Visa fees

Old Nov 23, 2012, 2:45 am
  #61  
 
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Originally Posted by hauteboy
Kyrgyzstan - $100
That one is now free and on-arrival for US passport holders (as of this past summer). No idea about UK or other passports.
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 8:05 am
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Originally Posted by RichardInSF
Chinese claim they are just doing what the US does to Chinese residents, but the key difference is that after the first couple of US visas, the US gives Chinese residents a five or ten year visa
According to reciprocity schedule, Chinese are never given B-1/B-2 visas of validity longer that 12 months.
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 9:05 am
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Originally Posted by MAZ199
Originally Posted by chollie

I'm often a bit nervous about 'visa-on-arrival' - I worry that I'll be the one in a million pax who encounters a 'bad apple' agent who decides not to grant me a visa. Unlikely, I know...
Even a pre-approved visa, that doesn't guarantee admission to the country.
You're talking about visa. Even being a citizen is no guarantee of uneventful entry at the border, even at a U.S. border.

Last edited by Yaatri; Nov 23, 2012 at 10:21 am
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 9:12 am
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Originally Posted by chollie
Cambodia was the best - scan your photo online, process the visa online, print it out at home - sweet.
I also used this e-visa service, but found it not very valuable when arriving by air. The vias-on-arrival queue was moving very quickly!

On my AirAsia flight from BKK to PNH, I had seat in row 16, and a man sitting just before me attracted my attention with his huge and fancy-colored hat. So probably he might be about 6 positions ahead of me at disembarkation. I had a prearranged e-visa, and he went for visa-on-arrival, but at passport control he was queuing right behind me!

But apparently this e-visa is a good help for entering overland. A friend who had the experience of entering Cambodia through Paoypaet told me that officials require petty bribes to process visas-on-arrival.
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 9:57 am
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Originally Posted by Doc Savage
Why the kabuki theater of interviews, etc?
Brazil seems to me a very bureaucratic country.

I once had the imprudence of going to a bank to exchange currency (US dollars to Brazilian reals). In my country, exchanging currency in a bank is not the quickest thing: the cashier fills in some form which you sign and which takes some 3 minutes, and we complain about bureaucracy.

But in Brazil the clerk typed on her computer so much that you could think it was she who wrote 'War and Peace' and 'In Search of Lost Time'. Besides, I was required to fill a form myself, and she also made a photocopy of my passport (or rather of my US visa - because for some reason all the clerks in Brazil who wanted to see my passport opened it on the page where my - by then expired - US visa was affixed and copied my particulars from it instead of my passport's title page; they also always marked my nationality as 'EUA'). All in all the operation took 25 minutes.
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 7:11 pm
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Originally Posted by homelyboy
According to reciprocity schedule, Chinese are never given B-1/B-2 visas of validity longer that 12 months.
This is true. I've never seen a Chinese citizen with a 5-10 year B 1/2. The only thing that is a little better for them is if they have been issued a US visa in the past, they do not need to go in for another interview, unless one is warranted.

The Chinese give US citizens 1-2 year visas for visiting. So, it is not too far off.
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Old Nov 24, 2012, 9:40 pm
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Cost of visa is definitely a consideration for me (Canadian). VISA costs are different for each country but Canadian ones are very high in Chile and Laos (for some reason). Russia is nuts (you need an "invitation"). I may pay the high visa fees once to see the place but definitely would not pay it twice to countries charging (extortion rates) visa costs. It is a rip off--simple as that.
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Old Nov 24, 2012, 9:49 pm
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Originally Posted by RichardInSF
I go to HK once or twice a year. Would be happy to visit Shenzhen, but as a US citizen, I'm not going to pay $150 for the privilege.
I feel the same way... so far I've avoided countries that require a hefty visa or a visa processing fee... this includes most of South America, India and China.
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Old Nov 28, 2012, 12:39 pm
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Originally Posted by homelyboy
I also used this e-visa service, but found it not very valuable when arriving by air. The vias-on-arrival queue was moving very quickly!

On my AirAsia flight from BKK to PNH, I had seat in row 16, and a man sitting just before me attracted my attention with his huge and fancy-colored hat. So probably he might be about 6 positions ahead of me at disembarkation. I had a prearranged e-visa, and he went for visa-on-arrival, but at passport control he was queuing right behind me!

But apparently this e-visa is a good help for entering overland. A friend who had the experience of entering Cambodia through Paoypaet told me that officials require petty bribes to process visas-on-arrival.

We went to Cambodia ten years ago. There was only visa on arrival. 20 US dollars and there were 11 people to process the transaction from beginning to end. One to take passport one to take money one to stamp passport one to recount money I don't remember all the other intermediate steps but I do remember counting the people and thinking that it promoted employment. Even with that many people involved it was a quick and painless affair at the phnom penh airport.
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Old Nov 28, 2012, 1:09 pm
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[QUOTE=worldiswide;19761074] but I do remember counting the people and thinking that it promoted employmentQUOTE]

That is the whole reason for Visas and passports---to employ people in relatively well paid jobs. With retina scans or finger print scans (like Nexus has), passports/visas could and should be done away with. Oh, wait that will hurt employment. No can do!
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Old Dec 1, 2012, 8:58 pm
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South America visas and entry fees

So, for your big circle trip of the southern Cone, by an American;
Bolivia ($160), Chile ($160), Argentina ($160), Paraguay ($100), Brazil ($160); that's just $740. Add a partner and one kid and Ka-pow, that's $2220 for just visa fees!!!!
Now, if you travel overland without flying into SCL or EZE, you can shave off their fees.
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Old Dec 2, 2012, 1:39 pm
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I am not sure if all these Visa fees are correct. I don't think there is a fee for Argentina for Americans.

Anyway, what I do is either put these countries at the bottom of the list or go there once only-ever. Visa fees, to me, say we don't want you, but at a price, you can come.
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Old Dec 2, 2012, 2:38 pm
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Originally Posted by pmaclell
I am not sure if all these Visa fees are correct. I don't think there is a fee for Argentina for Americans.
Of course there is!! (if you fly in)
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Old Dec 2, 2012, 7:04 pm
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Originally Posted by pmaclell
I am not sure if all these Visa fees are correct. I don't think there is a fee for Argentina for Americans.

Anyway, what I do is either put these countries at the bottom of the list or go there once only-ever. Visa fees, to me, say we don't want you, but at a price, you can come.
It's now been at least a couple of years that US citizens flying into EZE on ordinary US passports are most commonly required to pay a reciprocity fee in order to enter Argentina at EZE.

Last edited by GUWonder; Dec 2, 2012 at 7:42 pm
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Old Dec 2, 2012, 8:44 pm
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Well, a visa is NOT required, but reciprocity fees need to be paid in Argentina, Chile and other South American countries.

"United States citizens are required to pay an entry request fee of $160.00, which is based on reciprocity (Argentina). This request is valid for multiple entries over a period of 10 years."
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