Before you go abroad on your adventure trip tour, you may have to get a visa for your destination. (Emirates Airlines has a phenomenal tool on their site to see if you need a visa).
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when getting a visa before you travel overseas.
Often your passport needs to be valid for six months after your departure from the country visited.
If you have a profession, religious background or family name which may be politically sensitive in the country you plan to travel to, please contact us. Examples include, but are not limited to, journalists travelling to countries with a repressive regime, clerics travelling to countries ruled by theocracies, or people of the Jewish faith or from a Jewish family travelling to certain Middle Eastern countries. While you cannot change your name you can be circumspect about your faith or profession. Farmer or office clerk are great neutral professions.
Travellers to some Middle East countries, including Iran, Syria and Libya, will be denied entry if there is evidence of them having travelled to Israel or the Palestinian Territories. This can be an Israeli entry stamp or an entry stamp in to Jordan or Egypt from Israel. If your passport has any evidence of such a trip, you must get a new passport prior to applying for a visa for these countries. If the visa application asks specifically if you have been to Israel or the Palestinian Territories, the answer is always "no".
Ensure you have enough empty pages in your passport for the visa and entry/exit stamps from other countries you may be visiting.
Visa are normally valid for 3 months from the date of issuance, although for some countries it is 6 months. Therefore, do not apply too early, as your visa needs to be valid for your entire stay in the country in question.
Ensure all information on the forms is filled out correctly to avoid delays and extra charges for refusal of your visa. Follow all instructions on the visa form exactly and ensure all supporting paper work (passport, photos, money order etc.) are included; please double check the cost of the visa with the embassy as it may have changed from what is published on their website or application form.
ALWAYS use a courier to send your application. DO NOT use services by Canada Post / Priority Courier (these are not reliable), unless specifically instructed to do so by the embassy
Enclose a return courier waybill, so the embassy can send you the passport without charge.
Some countries will require additional paper work like letters of invite, hotel lists or bank statements.
Some countries have multiple representations in North America and depending on where you live you must apply at a particular embassy or consulate.
If you follow the instructions from the embassy it is fairly straightforward to get your visa. If you need help for more complicated situations, please contact us.