Difficult destinations to visit due to strict visa rules; Russia, China and more

A trip or a long holiday is a must-have when you have had a hard time in life or a hectic schedule. However, when planning a trip, it is important to know about all the rules and regulations of the place you are visiting especially when you are travelling abroad. The official rules when applying for a visa are often quite complicated in certain countries in the world. This makes it extremely difficult to get a visa and this could even ruin your trip. Here are 5 difficult destinations to visit.

Russia

Russia introduced the concept of biometric applications that made it extremely harder to get a visa. This is because you have to go in person and submit your fingerprints and facial image when you apply. For the visa process, first, you have to find an agency or embassy that will process your biometric application and then you have to wait for a letter of invitation to Russia. This letter is issued by the travel agency that is registered with the Russian Ministry of Foreign affairs.

China

Chinese embassies are quite strict with the documentation when applying for a visa. They require a lot of documents including the flights in and out of China. They also ask for a hotel booking confirmation for every night of your stay. If you apply for a visa for more than 30 days, then it gets difficult to get a visa as you have to provide a day to day itinerary of your trip.

Iran

For Iran, it is extremely hard to get a visa because before applying for a visa application, you will need to get an authorisation code. This is like a pre-approval of your visa by Iran’s Ministry of Foreign affairs (MFA). This process can take up to a month and this has to be applied for by an official Iranian travel agency in Tehran. Once you have your authorisation code, Iran now requires all visa applicants to apply at an Iranian Embassy in person and submit biometric data. 

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Turkmenistan

It is one of the most closed countries in the world when it comes to visas and tourism. You can only get a tourist visa if you are going to visit with an official tour company or have hired an individual guide. The visas are also rejected if the hotel booking information is not mentioned in the documentation. In Turkmenistan too, you need a Letter of Invitation with the immigration authorities in Turkmenistan before you can get a visa.

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Nigeria

Nigeria visa requires a lot of paperwork. In addition to your hotel booking confirmation, you'll need to provide bank statements and a letter of employment. You'll also have to make three separate payments: the first to the Nigerian government (which is done online when you fill out your application form); the second to the Nigerian High Commission (which can be done only at the post office as a postal order); and the third to the visa application center when your application is submitted. In addition to this, you will need an embassy to this because Nigerian ministry doesn't deal with applicants directly.

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