The Visa Requirements To Travel To Kenya!

The name of Kenya remains synonymic of safari. At the foot of the Mount Kenya and at the heart of spectacular landscapes, the safari journey in Kenya will make you be next to one of the most impressive fauna of the world. In Kenya, you will enjoy the shows of the migration of gnus, hunting of the cheetah and the pink flamingos of the lake Bogoria. Kenya is the cradle of humanity according to the anthropologists and it also boasts some beautiful beaches to visit.

Is a visa required to enter Kenya?

The Europeans and the Canadians require a visa to enter Kenya. Upon arrival at the International Jomo Kenyatta Airport of Nairobi,or on the borders with Uganda and Tanzania, a tourist visa that isvalid for 3 months will be issued. This tourist visa costs $50 US or €40 and is prolongeable for a duration of 3 months.

The Kenyan representations abroad also issue visas. The applications must be made early, especially if they are sent by mail. Visas remain valid for the 3 months which follow the delivery. The visa application is, very simply and quickly, made from Tanzania and Uganda, since the visa fee is accepted in local currencies.

Within the framework of the system of partnership between the various countries of east Africa, you can visit Tanzania and Uganda before returning in Kenya with a visa planned for an entrance. If you are planning to waite more time before your journey, then a visa with multiple entries does not present interest. Before you start your journey, check again the conditions of entrance with the concerned embassies.

You will to prove that you possess sufficient resources to stay in Kenya. If it seems like that you do not go to stay in the country to work, you will take advantage of the benefit of the doubt, which will dispense you of providing evidence.

Before your departure to Kenya, it is adviced to contact embassies and consulates to make sure that the formalities of entrance on the Kenyan territory did not change. It is also adviced to make copies of your imortant travel documents.

How to extend your visa once in Kenya? 

You can renew your visa at the immigration authorities in the office hours. The extensions are issued that same day. The immigration officers are, generally, pleasant, but the process is a bit long. To extend your 3-month visa, you will need 2 passport-size photos. As for the price, it is left to the judgement of the officers and it varies from one office to another. 

You will have to be recorded as foreigner if you plan to stay more than 90 days. The immigration offices are opened from Monday to Friday. The small structures sometimes send back the travelers towards Nairobi or Mombasa for the applications of extension of visas.

The main immigration offices in Kenya where you can extend your visa:

1- Kisumu: located in Nyanza Bldg, angle Jomo Kenyatta Hwy and Wuor Otiende Rd. 

2- Mombasa: located in Uhuru nor Kari Bldg, Mama Ngina Dr, Tel: 041-311745

3- Lamu: located near Kenyatta Rd, Tel: 042-633032. The traveler is sometimes sent back to Mombasa.

4- Malindi: located in Mama Ngina Rd, Tel:  042-20149.

5- Nairobi: located in Nyayo House, angle Kenyatta Ave and Uhuru Hwy; 8h30-12h30 and 14h-15h30 Mon-Fri, Tel: 020-222022.

Categories: Africa

What Are The Visa Requirements To Enter Madagascar?

Lying in the Indian Ocean off the southeast of Africa, is the fourth largest Island in the world, called Madagascar. The latter is a land of contrasts and of breathtaking beauty. Madagascar has many seaside resorts, forest lodges, leaping lemurs and carnivorous plants, which make it a very popular tourism destination in the world.

All people who wish to visit Madagascar have to possess an entry visa. You can contact the embassy or consulate of Madagascar in your country or in the nearest country to you to find out how you can get a visa, but the simplest way is to obtain it upon your arrival at the airport. The visa is free of charge for stays of 30 days maximum. But for longer stays, you will have to pay €45 for stays of 60 days and €60 for maximal stays of 90 days. The visa fees can be a bit higher if you apply from abroad at an embassy or consulate of Madagascar. 

It is also possible to apply for a visa by correspondence with the diverse Malagasy diplomatic representations abroad. And in this case, it will take a while before to receive an answer to your application.

The required documents to get a visa to Madagascar?

Before travelling to Madagascar, it is recommended that you inquire in advance with embassies and consulates Of Madagascar about the formalities of entry on the territory and the necessary documents. As a general rule, the documents required are:

1- A complete form, which is often distributed in the plane.

2- Two passport-size photos.

3- Have a valid passport at least 6 months after your intended return date.

4- A copy of your plane ticket or your summons at the airport.

5- Pay the visa fees.

Extending your stay in Madagascar:

The visas of tourism are not extendible beyond 90 days and cannot be transformed into visas of long stay. Thus, the best solution to extend your visa is that you leave the territory then return on the Malagasy territory to ask for a new visa. You will obtain precision with the Home Office, in Antananarivo, regional prefectures or of a Malagasy diplomatic representation.

Note: The obtaining of a visa to Madagascar is, sometimes, more complicated if you accost the island by boat from the Comoros, Mauritius Island or the African continent.

Categories: Africa

Travelling To The Seychelles Without A Visa!

The Republic of Seychelles consists of an archipelago of about 116 islands in the Indian Ocean northeast of Madagascar. It is one of the world's most beautiful tropical islands destination. The principal islands are: Mahé, Praslin and La Digue. The Seychelles is famous for its beaches and constantly warm weather along with its raw beauty. It is also boasts a few parks and reserves that provide incredible thrills. The main parks are: the Morne Seychelles National Park and The Vallée de Mai.

A visa is not required to enter in Seychelles. But,  you will have to present your passport, which should be valid, at least, until the date of leaving Seychelles. You should also present a return ticket or onward travel to another country, and an immigration officer may ask you to provide an evidence that you possess enough funds to cover your expenses of stay such as: a credit card, traveler's checks or cash. 

On the datasheet, which you will  hand in upon your arrival, you will also have to mention an address of accommodation in Seychelles and you can be asked to present evidence of your hotel reservation.

On presenting the previous mentioned documents, the immigration officer at the airport, will deliver to you a free visitor's permit, which will be valid until the date of return appearing on your plane ticket, within the limits of one month as from the day of arrival. For example, if your stay, determined by the dates of arrival and departure appearing on your plane ticket, is for 2 weeks, then visitor's permit will be delivered to you for 2 weeks and not for a month.

A visitor's permit can be extended free of charge for up to 3 months from the initial date of issuance at the Immigration Department. You will have to complete a form and bring your passport and your plane ticket. Take into account that it will be necessary that you modify the return date of your plane ticket, because the extension of your visitor's permit is granted until the new date of return indicated on your ticket. 

A visitor's permit is renewable for periods not exceeding three months, with a maximum period of 12 months. Beyond the first three months, you will have to pay SCR1 000 for every extension period of three months.

Categories: Africa

How To Apply For A Visa To Visit Algeria?

Who should apply for a visa to Algeria?

With the exception of the nationals of some Muslim countries such as: Libya, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Western Sahara, Seychelles, Syria, Tunisia,  The Maldives and Yemen, the nationals of France, Belgium, Canada and Switzerland must apply for a visa to travel to Algeria. 

A visa must be necessarily obtained in advance at an embassy or consulate of Algeria, because it is not delivered on place. It is better to make an application in your country, although it is possible to get a transit visa to Agadez, Niger, when you arrive from western Africa. The duration of validity of a visa is one month to three months from the date of entrance on the Algerian territory. The people who obtain a three-month visa should supply a precise plan for all the length of the stay.

The necessary documents to apply for a visa to Algeria?

To obtain a visa to Algeria, you will have to supply the following documents:

1- Two filled forms which you can download on the website of the Algerian embassy.

2- Two passport-size photos.

3- A signed certificate of accommodation by your host in Algeria and authenticated by the authorities of the city where he lives, if you are invited by your parents or friends. 

4- If you are not invited by your parents or friends,then you have to present a confirmed reservation of hotel or an invitation from a travel agency. 

5- If you plan to travel in the South of Algeria, it is necessary to supply, besides the invitation of the tour operator, the detailed route of your journey. Travel agencies take care of the invitation a signed and dabbed copy of which they fax generally.

How much does it cost to to obtain a visa to Algeria?

- The visa of less than 90 days costs €85 for Europeans. 

- A visa for more than 90 days €125 for the Europeans. 

- A visa for Canadians costs approximately €60. 

- Count some euros furthermore for a visa with multiple entries. 

The obtain a transit visa valid for seven days, you have to present a proof of sufficient financial resources and a valid visa for the country of destination. The extension of a visa is made in the capital, Algiers, in the Department of Foreigners located in boulevard Youssef 19A. In other states of Algeria, you need to check with the main office of the state where you are staying.

Categories: Africa

How To Travel To Tunisia With Or Without A Visa?

Tunisia is a beautiful north African country, which is considered a very pouplar touristic destination. Each year, it attracts so many tourists from all over the world. 

Travel to Tunisia with or without a visa:

The French nationals who wish to travel to Tunisia do not need a visa to enter on the Tunisian territory if they will stay for less than or equal to 3 months. Nevertheless, it is necessary that they present a valid passport. If you leave to Tunisia on a package tour (plane, hotel or organized plane-circuit), it is, genarally, that only an ID card of less than 10 years is necessary, accompanied by the journey diary of the tour operator or by the rservation voucher. If you wish to stay for more than 3 months, you will have to apply for a visa  and for a resident's permit at the Tunisian Home Office.

French nationals who have dual citizenship, French and Tunisian, have to present their valid Tunisian passport to cross the Tunisian border side, and their French passport to cross the French border side. 

Similar to the French nationals, the Belgians and the Swiss do not need a visa to travel to Tunisia, but presenting a valid passport or a simple ID card is necessary, accompanied by the journey documents, which are delivered by an agency, if they travel in a group. 

The Canadian nationals can also travel to Tunisia without a visa and stay for up to 3 months, but they will, absolutely, have to present a valid passport.

Before your departure to Tunisia, it is imperative to contact embassies and consulates to make sure that the requirements for entrance on the Tunisian territory did not change. 

What if you wish to extend the duration of your visa in Tunisia?

Asking for an extention of your visa is a a long procedure, which it is better to avoid. The application for visa extentions are exclusively made to the Home Office in the capital, Tunis. It will be necessary to acquit the sum of 10 Tunisian Dinars for fiscal stamps, which are available in post offices, and to wait for about ten days. 

You will have also to bring two passport-size photos, your bank receipts, as well as an invoice of your hotel in case you would be ask you for documentary evidences.

An easier but also more expensive solution to extend your visa is to leave the country and then return back.

Categories: Africa

What Are The Requirements To Travel To Morocco?

Morocco, or as officially called the Kingdom of Morocco, is located in north Africa bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara. Morocco covers 446,550 sq km of land and it has a constitutional monarchy. The kingdom is filled with cultural and natural treasures that will surprise adventurous travelers. The fascinating medieval cities such as Marrakech and Fez, lying in between the great Sahara Desert and the Atlantic Ocean, are great destinations you shouldn't miss to visit while in Morocco.

Who does not need a visa to travel to Morocco?

The nationals of countries of the European Union, as well as the Canadians and the Swiss are exempted from visa to enter in Morocco and can live in the kingdom for 90 days.

To travel to Morocco, one has to present a passport that is valid 6 months beyond the date of entrance to the country. The French national ID card is not recognized except in certain cases such as package tours with certain known travel agencies.

In case you want to extend the duration of your stay in Morocco, it is necessary to follow the procedures with the local authorities for the obtaining of a residence permit. It is necessary to get in touch with the Foreigners' Office of the commissionership of the province of residence.

Travellers to Morocco, who are accompanied with their pets have to provide their certificates of good health of less than 6 days and antirabies certificates of less than 6 months.

Who should apply for a visa to travel to Morocco?

A number of sub-Saharan countries, the nationals of Israel, and the other countries have to apply for a visa of 3 months to enter Morocco (simple entry/ double entry costs between 30 to 50 US dollars). The applications are handled,as a rule, within 48 hours. If you want to find out about the formalities of obtaining of varying visas, it is better to inquire with the Moroccan embassy or consulate in your country.

Many travelers who need to stay in Morocco more than 3 months, opt most of the time for a jump in Spain or in one of the Spanish enclaves, and return back to Morocco after a few days. Except from its cost, this solution raises almost no problem. However, on the way back, you are at the mercy of the officers of immigration. Travelers have already met some difficulties.

Another solution, but which is complicated and rather long, is to obtain an extension of visa, delivered by the Head office of the National Security and, in this case, a letter from your embassy asking for an extension of your visa will be probably necessary.

Who should have an international health certificate?

For the nationals of certain regions of Africa or South America, where the yellow fever is endemic, it will be necessary to prove that they are inoculated, through a vaccination certificate against the yellow fever or an international vaccination certificate before they travel to Morocco.

In general, this obligation is current only if you arrive from Mauritania by ground way, where the yellow fever is endemic (although apparently, this obligation is not very respected on the ground border), or that you arrive in Morocco on a a plane from another country of Africa.

However, it would not too much known how to recommend to travelers to keep a certificate if they were in an infected country during the month preceding their stay in Morocco, in order to avoid any problems with the immigration.

The travelers, who are not possessing an up-to-date certificate, may be kept in isolation for the place of destination during 10 days, even be repatriated.

You will maybe have to prove that you were inoculated against the cholera if you arrive of a zone affected by this disease.

Categories: Africa