Visas, Just Another Bureaucracy to Deal With

One of the added frustrations about traveling to countries outside of North America and Europe is having to deal with the hassle of obtaining Visas. Luckily as a US citizen there are many countries that do not require a Visa, however a slight few can make for quite a headache when trying to figure out the logistics for a trip of this caliber.

On top of your passport, a Visa is an added approval from the government that you are allowed into their country. In most cases if you are only going to one or two countries you can just send your passport off through a handling service to the nearest embassy to get a visa. Unfortunately most countries specify that you use the visa within a certain number of days from issuance, so collecting visas for a year of travel is almost impossible. Luckily, many countries allow visas on arrival at airports and border crossings that make the trip a lot easier, so there are only a select few that need planning ahead to get the visa, and can be obtained in about 4 days at an embassy abroad.


The best way to check the up to date visa requirements is to go to your countries respective government websites focused on travelers and they should have requirements listed. For citizens of the US it is a division of the state department. There you can research all requirements necessary for countries you plan to visit. This is an absolute must when deciding on where to travel as, if you do not have a visa, you may not be allowed to enter the country or even be deported!

Additional features to be aware of is that if you plan to leave the country and return during the duration of the visa, you might have to apply for a multiple entry visa for an additional cost as a result. This is the case of China if you intend to go to Hong Kong or Macao and then return to the mainland, but does not cost any more for US citizens. Additionally, all visas, including visa on arrival and at another embassy require 1 to 2 passport photos on the application (typically 2x2 and in color) so it is likely necessary to bring enough with you to account for this as most embassies are not equipped to do it digitally.

The following are some of the Visa requirements for US citizens of the countries I intend to visit, with cost, and duration of stay. If the country does not require a visa there is still typically a maximum duration of visit from 30 to 90 days which is far more than I will require. In some cases countries will require you have a visa if you stay longer than this "free" period. Please do not take this as a full list of requirements and instead visit the state departments page for all situations. This is only a truncated list that pertains to my needs to give an idea of what you may need.

Japan: No visa required, proof of onward travel required
China: $130 as a reciprocity fee, no visa on arrival, 30 or 60 day validity
Hong Kong and Macao: No visa required
Vietnam: $60, No Visa on Arrival
Cambodia: $35, e-Visa* (online) or visa on arrival*, 30 day validity
Thailand: $35, free for 15 days at border (recent change) and 30 days at airport, visa has 60 day validity, possible proof of onward travel required
Malaysia: No visa required
Singapore: No visa required, possible proof of onward travel required
Indonesia: $25, visa on arrival, proof of onward travel required, 30 day validity
India: $73, no visa on arrival
Nepal: $40 for 30 days or $100 for 3 months, visa on arrival - my choice will be based on money available due to trekking length possibly taking me over 30 days.
Brazil: $130 as a reciprocity fee, no visa on arrival, proof of onward travel required
Argentina: No visa required**
Chile/Easter Island: $0 at border, $130 as a reciprocity fee at airport, visa on arrival, possible proof of onward travel
Peru: No visa required, proof of onward travel required
Mexico: No visa required

Total Cost: $660-$720

*Only certain borders equipped for these types
**Rumored reciprocity fee of $131 coming in the next few months

You may be wondering what a reciprocity fee is, and to be honest, it infuriates me. A reciprocity fee is the government saying "we aren't charging for visas but you have to pay what your country charges our citizens to enter." Meaning that the US charges $130 for their visa and as a result we have to pay the same. To that I say to the USA, lower your prices! 3 countries out of 17 totals nearly half of my visa fees as a result.

Another issue that has most travelers in a constant state of confusion and semi-panic is proof of onward travel. I have plenty to speak about on this topic and it will be in the next post and any subsequent updates down the line when I get concrete answers.

Posted in: Planning,Refinement,Visas