Posts Tagged ‘Russia’

Your Passport May Not Be Enough to Travel Abroad. Do You Need a Visa too? Rush Passport Blog

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

visa nyWant to travel abroad?  Getting a passport may not be enough.  Did you know that US citizens need something more than a passport to travel to Brazil, China and India?  All of these countries not only require a US passport, but they also require American travelers to get a visa before visiting.

Most US citizens are not even aware of what a visa is.  Many US citizens think that all they need is a passport.  However, many US citizens have experienced a rude awakening upon landing in Brazil and being sent back to the US without even being able to leave the airport.

A visa is a travel document that is required by some nations in addition to a US passport.  Visas are also needed for travel from the US to Vietnam, Cambodia, Nigeria, Russia and Australia.

Can you imagine all of the preparation that goes into a trip abroad only to find out once you have arrived that you are not allowed to enter the country because you don’t have a visa?  Then think about how you would feel if you were sent right back to the United States immediately after getting off the plane.

Some visas can take several weeks to process.  Other countries offer passport holders immediate approval.  Some countries even let US passport holders apply for visas upons arrival.

This does not mean that every country requires US passport holders to have a visa.  In actuality for most countries a US passport by itself is just fine.

The main reason that some countries require visas and some do not is generally due to money.  Wealthier countries tend to require travelers from poorer nations to get a visa.  Another reason that some countries require visas is due to politics.  Brazil requires a visa from US passport holders as retaliation for the US requirement for Brazilian’s to get a visa to travel to America.

It is best to apply for a visa one month prior to your trip, but unfortunately that is not always possible.  If you need a visa for travel and your trip is less than a month away, it is a good idea to contact Rush Passport™, Official Passport and Visa Expeditors Registered with the US Dept of State and Foreign Consulates.

If you need a visa, US passport card or other passport services such as an expedited passport, emergency passport, same day passport, US Passport book or passport photos be sure to contact Rush Passport™. You can visit us at http://www.rushpassport.com or call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to speak with a Live Passport Agent. (877) 937-7277 (All 50 States) or (212) 643-9305 New York Passport Agency. Rush Passport™ Official US Passport Expeditors, serving Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, Westchester County, Nassau County & Suffolk County, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Miami, Florida

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Passports Ranked According to Number of Countries for Which Visa-Free Travel is Permitted. How Did the US Passport Stack Up? Who Topped The List?

Monday, October 25th, 2010

Passports are travel documents that allow people to travel from one country to another.  However, sometimes it’s not as simple as just showing your passport at border patrol.  Depending on the circumstances, there may be restrictions that apply.  When producing your passport, there may be additional requirements such as acquiring a visa.  Specific countries have specific visa regulations dependent on which country you are traveling to. 

Brtish Passport Visa Free TravelWith that being said, a recent study found that the British passport allows for visa-free travel between the UK and 166 different countries.  The previous leaders in visa-free travel were the Danes.  People from Denmark can travel to 164 countries without a visa.

The top 10 list of countries for which a passport will suffice when traveling abroad include Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Sweden.  The United States passport also made the top 10, coming in 7th place despite being the leader in 2006.  Countries with the lowest visa free ranking and most passport restrictions include China, India, North Korea and Russia.

Being able to get on a plane and knowing that your passport will be sufficient takes an enormous weight off a passport holder’s shoulders.   Traveling can be stressful enough without having to deal with passport issues and visa restrictions.

If you are a US citizen and you are interested in getting an expedited US Passport to fill up with passport stamps or if you are interested in getting a US Passport Card, visit us at http://www.rushpassport.com or call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to speak with a Live Passport Agent.  (877) 937-7277 (All 50 States) or (212) 643-9305 New York Passport Agency.  Rush Passport™ Official US Passport Expeditors, serving Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, Westchester County, Nassau County & Suffolk County, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Miami, Florida.

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Vladimir Mayakovsky

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

Vladimir Mayakovsky

My favorite poem by the Soviet poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, “My Soviet Passport,” is about his passport and its meaning for him. Of course, his Communist ideology is not particularly appealing to many today, but he wrote the poem in 1929 when it might have been excusable for an artist to believe that he was working toward a great new egalitarian future as a Soviet citizen.

Anyway, that’s not the point of this entry. The poem is easy enough to find online, so I won’t bother to repeat it here. What’s interesting to me about the poem is the way the narrator frames the narrative. He’s apparently on a train and they’re at a border crossing. The border officials come on board the train to check passports and the narrator notices how the officials’ reactions to people change depending on the passport they hold. I’ve noticed this myself when traveling today.

Rightly or wrongly, a passport tells the world something about you. I remember traveling to Russia with an American passport in 2001 and I actually bought one of those protective passport covers for the trip. This cover had the Russian passport cover image printed on it, so I decided that I’d just use it when I was in Russia. Well, the reaction I got was very interesting. I handed the passport to the passport control person at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow and I could just see the confused look on her face when she opened the passport up and saw my American passport hidden inside the skin of a Russian holder. Was I making fun of her? Was I mocking her? Was I paying homage to the country I was visiting? She ended up staring menacingly at me for what seemed like five full minutes and I began to wonder how good an idea this was. She finally stamped the passport and gave me a warm smile. “Welcome to Russia,” she said as handed me back my passport. I had many similar situations during my trip, some very positive, some not so much, but they were all interesting. They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, and I never found that to be truer than when the book in question was my passport.

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Visas

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

What is a U.S. Visa?

 A citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States first must obtain a United States Visa, to be inserted inside the traveler’s passport.   

United States citizens do not need to obtain a U.S. Visa for travel.  However, when traveling abroad may require a visa issued by the embassy of the country intend to visit. 

You can find the necessary forms here:

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