The worst visa you've had to apply for
Jan 9, 2018, 5:42 am
#62
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Selma, Fort Hay, Oregon
Posts: 38
Brazilian women treated like trash by US VISA staff
The worst IMHO is the visa to United States. Not for me because I have two citizenships but, for Brazilians in general, is a nightmare. You need to bring tons of papers to prove your financial situation, all documents about your trip (air tickets, hotels reservations, etc), credit cards balances, etc etc etc. And now, under the Trump era, the things are getting worse. Some years ago my stepdaughter made an interchange on USA and we spent more than two months only to get the visa. Completely crazy.
I don't remember problems taking a visa. The worst for me was to Vietnam 10 years ago when I was need to send a "invitation letter" from a travel agency. Except that, even in Africa, I never had problems (should be because I'm born in a poor country too).
I don't remember problems taking a visa. The worst for me was to Vietnam 10 years ago when I was need to send a "invitation letter" from a travel agency. Except that, even in Africa, I never had problems (should be because I'm born in a poor country too).
Jan 9, 2018, 5:56 am
#63
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Selma, Fort Hay, Oregon
Posts: 38
Brazil VISUM depends
I'd be curious to know Proudelitist's details. We travel to Brazil at least twice a year and as a US passport holder I require a VISUM. Now, because I usually get it with my Brazilian wife at the LA consulate and because we have become familiar with their idiosyncrasies over the years, this has been less of a hassle than it was in the beginning. They now issue me 10 year multiple 90 day VISA and that cuts down on the process. I do agree, however, that their process lacks competence and involves needless bureaucracy, as does most officialdom in Brazil. Keep in mind, however, that their VISA fee is in direct reciprocal retaliation for the ludicrous fee imposed by the US on Brazilians. Furthermore, Brazilian VISUM seekers at US consulates in Brazil undergo similar, if not worse, ordeals.
Jan 9, 2018, 6:10 am
#64
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Selma, Fort Hay, Oregon
Posts: 38
Before the socialists
In the 'bad old days', before the socialist government took control, US nationals did not require a VISUM to Venezuela at all. Then again, Venezuela was treated differently by the US as well. What goes around, comes around.
Jan 9, 2018, 6:28 am
#65
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 15,347
Please do not parrot that Brazilian "reciprocity" garbage.
The visa that Brazilians have to get to come to the US is a proper visa, the visa that US citizens get to go to Brazil is essentially an entry tax.
Also:
Until 2003 Brazilians could get visas that had no expiration date, and since then 10 years validity. Until 2013 the most that a US citizen could get was a one year visa. So while the process was so much more difficult for Brazilians, they only rarely had to endure it.
Also.............while "reciprocal", it was the Brazilians who started charging money for the visas, in 1998 or so IIRC, prior to that it was free on both sides. The US reciprocated that one. The Brazilians started doing so.............in order to pay for all the bureaucracy of issuing visas!
Lastly, and the point that Brazilians like to conveniently forget about the fact that despite all the difficulty and documentation that still something like 40,000 Brazilians a year overstay and violate their visas to the US and it is estimated that there may be as many as 1 million (probably 200,000 in Pompano Beach alone) Brazilians living illegally in the United States (a hard number to pin down, due to the fact that a good number of Brazilians have Portuguese and Italian passports.....it is no coincidence that Portugal is bumping up against the VWP waiver due solely to this). In the other direction the number is negligible, I have seen estimated of 1500 in total.
The visa that Brazilians have to get to come to the US is a proper visa, the visa that US citizens get to go to Brazil is essentially an entry tax.
Also:
Until 2003 Brazilians could get visas that had no expiration date, and since then 10 years validity. Until 2013 the most that a US citizen could get was a one year visa. So while the process was so much more difficult for Brazilians, they only rarely had to endure it.
Also.............while "reciprocal", it was the Brazilians who started charging money for the visas, in 1998 or so IIRC, prior to that it was free on both sides. The US reciprocated that one. The Brazilians started doing so.............in order to pay for all the bureaucracy of issuing visas!
Lastly, and the point that Brazilians like to conveniently forget about the fact that despite all the difficulty and documentation that still something like 40,000 Brazilians a year overstay and violate their visas to the US and it is estimated that there may be as many as 1 million (probably 200,000 in Pompano Beach alone) Brazilians living illegally in the United States (a hard number to pin down, due to the fact that a good number of Brazilians have Portuguese and Italian passports.....it is no coincidence that Portugal is bumping up against the VWP waiver due solely to this). In the other direction the number is negligible, I have seen estimated of 1500 in total.
Jan 9, 2018, 7:23 am
#66
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Florida
Programs: Delta SkyMiles; Hilton HHonors; NEXUS; National Emerald Club Executive
Posts: 365
Please do not parrot that Brazilian "reciprocity" garbage.
The visa that Brazilians have to get to come to the US is a proper visa, the visa that US citizens get to go to Brazil is essentially an entry tax.
Also:
Until 2003 Brazilians could get visas that had no expiration date, and since then 10 years validity. Until 2013 the most that a US citizen could get was a one year visa. So while the process was so much more difficult for Brazilians, they only rarely had to endure it.
Also.............while "reciprocal", it was the Brazilians who started charging money for the visas, in 1998 or so IIRC, prior to that it was free on both sides. The US reciprocated that one. The Brazilians started doing so.............in order to pay for all the bureaucracy of issuing visas!
Lastly, and the point that Brazilians like to conveniently forget about the fact that despite all the difficulty and documentation that still something like 40,000 Brazilians a year overstay and violate their visas to the US and it is estimated that there may be as many as 1 million (probably 200,000 in Pompano Beach alone) Brazilians living illegally in the United States (a hard number to pin down, due to the fact that a good number of Brazilians have Portuguese and Italian passports.....it is no coincidence that Portugal is bumping up against the VWP waiver due solely to this). In the other direction the number is negligible, I have seen estimated of 1500 in total.
The visa that Brazilians have to get to come to the US is a proper visa, the visa that US citizens get to go to Brazil is essentially an entry tax.
Also:
Until 2003 Brazilians could get visas that had no expiration date, and since then 10 years validity. Until 2013 the most that a US citizen could get was a one year visa. So while the process was so much more difficult for Brazilians, they only rarely had to endure it.
Also.............while "reciprocal", it was the Brazilians who started charging money for the visas, in 1998 or so IIRC, prior to that it was free on both sides. The US reciprocated that one. The Brazilians started doing so.............in order to pay for all the bureaucracy of issuing visas!
Lastly, and the point that Brazilians like to conveniently forget about the fact that despite all the difficulty and documentation that still something like 40,000 Brazilians a year overstay and violate their visas to the US and it is estimated that there may be as many as 1 million (probably 200,000 in Pompano Beach alone) Brazilians living illegally in the United States (a hard number to pin down, due to the fact that a good number of Brazilians have Portuguese and Italian passports.....it is no coincidence that Portugal is bumping up against the VWP waiver due solely to this). In the other direction the number is negligible, I have seen estimated of 1500 in total.
It sounds like you disagree with the principle of reciprocity, as if Brazil somehow has an obligation to treat Americans nicer than the United States does Brazilians.
Jan 9, 2018, 7:23 am
#67
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NC
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I can only guess a good proportion of users here are of 'Western' origins, so the idea of visas can all too often be regarded as a ridiculous endeavour which can be easily avoided by going somewhere that doesn't need a visa. But no doubt some of you have gone through the trials and tribulations of applying for one sooner or later, so:
What is the worst visa you've had to apply for and why?
Having spent the last few weeks going to various African embassies in Moscow (where I'm based) seeking information about what is required for visas, it's proved to be an interesting exercise. Particularly when some requirements were somewhat gladly substituted, if not waived altogether by simply asking! Whilst I haven't applied for any visas in the region (yet), others have proven...interesting. Here are my top 3:
1) Turkmenistan - went to the consulate in Moscow (which involved a chaotic wait of about 3 hours), asked if a proposed route would be accepted for a transit visa (i.e. DME-ASG then by land into Bukhara, the reverse was deemed invalid). Applied, which involved a detailed description of my trip to be written by hand in Russian (which I do not speak...thank god my husband was on hand to help!) and plenty of details regarding employers (standard I know), went back to submit everything and 2 weeks later, got a phone call from my employer telling me that the Turkmenistan embassy called THEM to confirm my application was rejected (surprise surprise). Needless to say, I'll stick with travel agencies...
2) Azerbaijan - as a budget traveller, I opt for hostels/dormitories etc, and luck had it that there was one situated in the heart of Old Baku. So I applied at the Azerbaijani visa centre in London, only to be told that the place I was staying was regarded as a private residence and required a letter from the owner (who didn't speak English, thus I was contacting her daughter) effectively inviting me to stay there. After emailing the letter initially written, it was returned specifying further details needed like exact dates, passport number of the owner, number of days I was going to be there for (which had to be a minimum of 3, but I was there only for 2, otherwise it would be an automatic rejection) and so on. Having emailed the owner back and forth for several weeks, I finally got the letter exactly as needed and got the visa within a week!
3) Uzbekistan - incidentally I applied with ease in Moscow last year, but it was in Riyadh and Almaty where it was problematic. In Riyadh, they demanded the 'letter of invitation' from me, despite me being a passport holder exempt from such letter, and as I lived a considerable (kind of) distance from Riyadh, going back and forth to the embassy was too difficult to do. So, I opted for Almaty. Queuing up at the embassy requesting a transit visa, I showed copies of flights from Almaty to Bishkek by way of Tashkent and was told that it was simply impossible to issue a transit visa in one day, the minimum processing time was 3 days. Even for a higher price they wouldn't do it, but hey, c'est la vie.
And now, I'm potentially facing places like Angola (which sounds surprisingly easy from the second in command of the Angolan Embassy in Moscow!), Nigeria, Burundi, Benin, Sierra Leone etc over the next year...!
What is the worst visa you've had to apply for and why?
Having spent the last few weeks going to various African embassies in Moscow (where I'm based) seeking information about what is required for visas, it's proved to be an interesting exercise. Particularly when some requirements were somewhat gladly substituted, if not waived altogether by simply asking! Whilst I haven't applied for any visas in the region (yet), others have proven...interesting. Here are my top 3:
1) Turkmenistan - went to the consulate in Moscow (which involved a chaotic wait of about 3 hours), asked if a proposed route would be accepted for a transit visa (i.e. DME-ASG then by land into Bukhara, the reverse was deemed invalid). Applied, which involved a detailed description of my trip to be written by hand in Russian (which I do not speak...thank god my husband was on hand to help!) and plenty of details regarding employers (standard I know), went back to submit everything and 2 weeks later, got a phone call from my employer telling me that the Turkmenistan embassy called THEM to confirm my application was rejected (surprise surprise). Needless to say, I'll stick with travel agencies...
2) Azerbaijan - as a budget traveller, I opt for hostels/dormitories etc, and luck had it that there was one situated in the heart of Old Baku. So I applied at the Azerbaijani visa centre in London, only to be told that the place I was staying was regarded as a private residence and required a letter from the owner (who didn't speak English, thus I was contacting her daughter) effectively inviting me to stay there. After emailing the letter initially written, it was returned specifying further details needed like exact dates, passport number of the owner, number of days I was going to be there for (which had to be a minimum of 3, but I was there only for 2, otherwise it would be an automatic rejection) and so on. Having emailed the owner back and forth for several weeks, I finally got the letter exactly as needed and got the visa within a week!
3) Uzbekistan - incidentally I applied with ease in Moscow last year, but it was in Riyadh and Almaty where it was problematic. In Riyadh, they demanded the 'letter of invitation' from me, despite me being a passport holder exempt from such letter, and as I lived a considerable (kind of) distance from Riyadh, going back and forth to the embassy was too difficult to do. So, I opted for Almaty. Queuing up at the embassy requesting a transit visa, I showed copies of flights from Almaty to Bishkek by way of Tashkent and was told that it was simply impossible to issue a transit visa in one day, the minimum processing time was 3 days. Even for a higher price they wouldn't do it, but hey, c'est la vie.
And now, I'm potentially facing places like Angola (which sounds surprisingly easy from the second in command of the Angolan Embassy in Moscow!), Nigeria, Burundi, Benin, Sierra Leone etc over the next year...!
Jan 9, 2018, 7:45 am
#68
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: AUS
Programs: AA Exec Platinum/MM, DL Gold/MM, Hilton Diamond, Accor Platinum, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,975
Pakistan. Ever since my first business trip to India I have used Travisa, even for personal travel, and can say they are well worth the cost. And they no doubt eased some of the pain with the Pakistani visa, but it required several back and forths with my contacts in Pakistan as the visa requirements seem to change each time the application was presented. The biggest issue was getting documents appropriately notarized in Pakistan itself. I am laughing at all the complaints about India here. My India visa was nothing in comparison.
Jan 9, 2018, 9:58 am
#69
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: YVR
Programs: UA Premier Platinum
Posts: 3,759
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are now visa free for most nationalities. Tajikistan has a straightforward e-visa process. Uzbekistan you can do yourself (or get it on arrival flying into Tashkent depending on your nationality). Turkmenistan will absolutely require professional assistance.
Jan 9, 2018, 10:28 am
#70
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Seattle, WA & Bali
Posts: 18
USA, by far. You need to pay the fee in one specific bank (cannot do it online), then schedule a visit in one place to get your fingerprints and photo taken, then schedule an interview at another place at the other side of town, the leave your passport there for a week, then they will eventually let you know if you got it or not. A major PITA.
Jan 9, 2018, 12:10 pm
#71
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA LT Gold; BA Silver; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,081
Visas
Another vote for Brazil although this is ancient history. DH and I grabbed a OnePass deal for CO's newly-inaugurated EWR-GIG nonstop service in 2000- 17,500 OnePass miles per person round trip. I did research on the Web and found that we needed visas beforehand. I was headed to Chicago for a business trip and thought that would be the easiest way to get them but wanted to make sure it would be acceptable. I called the Consulate number. It rang and rang. Was never answered during multiple attempts. I faxed them with my specific questions: Could we apply in Chicago if we lived in NJ? Could I get my husband's if he wasn't there in person? What was the exact form of payment required? Also sent the fax multiple times. No answer. E-mail address not provided back then.
DH and I decided they just couldn't be bothered with individual travelers and preferred to deal with professional agencies that would bring in a bunch of them, already checked out to make sure the applications were complete. It annoyed the crap out of me but I paid a professional visa service and got them in time to travel. I've since placed more reliance on professional services- I have my passport on its way back to me after applications for India and Nepal as I write this- although I did successfully cobble together one when we visited Russia in 2003. Fortunately, DH was too old to have to answer the questionnaire on whether or not he had fulfilled his US military obligations.
At least this crowd is better-informed than a US-based executive of my previous employer who missed a conference in Brazil because he hadn't been informed he needed a visa. Our on-line corporate travel system asks the PASSENGER whether a visa is required and, if so, which country(ies). It was an obligatory question even if I was flying from MCI to Chicago. I used to amuse myself by telling them I needed a visa from "Freedonia" or "Whooziwhatsistan".
DH and I decided they just couldn't be bothered with individual travelers and preferred to deal with professional agencies that would bring in a bunch of them, already checked out to make sure the applications were complete. It annoyed the crap out of me but I paid a professional visa service and got them in time to travel. I've since placed more reliance on professional services- I have my passport on its way back to me after applications for India and Nepal as I write this- although I did successfully cobble together one when we visited Russia in 2003. Fortunately, DH was too old to have to answer the questionnaire on whether or not he had fulfilled his US military obligations.
At least this crowd is better-informed than a US-based executive of my previous employer who missed a conference in Brazil because he hadn't been informed he needed a visa. Our on-line corporate travel system asks the PASSENGER whether a visa is required and, if so, which country(ies). It was an obligatory question even if I was flying from MCI to Chicago. I used to amuse myself by telling them I needed a visa from "Freedonia" or "Whooziwhatsistan".
Last edited by Athena53; Jan 9, 2018 at 12:19 pm
Jan 9, 2018, 12:24 pm
#72
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 15,347
txviking, I first visited Brazil in the early 1980's, I have had 24 visas to Brazil over the years of at least three different types, not to mention residency WHEN I LIVED there, I know very well historically every in and out of this subject, including the fact (which you obviously are not aware of) that while the US does NOW charge everyone for visas, they used to not do so, and in the case of Brazil this is/was true, and in this case it was the BRAZILIANS who started charging, so sending through a DoS webpage from today is totally and absolutely meaningless.
The fact is very simple, if Brazilians were not serial visa violators (and we are talking about the ones that actually get visas, not those rejected or ones that enter the US illegally here) and perhaps only 10,000 overstayed rather than 40,000 (and in fact 37,000 is one of the lowest numbers there has ever been) then Brazil would be a VWP country and this conversation would be moot. In the meantime you have cities like Governador Valadares that have 25% of their population go to the US and rarely return.
The fact is very simple, if Brazilians were not serial visa violators (and we are talking about the ones that actually get visas, not those rejected or ones that enter the US illegally here) and perhaps only 10,000 overstayed rather than 40,000 (and in fact 37,000 is one of the lowest numbers there has ever been) then Brazil would be a VWP country and this conversation would be moot. In the meantime you have cities like Governador Valadares that have 25% of their population go to the US and rarely return.
Jan 9, 2018, 5:32 pm
#73
formerly known as Tad's Broiled Steaks
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,412
It might have been the Burmese entry form in 2009.
Or, it could have been the Burmese application in addition to the Cambodian one.
Jan 10, 2018, 2:11 am
#74
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Asia
Programs: HH Dia, UA S, US Plat, *A G, Delta Plat, SPG G
Posts: 17
Slightly different tack, but Australia gets my vote - and I is one.
At interview for my better half, Australian immigration told us that our son was not considered evidence of a relationship. We needed pictures and stuff ?? [what is he evidence of?]
They also win on bureaucracy - against their own citizenry. I live OS and to renew an Oz passport you need a face to face interview. Even though the nearest consulate where that can be done is 4 hours flying away - that is MY problem! No ifs, and or buts !! It is just impossible for them to think about out-reach or accommodation - THAT IS THE RULE !
At interview for my better half, Australian immigration told us that our son was not considered evidence of a relationship. We needed pictures and stuff ?? [what is he evidence of?]
They also win on bureaucracy - against their own citizenry. I live OS and to renew an Oz passport you need a face to face interview. Even though the nearest consulate where that can be done is 4 hours flying away - that is MY problem! No ifs, and or buts !! It is just impossible for them to think about out-reach or accommodation - THAT IS THE RULE !
Jan 10, 2018, 3:05 am
#75
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: Qatar, Turkish, Aeroflot
Posts: 546
Having said that, Turkmenistan almost always requires a tour too :/