It must be that time of year when everyone is planning a big bike tour, because we seem to be getting all kinds of questions about getting visas for foreign countries lately.
How do you get them? How long does it take? How soon can you apply? Can you get them on the road?
In general, the only rule about applying for visas is that there are no rules. How easy or hard it is to get your visa depends on:
- Your nationality
- The political situation at the time
- Whether you want to pay for a rush service (if there is one)
- The general whims of the officials working behind the counter
Sometimes it’s an easy, straight-forward procedure that is completed within a day or even at the airport. Other times you have to elbow your way through a queue, make repeated runs to the bank and wait a week.