Yaatri

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Is your decision to visit a country influenced by cost of visa or the ease if visa?
If visa costs more than $25 per entry and can't be obtained on arrival, I am less likely to travel to that country. The most I have paid is $150 for a multiple entry ten year visa. The least was $10 on arrival. I paid $50 for a Chinese visa. I believe it costs more now. I have not travelled to China since the increase.
What's your limit?
Please don't point out that it is reciprocal. It is and it's not.

GUWonder

Ease of visa acquisition and the way immigration/customs/security treat people are factors in my travel planning. The face value of the fees for visas or reciprocity fees are rarely a factor in my travel planning. It has been a decision in business set-up decisions.

I could easily host a family reunion in TLV given the non-stop flights from South Asia, SE Asia, Europe and North America to TLV are very convenient for so much of my family; however, given we have "brown people" and some muslims (not all of whom have OECD country passports) in the family, visa acquisition headaches and airport/airline security harassment come with consequences of booking away from an otherwise good family reunion host area.

Yaatri

Visa fee is not a factor in making a decision for business travel for me. It's definitely a factor for me when travelling for pleasure.I am cheap.

cdn1

Due to family residing in europe, I have been flying over from Canada to Europe for last several years. During the first couple of years, I had to obtain the Visa, which wasn't that much of an issue. Just the hassle of taking time off from the office to go apply. Easy forms, no nonsense questions, etc.
Since becoming Canadian, no longer require visa to visit europe. Always a nice experience so far at all Schengen passport controls, hope it stays that way.

But Family residing in Europe require Canadian visa to come here, so it's more cost effective if I just go instead, and gives me a break from the winters

a few years back, I also paid $100 for the US visit visa. Only used it once because employer sent me over for 2-3 days training. However, the interaction with CBP/DHS was not pleasant, and was required to obtain EXIT stamp at US airports at departure is a PITA, not to mention fingerprinting and being photographed. Also the questioning, etc.

Needless to say, even after citizenship and not requiring visa anymore, or even an ESTA now, I avoid the US. Not even gonna fly through it, even if its cheaper.

Countries that are more welcoming and friendlier at the borders, are going to get the tourist dollars I spend.

Visa not required is definitely a plus. But more important is, the attitude of the border officials. I will not willingly subject myself to any humiliation, anywhere, anymore.

nerd

Not at all.

Redhead

The time and difficulty of getting the visa is a bigger factor for me than cost. Obviously, this is only true of personal tracvel, business travel, I go where they send me.

MSPeconomist

True for me too, but I usually have a choice for business travel and I do consider the hassle of getting a visa. Sometimes it's difficult for me to find a time that I can be without my passport while the visa is being processed normally or sometimes I don't receive the required invitation and other documents from overseas very much ahead of time, so I'm often forced to pay extra for expedited processing.

chollie

Absolutely.

I'll probably never get to visit all the places I'd like to visit as it is, let alone re-visit others, so visas (costs and ease of acquisition) definitely become significant factors in where I travel.

One significant deterrent: countries that require a plane ticket already in hand before issuing a visa. Yes, I know I can buy fully-refundable and cancel, but I'm not willing to go through that much hassle. The length of time to get the visa is also an issue - I'd like to go to Algeria, but I've been told getting the visa will take a minimum of 5 weeks. That's too long for me to go without my passport, so no Algeria.

Expensive visas, particularly from countries that have effectively out-sourced their visa processing, necessitating expensive 'visa processing' fees are also a deterrent.

I currently have a one-year multi-entry Chinese visa. Much more expensive that I paid 12 years ago; I intend to do all the travelling I will probably ever do to China in the next year because of this. Haven't gone to Russia yet, much as I would like to, because of the visa hassles. Brazil is also off the list for now (I'll cross the land border to see both sides of Iguassu), because of the need to buy an air ticket before getting the visa.

As an American, to date my least pleasant border experiences have been with US CBP, so concern about border experiences has yet to be a factor in my travels elsewhere.

Yaatri

Outsourcing does add to the cost of a visa, it's not always the largest chunk of the expense. Some requirements, including possession of a return or onward ticket, possession of sufficient funds or proof of address where you intend to stay during your visit, are not enforced by many countries for American citizens. Thailand, China, India, Indonesia, Cambodia have nt enforced that when I applied for a visa.

Many countries that require a ticket in hand when you apply for visa, don't enforce the rule. It's a silly rule. You have to have a ticket to get a visa. But you can't travel on that ticket if you don't get the visa. In spite of all the hassles, the U.S. embassy does advice people not to buy a ticket until their visa has been processed.
Brazil is off my list too. Their visa is too expensive for me. Yiur multiple entry China visa is a business visa or a tourist vsia? Can one get a multiple entry tourist visa to China?

I have to agree with you about experience with the CBP. Even when I had weapons, souvenir swords, which I did not declare to the customs people, I was handled more politely than I have been by the U.S. CBP with nothing to declare and no contraband of any kind.

China Clipper

Oh but it's worse than that. Brazil strongly advises you not to plan any travel until after you have your visa--since you may not be approved--yet requires confirmed R/T tickets in order to qualify for the visa.

Brazil is a horror show. I have friends whose passports were kept for weeks by the Brazilian consulates in the USA, which refused to respond to any communications regarding them. Nearly every consulate now requires not one but two in-person meetings which for many people involves considerable travel. The clerks are notorious for arrogant and capricious behavior. The fee ($160 or $180) is a trivial matter by comparison.

I wish I'd researched this before ever planning travel to Brazil. I'm sure it's a wonderful country but it's taken ten years off my life.

You got that right.

What do you do then, somehow turn around and get back on your airliner?

chollie

Brazil is one of the countries that requires US citizens to have a ticket in hand before applying for the visa. I've been told that you can buy a fully refundable ticket, use it to apply for the visa, and cancel it within the 24-hour grace period. Then if you actually get the visa, buy another ticket. Supposedly there's no cross-checking. I just think it's way too much hassle, and I'm certainly not buying a non-refundable cheap ticket if I don't already have the visa in hand (unless it's visa on arrival, of course).

IIRC, what's really kind of silly is that it's apparently pretty easy to get a visa 'on arrival' at Iguassu to cross over from the Argentina side to the Brazil side. I don't mind doing sight-seeing in both countries on one trip, but Iguassu is the main sight I wanted to see in Brazil. I think it must be kind of like Zambia-Zimbabwe. I think Zimbabwe visa can be a hassle for some nationalities, but anyone can pay $15 on the bridge and walk across to see Vic Falls from the Zambia side with no problems.

Yes, you can get a one-year, multiple entry tourist visa to China. I had to have some details for the first visit (hostel res, tour group itinerary, whatever), no proof or information on subsequent visits (which is good, since I don't know exactly when I'll go back, just that I'll do it within the one-year period to take best advantage of the price of the visa).

India's pretty good, I asked for a 5-year tourist visa, they gave me a 10-year visa (same price).

MSPeconomist

For the last several years, China has been routinely giving multi entry tourist visas to USA citizens, especially those who have previously had a Chinese visa. I've even been told that you will typically get the multi entry visa even if you ask for single entry. The fees are the same.

IME China requires one to have a plane ticket before applying for a visa. During the period around the Olympics, proof of hotel reservations in every city to be visited was also required, although one could change the hotels and even the itinerary without notifying them or having other problems. Now they don't seem to care about the hotels.

chollie

Just got my visa a couple months ago. No plane ticket required, did have to provide an itinerary (hotels, addresses), although I was told it didn't matter if I changed them.

GUWonder

For business travel, it's usually not a factor; but for business set-up, visa acquisition costs/headaches are a factor for some when deciding where to set up a business unit and/or business meeting.

nerd

I don't think you need the visa. I went across a couple of times using a driver from the Argentine side who makes the crossing daily. On the Brazilian side there was no sign of anyone being pulled over for inspection.

Went over one afternoon to see the Brazil side of the falls, and then for dinner the next day. There was border inspection only when returning to the Argentine side.