Travel and Visas – When getting one could mean hassles next time you travel somewhere else.
Visas are a part of a traveller’s life. Depending on where your passport says you belong and where you're heading to, we usually need one somewhere along the line.
Aside from the reams of paper and endless questions about your aunties next door neighbour’s cat, quite often they cost a small fortune.
But did you know that actually getting a visa can cause issues when you want to travel to other countries?
I recently saw a BBC world news item about the re-emergence of Iran as a tourist destination, and the challenges they face with having enough hotels, tour operators etc.
But one part of the story really grabbed my attention. Visas.
Most countries citizens would be required to get a visa for Iran. But did you know that if you are from a country that has a visa waiver for the USA (such as Australia), and you have travelled to Iran (and many other places) that you may not be granted the visa waiver and would need to get a Visa to enter the US?
This can be a lengthy process (up to 2 months in some cases) and given the fact most people would assume you don’t need a visa for the US, it could be a real issue. Especially with a last minute trip.
For many years, those travelling to Israel were granted loose leaf visas, so that no Israeli stamps appeared in their passports. But this may not be the case with other countries and the initial relief of getting the visa may be short lived when you realise you now need to get another visa that you may have avoided.
This doesn’t mean that you should change your plans to travel to Iran, (or anywhere else) because of any potential visa problems with other countries. But knowing about it before hand (or having a professional to advise you) can help you make informed decisions and be aware of what to expect when you next travel.