Looking back on the last decade, if I added up the hours I spent filling out visa applications, going to embassies, and keeping muzak on loop in long phone lines, I’d probably have enough time to do it. a holiday. I definitely needed this after all this.
Therefore, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when Kenya, one of the destinations I constantly visit, announced that visas would be abolished at the beginning of 2024. No more two-hour online forms requiring Dad’s mobile phone number and hotel reservations uploaded as jpgs no larger than 297kb. (In practice, a new Electronic Travel Authorization must be applied 72 hours before travel to ensure the process is not completely seamless.)
This was much easier in the days when visas were available, although some of the cash and corruption was likely to be lost. The introduction of the e-visa system has introduced new levels of absurd bureaucracy not known since the departure of British officials.
Kenya is not an isolated case. Obtaining a visa is a barrier to visiting many countries. According to visa and passport specialist Travcour, which processes up to 5,000 applications a year, Ghana currently holds the title of most complex visa application process: an online form, then payment to make an appointment, uploading ten documents, then the embassy with the passport.
It’s even worse that the country in question has no UK embassy. I once waited at home for two months while my passport was traveling around Paris, but I canceled my trip to Chad because I did not receive the visa until the date of my flight.
James Willcox, founder of travel company Untamed Borders, which specializes in visiting “interesting and inaccessible places”, encountered similar problems.
“Despite the hospitality of people in the region, a visit to the embassy or consulate means rolling out the bureaucracy rather than rolling out the red carpet,” he says. “We have had cases where our guests were issued visas on the wrong dates, occasionally issued visas in someone else’s name, and on one occasion had their passports accidentally shredded by embassy staff.”
Obtaining a visa on arrival is not always easy. Willcox recalls an incident in 2012 when visa issuance was suddenly suspended without notice at a “sensitive border”.
“There was talk of a diplomatic discussion or a military attack,” he says. “Finally it turned out that the service had been stopped due to visa stickers running out and one of the immigration officers had to take a bus to the capital to get some more. “This was not a banana republic, but the border between two nuclear powers.”
Of course, getting a visa to unusual countries will always be much more difficult. But more popular destinations are not without their problems.
India’s visa debacle in 2022 caused thousands of people to miss their holidays, largely due to a diplomatic row between then prime ministers Narendra Modi and Boris Johnson. Currently, applying to Tanzania can take up to four weeks, according to Travcour. Early last year, my application for a visa to Bhutan, a country keen to court tourism but strictly abiding by the rules, was initially rejected because the photo submitted did not show enough of my ears.
Even simple things can trap people. “People don’t realize that it’s a very important thing for your place of birth to match your passport,” explains Travcour director Darren Bridges. “For example, I might say London on a jersey but my passport might say Tooting. Another method common in India is to write ‘British’ when officials want to read ‘United Kingdom’. “There are a lot of potholes, so we have a goal: If it takes one person an hour and a half to fill out a form, we can do it in six minutes.”
Applying for a visa undoubtedly requires an investment of time and money. But there is also a financial cost to consider. Bridges says Nigeria currently receives the highest amount from Britons (about £660). My most expensive visa assignment to date was to China, which is considered the most troublesome to obtain and one of the few countries that requires biometrics since the country opened its borders to foreigners post-Covid. Admittedly this was a quick multiple entry visa obtained through an agency, but I still spent over £1,000.
Surprisingly, all these costs and complications are not a deterrent for determined travelers.
“There’s often a specific reason for going to these places, and that makes travelers more committed,” says Candice Buchan, president of tour operator Rainbow. “This means that tourist boards and tour operators’ sales and marketing functions will have to work a little harder to explain why you would visit such a destination, but you’ll likely end up with a higher value traveler traveling with genuine intent.”
Let’s also not forget that, despite Brexit, we still have one of the strongest passports in the world. Ranked 14th in the 2024 Henley Passport Index, British documents provide visa-free access to 191 destinations, compared to 187 a year ago.
Also, there are always the odd situation where the application process goes more smoothly than expected.
Recalling another anecdote, James Willcox says: “In the mid-2000s, I was queuing for an Uzbek visa in Tehran when I was pushed out of the queue, my passport was taken, and then taken to a separate, well-furnished room.” “I was given a cup of tea and some cake and asked if I could complete the ambassador’s son’s English homework. I accepted and after the transaction was completed, my passport was given back to me along with the Uzbek visa. “The normal waiting period is five days.”