The desire to travel is felt? Discover the 10 countries where the visa application will give you a hard time!
With the gradual reopening of borders, travelers around the world are eagerly awaiting their next departures abroad. But, before leaving, it is often necessary to carry out certain administrative formalities. This is the case on the other side of the Atlantic, where the ESTA application for the United States is a compulsory passage to be able to enter American soil.
These formalities are also expected in its North American neighbor, in Canada, as well as in Cuba and on the other side of the globe, in Oceania. Indeed, it is necessary to apply for a visa for New Zealand and Australia or an eTA request for Canada, if you wish to go to one of these superb destinations.
However, some countries do not offer this precious sesame so easily… Discover these countries that are so difficult to access thanks to this top 10 most complex visas to obtain in the world.
In Asia
When you want to travel abroad, applying for a visa, AVE or ESTA is regularly an obligation. This requirement mainly concerns countries located in Africa or Asia.
Indeed, on the Asian continent, it is necessary to apply for a visa to access Vietnam, Cambodia or Sri Lanka. This visa application is also required in India, Burma and Oman!
If for the latter, this task turns out to be a formality, it is not the case for all! Let’s discover together the most difficult visas to obtain in Asia.
1. North Korea
It is no surprise that we find North Korea in the first place of the countries where it is the most difficult to obtain a visa. Indeed, unlike its South Korean neighbour, the country very rarely opens its borders to foreigners!
Naturally, many curious travelers want to visit the area to learn more about the country. If this is your case, the best way to enter the territory is to go through Beijing, where it is “easier” to obtain a visa for North Korea.
2. China
You may be surprised to learn that it is so difficult to obtain a visa for China? However, the country is known to have a strict and particularly complicated visa policy.
You will therefore have to be patient if you want to obtain the precious sesame. To put the odds on your side, we advise you to apply for a visa for China at least 2 months before the departure date and to find out about the documents to be provided… Failure to do so could actually cost you your visa!
3. Bhutan
Bhutan is one of the greenest and most natural countries in the world. Indeed, this small Asian country wedged between the two giants that are India and China, is the only country in the world to have a negative carbon footprint!
Having made sustainable development a top priority, you will therefore not be surprised to learn that it is difficult to obtain a visa for Bhutan. In order to limit the number of tourists in the territory, requests should be made only through travel agencies approved by Bhutanese Tourism.
Thus, the only way to obtain a visa for Bhutan is to book a complete package with these agencies, it is impossible to organize an independent stay in this territory. On the price side: the package with the agencies costs around €200 per person and per day.
4. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has been issuing tourist visas to nationals of 49 countries since 2019, including France (before this date, it was the only country in the world not to issue tourist visas). Nevertheless, it is not always easy to obtain a visa for this country! It is indeed recurrent that French travelers are denied access to the territory.
To avoid this, it is advisable to apply for a visa for Saudi Arabia several months before departure. You should also know that if you have already traveled to Israel, the Saudi authorities will not issue you a visa and will refuse you entry into the territory.
5. Pakistan
The Pakistani visa is historically one of the most difficult for travelers to obtain. It is indeed almost impossible to organize your own stay in Pakistan when you are a tourist.
If you still want to visit this territory, you will have to go through an agency approved by the Pakistani authorities. It is through this that you have the best chance of obtaining a visa for Pakistan.
6. Turkmenistan
All foreigners wishing to travel to Turkmenistan must apply for a visa in advance. This is long and complicated, since it is necessary to have a letter of invitation (from a travel agency, private individuals or companies) to be able to carry out this request.
Indeed, without this letter of invitation, no visa will be delivered to you. However, this letter does not guarantee you 100% of obtaining the precious visa, the Turkmen authorities regularly refusing access to their territory!
And Europe
Today, it is very easy to travel all around Europe when you are a national of the European Union. Indeed, in most countries of the Old Continent, you will only need to present a valid identity card or passport to be able to enter the country of your choice. However, not all countries on the continent apply this rule.
7. Russia
Russia, for example, is very demanding with regard to the granting of visas. Indeed, it is impossible to travel on Russian territory if you are not accompanied by your precious sesame, even when you have one of the most powerful passports on the planet!
This explains why historically, the Russian visa is one of the most difficult to obtain in the world! For example, you will need to provide an invitation from a friend residing in Russia or a ” voucher ” (a kind of travel voucher) from a hotel in Russia to be able to make this request.
In Africa
Africa is one of the most demanding continents when it comes to granting visas. But it is also the one where there is the most disparity. By going through specialized agencies such as RequestVisa.fr, you will easily obtain a visa for Egypt, Kenya or Tanzania. For other African countries, as you will see, the task will not be so simple…
8. Nigeria
Nigeria is a country that has so much to offer travelers, provided they can get there. Indeed, the visa for Nigeria is one of the most difficult to obtain in the world!
To go to this magnificent territory, you will need, for example, a letter of invitation, a round-trip plane ticket as well as a financial guarantee concerning the funds you have for your stay.
9. Sudan
The visa for Sudan is also one of the most difficult to obtain in the world! This document must be obtained before your departure from the embassy or consulate. The authorities do not issue visas on site.
The time required to obtain it is much longer than average, which is why we advise you to apply for this visa at least 2 months before the departure date.
And, as for Saudi Arabia, be aware that the Sudanese authorities will not issue you a visa and will refuse you entry into the territory if your passport contains an Israeli stamp.
10. Eritrea
We finish our selection of the most difficult visas to obtain in the world with Eritrea. This country in northeastern Africa, located on the coast of the Red Sea, regularly refuses access to its territory to foreigners.
Blame it on political tensions with its border neighbors. Thus, your visa application for Eritrea will probably be refused, without you knowing the reasons for this refusal. If by chance, your visa is accepted, also know that you will need a “ Travel Permit ” to go out more than 20 km from the capital Asmara.
