Do I need a visa?
January 23, 2009
It's on every travel agent's handbook and is an important factor to consider when you choose a connecting flight. However, with the number of changes that countries have been making to their immigration laws over the last few years, the handbook is often outdated before the ink even dries. Leave alone the case of the American on his way to Melbourne via Bangkok on a British passport.
The best way to figure out if you need a visa is to visit IATA's TravelCentre. In addition to up-to-date information about visa requirements, the site also lists health advisories, customs regulations, airport rules and currency restrictions for destinations in 228 countries around the world. Filling in the visa questionnaire can take a minute or two, but the results are precise and certainly better than being turned back at the airport for not having the right travel documents.
We've also placed a shortcut to IATA's TravelCentre on our trip details page so that you're able to fill in all the right information to find out if you need a visa before you book your trip.
Where do I begin?
Figuring out whether or not you need a visa is usually the easy part. The next challenge is tracking down the visa application centre, figuring out the right paperwork to put in for your visa and scheduling an appointment, because the lead time at some embassies can be significant around the holiday season.
GoAbroad.com is a great place to start your search. The site has location details, contact information and links to the websites, where available, of the embassies of 71 countries in the UAE. The embassies' websites are usually the best place to confirm what paperwork you'll need, but a phone call to reconfirm if there have been any recent changes is always advised.
It's also a good idea to get on the front foot with your visa application at least three weeks before you travel. Although some of the more efficient embassies may be able to process your application in a day or two, you'll never know when you may just get thrown off schedule by the need to attest a random document in a different city.