Did you know that from April 11, all visitors to Turkey will need to buy a visa online for £10 before arriving in the country?
To help holidaymakers ensure they avoid any unwelcome surprises when travelling abroad this year, Airport Parking and Hotels (APH.com) has put together a comprehensive guide comparing the visa charges and regulations for UK nationals travelling to destinations outside of Europe. The research is available in the Know Before You Go section at www.aph.com/visarules.
The table compares the visa requirements for 14 countries outside Europe, including China, India, Madagascar and Turkey, and highlights the costs of each type of visa, the period of validity allocated to each visa and the time it takes to process an application.
Most of the destinations included in the research were found to allow visitors to apply for a Tourist Visa online, including Australia, Cambodia and from April this year, also Turkey. Holidaymakers travelling to countries such as Cuba and Nepal however, will need to plan ahead and confirm an appointment at the relevant Tourism Embassy to apply for a Tourist Visa in person.
The cost of a Single Entry Tourist Visa was found to vary greatly between the destinations with Australia and Madagascar offering visas free-of-charge. Other countries were found to charge visitors with a visa costing £12.25 for travel to Cambodia, £15 for travel to Egypt, £30 for travel to China and £31 to Tanzania. For travellers looking to apply for a Multiple Entry Tourist Visa, costs were again found to differ with Egypt charging £18, Kenya charging £60 and Thailand charging £100.
When applying for a visa, travellers should also be aware of the time needed to process an application. For those applying for a Tourist Card to Cuba in person, this will be available instantly however applying by post for a visa to Nepal was found to take up to two weeks.
Applications for tourist visas to China should be made at least two months in advance of the proposed arrival date, whereas applications for travel to India change dependent on where in the UK the application is submitted with London, Birmingham and Edinburgh allowing two – three working days, compared with five – seven working days in Manchester, Cardiff and Glasgow.
