After Slovenia joined the European Union this has brought us a number of advantages. We can travel through countries within the Schengen area, and that is really great. Tomorrow we can sit on a plane with only identity card and without major bureaucratic obstacles fly to Lisbon, Amsterdam, Madrid, London or Rome. But if your heart desires more exotic, remote places, it can happen that on the embassies less pleasant bureaucratic stories will be written. All because of visa.
Visas to enter and stay in a foreign country are issued by the embassies. Each state has its own requirements for obtaining a tourist visa, however without a passport (which has to be valid for a minimum of six months with at least two blank pages) will not work. Many countries require that you fill out forms (visa application) and one of them is India. I have a rather unpleasant experience with requiring a visa for India. It started with a photograph, which must have a white background. Lady at the embassy behind the counter did not negotiate and refused the role, saying: "Return next time with an image that has a white background." Okay, we did as she said and next time she was strict as a teacher, when she looked at the forms: "You must reply in the whole phrases, not only YES or NO."
For my next visit to India, I came to the Embassy confident, believing, I have everything I need. Of course, they add new requirements, so now you need a return ticket, insurance, two pictures with a white background, photocopies of credit cards, bank statements for the last 6 months and income tax papers for the last 3 years. And when you gather all this together, go to the embassy and the lady behind the counter rejects your application because you did not write on the form that you have a visible mark on the face, believe me, you can go crazy. I did. As the Indians modernized application form, now you fill it out on the internet and manual adjustments are not possible. Of course I was not the only one who was leaving angry and repeatedly returning to the embassy. After small talk with others who have been waiting for a visa has revealed that some had to return for the three, even four times.
That similar incident would not happen to you, it is important that you read what each country requires to obtain a visa. Embassies have web sites where everything is explained in detail. Sometimes it's wise to check before you buy airline tickets if in any case something goes wrong. There are countries, such as Turkey, Indonesia, Kenya, Thailand, which do not complicate and grant you a tourist visa when entering the country. The only thing is that you have to pay. For a longer stay in these countries, you should appear at the embassies, but some find other solutions. Indonesia grants a 30 day visa on entry and after 29 days you can fly to Singapore (where visa is not required) and after 2 days return to Indonesia, where no questions will be asked, they will again grant a visa for 30 days. Such holes are found, but may be slightly more expensive (due to the purchase of airline tickets) as a bureaucratic war in embassies.
However, there are for tourists more closed countries where visa is hard to get. An example is Qatar, where Slovenia is not on the list of countries that can apply for a visa at entry. Slovenians come to this small country mostly by invitation. The easiest way to arrange Qatar visa is if you know someone important there. Of course he will ask you for a full stack of papers. Then there is Myanmar or Burma that has a nearest embassy in Belgrade, some decide to send passports with forms, image and money to Berlin. That they will take as much time as they will need, is no need to stress. Meanwhile, the Vietnam visa you can get on internet and pick it up on arrival. In short, countries have different requirements for obtaining a visa; some of them are more strict than others. It is up to each individual to make sure about all required for visa and complete it on time.
