validity is immediate i.e. the 6 month duration starts as soon as the visa is issued. Also this visa is not extendable. It took us 14 weeks to reach the Indian border from Istanbul, which meant that our maximum time in India was 11 weeks. This did not turn out be a problem. But you may find that your plans may change. You might want to spend more time in India, or go back into India after Nepal to explore Rajasthan, or whatever. If you leave getting that visa until, say, Pakistan, then you leave you're options open for longer.

 

Nepal

Type

Tourist Single Entry

Duration

60 Days

Validity

Immediate

Cost

$30 USD

Issued at

India/Nepal Border post at Mahendra Nagar

Time taken to issue

Less than 1 hour

Extensions available?

Yes - an extra 30 days costs $50.

Notes

A very pleasant, relaxed border. It is in the extreme west of the country and you can cycle along the spectacular Mahendra Highway along Nepal to Kathmandu. Be careful cycling this route though, because the route goes through a tiger inhabited national park for 10 kms. The tigers here have attacked a few people in the past and the park guards may not let you cycle through (but we managed it!). You may have to catch the bus instead for the 10kms.

 


Country Specifics - Post charityride travels (Matt's Experiences)

China

Type

Tourist Single Entry

Duration

30 Days

Validity

3 Months

Cost

$55 USD (Same Day Service) $30 USD (4 Day service)

Issued at

Chinese Embassy, Delhi, India

Time taken to issue

Same day

Extensions available?

Yes

Notes

Probably best not to mention that you are cycling or that you are going to Tibet (if you intend to). I said that I intended to fly to Beijing and stick to the northern cities. It is currently almost impossible for independent travellers to cross from Nepal to Tibet. The authorities will not currently allow it. The only way is to spend US$250+ on an 5-8 day organised jeep tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa. Once you reach Lhasa you are free to leave the tour and continue through China. To enter Tibet you need a Special Tibet Permit. The individual tour overland tour agencies organise this as part of the fee. The Chinese rules seem to change all the time so it is worth checking the situation. We've heard that Islamabad is a good place to get a Chinese visa - Pakistan/China relations are good.

 

Mongolia

Type

Transit Single Entry

Duration

48 Hours

Validity

As stated on train ticket

Cost

$30 USD (3 day service) $60 USD (1 Day service)

Issued at

Mongolian Embassy, Beijing, China

Time taken to issue

Same day

Extensions available?

?

Notes

A very simple and straight forward visa to obtain. Just need to fill the form in and supply 2 passport photos. US citizens do not need a visa to enter Mongolia. I went for a transit visa because I was just passing through in a day on the train. A tourist visa is also easy to obtain if you plan to stop off in Ulan Bator and need more than a transit visa.

 

Russia

Type

Tourist Single Entry

Duration

As defined at application

Validity

As defined at application

Cost

$52 USD (5 Working Day Service) $82 USD (3 Working Day service) $102 USD (Same Working Day Service)

Issued at

Russian Embassy, Beijing, China

Time taken to issue

Same day

Extensions available?

Apparently possible, but difficult

Notes

For a Tourist visa you need an 'invitation' and 'tourist voucher'. This is basically proof that you have accommodation booked in Russia before you get there. For this you need a hostel/hotel that gives a visa support service. I used the G+R Hostel in Moscow (see hostels.ru and click on Visa Support). The procedure is:

  • Look at hostels.ru and print off the visa support form and credit card charge form
  • Fill in your passport and credit card details on these forms. Remember that the Card Verification Code (CVC) is the 3 digit number printed on the rear of your credit card
  • Fax these forms off to Moscow - maybe using a hotel fax or the International Post Office fax service in Beijing (expensive - about $3 per page)
  • Wait about 1 day for the Invitation and Tourist Voucher to return (via fax). You need to supply an incoming fax number. You can receive faxes at the International Post Office in Beijing (for a fee - about $1.50 per page)
  • Take all paperwork to the Russian Embassy

An alternative is to use the visatorussia.com website. You will also need photocopies of your passport, the train ticket and health insurance certificates. Alternatively you can try for a Transit Visa. For this you do not need a tourist voucher or invitation. You do need proof of an onward ticket from Moscow. A Transit visa is currently valid for 10 days. Once in Moscow (or St Petersburg) you need to register the visa (tourist or transit). The G+R Hostel does this for free if you use their visa support service.

 

The Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania)
No visa of any type is required for EU citizens. Simply turn up to the border.

Belarus
A visa is required, even for British citizens and other EU countries. Sorry, I have no other details.

Links
Foreign and Commonwealth Office - fco.gov.uk (click on travel advice)