Visas are normally stamped or glued into your passport.
Welcome to Fall, everyone. The weather here in Oregon is gorgeous and I hope it's lovely where you are, as well.
Today let's talk about one of those boring-yet-essential parts of travel. You know, the kind of thing that can ruin your trip if you forget about it.
Visas. These are the official documents that give you permission to enter in a country, and govern how long you can stay there. They normally are stamped inside your passport (or glued in). We'll talk about tourist visas here, which are typically different than and easier to obtain than a work or student visa.
Most of you receiving this are US Citizens, and we are lucky-we can travel a lot of places without a visa (that does not mean, however, that we can just stay once we get there!).
If you're working with me planning a trip, I'll let you know about visa requirements. If you're not, I suggest going to the U.S. State Department's website and searching for the country you plan to visit. It will give you any travel advisories for that country, and also describe travel requirements. So, for instance, Japan does not require a visa for stays less than 90 days, nor does it require any vaccinations. The United Kingdom also does not require vaccinations, but does require an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization).
Getting a visa or an ETA: Always go to the offical country's website FIRST. Those will typically have a .gov suffix. When you search, many of the first sites that come up will be paid sites that offer to assist you for a fee-in most cases, that isn't necessary. Visa application can be complicated for some countries, such as China, so research and apply as far in advance as possible.
For the ETA, go to gov.uk/eta. It will cost £20, or about $27, a person-every person, including babies, in your party will need one. Typically, these are approved quickly, but I would apply in advance, just in case.
Many of my clients traveling to Europe travel through London. Should you get an ETA if you just have a layover in London? You don't have to-BUT I recommend it. If you have a missed connection or cancelled flight and need to leave the airport, you'll need it.
Still have questions? Reach out and I'd be happy to help!
and join my private Facebook group if you'd like to talk travel with a group of people also obsessed with their next adventure!
