12 May 2015

China Requires Both Parental Signatures

The Chinese embassy has new rules for minors in place as of today. 

1) Both parents must sign in both signature boxes on the Chinese form. 
Box 4 must be signed by both parents. 
Box 5 must be fully filled in and signed by both parents 

2) Both parents must provide copies of their passports or other government ID cards. We strongly recommend PASSPORT copies for this.

This is effective immediately, so make sure all applications for minors (up to and including age 17) get four (4) signatures - two from each parent.

In the case of single parents or other situations, the parent must provide a copy of a legal document proving they are the sole authority over the minor. This can be a court order or a death certificate.

Click here for China visa forms.

04 May 2015

Canadians Now Get e-Visas for India

Great news for Canadian tourist and business visitors going to India - Electronic visas!  As of right now the Indian government is allowing Canadian tourists and casual business travellers to apply for and use electronic visas.

The government of India offers e-visas on-line, and this service is now available to Canadians. The on-line fee is about US$60, plus service fees. There is a further charge at the airport in India of another 3700 rupees (US$60) to get the visa stamped into the passport. Nationals of the following countries can use the ETA service: Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, CANADA, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru, New Zeal and Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam. 

You must meet the following conditions in order to be eligible for an Indian e-Visa:
1) You must have an "ordinary" tourist passport (as opposed to a diplomatic/official/military passport) which is valid for at least six months past date of proposed exit of India.
2) Your sole objective is tourism (sightseeing, recreation, etc), meeting friends/relatives, short duration medical procedures, or “casual business visit” for meetings only.
3) You will be travelling on a round trip ticket with a stay of less than 30 days in India.
4) You wish to obtain a short term, single entry visa (not a long term multiple entry visa).
5) You are a Canadian citizen who has lived in Canada for the past two years consecutively.
6) You must arrive in India by scheduled airline flight at one of the following airports: Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Trivandrum.
7) You or your parents or your grandparents were/are not Pakistani citizens (meaning the applicant is not of Pakistani heritage going back two generations). This form and the e-Visa system cannot be used by persons of Pakistani origin. Pakistani-Canadians seeking Indian visas must apply through the Indian High Commission in Ottawa.

The best part is that you no longer have to submit your passport. Keep your passport at home.

Click here for Indian visa applications.

Click here for Indian E-Tourist (and Business) e-Visas

01 May 2015

Canadian Tourists Now Get e-Visas for India

Great news for Canadian tourist going to India - Electronic and ten-year visa !

As of right now the Indian government is allowing Canadian tourists to apply for and use electronic visas.

More to come...

Click here for Indian visa applications.

Egypt Again Allows Visa-on-Arrival

The Government of Egypt has rescinded the ending of visa-on-arrival. This blog entry alters the statements we reproduced from the Egyptian government in our blog entry on 19 March 2015.

Previously the government had announced that all persons must have a valid Egyptian visa glued into their passport prior to travel to Egypt.

However, an uproar by travel, tour and hotel operators brought the authorities in Cairo back to allowing visa-on-arrival. This is a major economic issue in a country with a massive tourist industry which has seen numbers drop by over 75% since the Arab Spring began a few years back. Every tourist is important to the economy, and anything which makes it easier to attract tourists is seen as benefiting the country.

You can once again buy a visa at the main international airports in Egypt.

That said, you are still strongly advised to have a real paper visa glued into your passport by the Egyptian Embassy in Canada. Remember - airlines do not have to board undocumented passengers!

Click here for Egypt visas.