November 2005

New Visa Requirements for Indians

Now Indians whishing to go on a trip to the Czech Republic will need an airport visa for transit. This measure is taken as a result of increased number of illegal migration. About 250 asylum requests from Indians have been registered in the Czech Republic in the past three months alone.

To stop the abuse of the airport transit area new transit visas will be required from Indian travellers starting with Tuesday.

The airport visa is now being applied in relation to India by Germany, Greece, France, Denmark, Spain and Poland. It is also needed by the citizens of Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Iraq, Ghana, Congo, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria when they travel to the Czech Republic.

Source: http://www.praguemonitor.com

EU Visas Will Relax for Russian Travellers

In spring 2006 Russia is to sign an agreement on simplified visa regulations with the EU. According to RIA Novosti this agreement is expected to come into force next autumn. Simplifications will in the first place apply to long-term visas for students, graduates, scientists and diplomats.

Regulations have already been eased for Italian and German visas, and now Russia seeks the opportunity for its citizens to travel in the EU visa-free.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20051122/42170646.html

New passports for Visa Waiver Travellers

If you are a citizen of one of 27 Visa Waiver Programme countries, and your passport was issued after October 26th this year, you must meet several new requirements of US embassy to travel to the USA.

Your passport should be machine-readable and must contain your digital photo. Passports issued after Oct 26th 2006 will also be asked to contain an integrated chip with information from the data page.

Countries issuing passports that do not meet VWP requirements will be removed from the programme and their citizens will have to obtain visas to travel to the US.

VWP travellers whose MRPs were issued before this date may continue to use their passports, for VWP travel, until expiry.

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables nationals of certain countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. The list of countries in the programme includes the UK, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, etc.

More information on VWP is available at http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html

Source: http://www.gulf-times.com

Joint visa for Thailand and Cambodia

Very soon you will be able to travel to Thailand and Cambodia on a single visa. Vimon Kidchob, director general of Thailand’s Department of International affairs stated that it will be possible in spring 2006.

During this week’s Acmecs summit representatives of Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam will sign a memorandum of understanding on a single tourist visa valid for both countries. Vimon explained that these measures aim “to boost tourism in the region”.

She also added that “details of visa fees and the synchronisation of the two countries’ independent databases of blacklisted foreigners had yet to be worked out.”

Sources:
http://goasia.about.com/b/a/192265.htm
http://203.150.224.53/2005/11/02/national/index.php?news=national_19040230.html
http://www.asianewsnet.net/level3_template4.php?l3sec=1&news_id=47660