This is going to sound totally ridiculous, but I'm asking on behalf of a friend who's got a project planned for his degree in tourism at university.

He wants to obtain as many visas as possible, for exotic/rare countries, e.g. Turkmenistan, Bolivia, Gabon - all the places that 99.99% people have never been to or heard of.

He'll then write a thesis based on how easy it was to obtain each one, what requirements were needed etc.

The trouble is that some countries charge extortionate fees - e.g. Pakistan is GBP 104 for a single entry tourist visa!! The other problem is that many countries need invitation letters, or proof of flight/accommodation booking.

So my question is: Which countries offer tourist visas, for a reasonable cost, and without needed proof of actually visiting, or masses of paperwork and letters?

Thanks for any (useful!) help, and sorry if this question sounds ridiculous.

The problem your friend is going to have is that many countries charge reciprocal rates for visas. If the UK charges a high price for a visa for a visitor from that country, then they're going to charge a high (similar) price for a UK citizen.

joe

He should apply for a 10-year UK Tourist visa (C-VISIT).

At US$1200 application fee (� 702 if paid in GBP), it might be the most expensive tourist visa application in the world today. And of course, if the visa is not granted there is no refund.

He will also need to provide a list of every traffic/parking ticket he has ever received, details of every warning/caution ever received from law enforcement, every journey he has ever made outside his country of citizenship (including details of what he did in each place), copies of the last 6 months of statements from every bank account, credit card or investment account he holds and more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_re...tish_nationals

As for Turkmenistan, while the visa is cheap, I am having to go thru an agency to arrange hotels/travel within the country which turns it into an expensive trip.

Forgot to say that he's based in the UK and has a British passport.

Thanks :-)

Some of the more difficult expensive ones (because of the invitation and booking) for me were:

North Korea
Iran
Turkmenistan
Sudan
Russia

Easy/cheap were:

Democratic Rep of Congo... cheap in Rwanda - maybe expensive elsewhere
Uganda
Laos
Cambodia
Thailand (since we wanted more than 30 days)
Georgia
Azerbaijan (need a hotel booking, but it can be cancelled if you don't actually go)
Armenia
China
Yemen
India (though it was a real hassle in that my wife's name is not on our utility bill)
Qatar (we don't need visas anymore tho)

I found Iran very cheap ($70) and easy to get - waited just 2 weeks mailbox to mailbox as an independent traveller

Likewise with Myanmar, Syria - quick and easy at the embassy.

Vietnam and India had to be done in advance - both a pain - but it was worth it.

Armenia, Kenya, Laos, Indonesia, Nepal, Cambodia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Bahrain, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe were all visas on the border. Zimbabwe was expensive - $75 for Canadians!

Last time I had a Russian one was 2002 - I dont remember any hardships once I had a letter of invitation in hand.
I also remember picking one up in person at the consulate of Macedonia in Toronto in 2004 - the consulate was in a residential building....


So far Turkmenistan is the hardest for me - will probably pony up the $500 for 5 days to use a "tour". Did the same in Bhutan last year - but the visa is picked up on arrival.

Kazakhstan has recently raised their visa fees for Canadians to $250 in Canada.... so will be picking it up elsewhere.

Indonesia is US$10 on arrival for a single entry tourist visa.

The one week visa on arrival is no longer available. Only the $25 one month single entry is available. Otherwise one must utilize the embassy/consulate route which is more expensive.

A note of caution... having this many unused visas in a passport will raise questions if he were to travel with it as I recall from a thread here on FT.

yeah this will definitely create serious problems later down the road when he actually does want to travel but on the bright side it would definitely give him another subject to write about.

The extent of the problem is limited to the cost of getting a new passport !

Azerbaijan easy? Maybe because I was trying to get a work Visa it was harder. I had to have an LOI, a medical check up done, 120$, 2 passport photos with red background, and my original college diploma.Took over 2 months to obtain. Even a tourist Visa now requires LOI, 120$, 2 passport photos, and must be applied for at an Azerbaijan Embassy in your home country. I had to send my stuff off to an Agent in Washington DC.

Hmm... all I needed was one photo, a faxed reservation from a hotel and $40... got a one month tourist visa. I later wanted to change the dates and while at the Tehran Embassy, I was invited for tea with the Azeri Ambassador to Iran... then they changed the ferry schedule and I never made it to Azerbaijan.

not always just getting a new passport, cant speak for the uk but in the us they have electronic notes. i guess you didnt realize they scan that passport of yours everytime you exit and enter the country.

having certain countries in your passport that for a lack of better words, arent in the best of relations with the united states, can and probably will cause "delays."

this also applies to countries that arent your home, travel to israel with any terrorist supporting countries in your passport you might just find yourself in a room being asked a few extra questions...