510
The most expensive in the world visa
US citizen Chris Guilbaud realized that the bureaucracy even Africa can not compete with Belarus.
American Chris Guilbaud (Chris Guillebeau) set a goal in 2013 to visit all the countries in the world - he left to conquer the lower 50 states. In his blog on August 9 he depict his misadventures in an application and payment of the Belarusian visa, "the most expensive 30-day visa for the world».
Belarusian website offers translation of the story of an American tourist, concerning Belarus, in fact, entirely:
"Until this week, I thought that most of all love to fill the paper in Africa, but now I know that Africans did not compete in this with Belarus. I needed to fill a stack of papers before submitting documents, even more - before my application was granted, and on top of a pile of papers on arrival at the airport. By the time I filled it all, there were even fears: I may have got the citizenship, or something like that ?!
By the way, I do not give a true and found out why my first two attempts failed to visit the country. Visa support service that I used (Belarus), reported more and more new problems. At this time I changed the service, and it was the right idea - though still not done without difficulties. Here are a few problems that I met with a new best service:
1. It is impossible to write a code of state «OR» - should be written «OREGON».
2. Do not write state «Oregon» - should be written «OREGON».
3. Do not use the "#" instead of «Number» («Room") - should be written «NUMBER».
4. Digital signatures do not accept.
5. In normal signatures must all be letters of the name.
6. To sign only black ink! And no other!
7. Visa cards are accepted only from Canadians; Americans can only use Mastercard.
8. Blue Card Mastercard do not accept ("our bank says that the image is too dark»).
9. Signature on Mastercard must comply with the signature in the application, even if the signature on the application is incorrect because of the requirement 5.
In each of these cases the service returns me the documents for correction. Finally, I gave everything in line (or they realized that I did not give up) and got a third sheaf of papers that had to pay at the airport.
When I arrived in Minsk last Tuesday, the law-abiding gave all five papers. It turned out that it was necessary six - this is my service for visa support scolded call immigration officials as I expected solutions.
Belarus set a new record of the 150 countries that I have visited, "the most expensive 30-day visa in the world"! I expected the price of $ 125, but it turned out that this - last year's rate. This year, as a special offer for the citizens of the United States, the price rose to $ 420.
Yes, the $ 420 can be paid in cash only (deducted from the card Mastercard money for visa support, but not for the visa). I usually travel with $ 1,000 in his pocket "one-hundredths" and "twenty", but this time changed their habit and took only $ 500. If you think that the $ 500 would be enough to pay the $ 420 for a visa, you are wrong. Each note carefully studied officials, and those notes which were a bit older than the others, refused to take. As a result of my $ 500 only $ 300 were found fit, and I needed somehow to pay another $ 120.
Since I have found is still around € 200, so I asked if I could pay the difference in euros. No: you can pay or in dollars or euro, but not the equivalent of $ 300, plus the remaining $ 120 in euros.
I looked at the declared unfit dollars. "Um, that" hundreds "looks like normal," - I said, but to no avail. The guy from Lebanon, who was waiting for me with some of his visa problem, offered to help: "I have a few dollars, I can change." Representatives of the state tested - his dollars were "fit." Perfectly! Here are just a Lebanese found only $ 60. I traded them, thanked him for his help, but still had to find another $ 60.
In the end, we decided to send me a representative of the civil service, which would have led me through an entry zone without a visa (another employee all the time while I tried to pay, reading the newspaper). However, Belarus Belarus would not be if we just went to the ATM and withdrew the necessary money. We went to the ATM, but he did not like my card and he refused to give money. We passed through the terminal, find another ATM ... The same. Finally, the other end of the terminal detected bank. Can the bank to charge my debit card magic $ 60? Alas, no.
My Belarusian accompanying me, bowed his head, returned to the office of the Immigration Service. "Going to the ATM did not work" - he said to his colleagues - at least I think so. Dear failure visa, I thought.
Then another officer came up with a simple idea, to which no one has yet thought of: even if you can not combine euros and dollars, to pay $ 420, but because I had $ 360 "fit" dollars and $ 200 a suitable euro, so that I could go to the bank and ask to change € 50 for $ 60. Voila! That's the idea.
Belarusian servant and I passed the guard post, went down the corridors and went to the bank, where there were already a half hour ago. Do you think this is our mission successfully completed? My heart sank when we come to the bank and saw a closed window. Oh no!
To my incredible joy here I saved me one-employee who, I think, tired to walk back and forth. He knocked on the window and said something like "Open up, damn it, a window, so I can read the newspaper again" - at least, I thought so. I do not know what he said, but really open the window and there was a man burning with the desire to help me to exchange money. A small victory.
Belarusian escort and I returned to the office of the immigration service, which I gladly gave 420 dollars fit. Officials visa pasted in the passport and stamped it.
I could still talk and talk - I have touched only the most-most points three-hour wait. The most interesting thing in all this was the friendliness - this is about how Russian rule would be combined with African hospitality. The guy who put the paper in order to take a walk with me from the office of the immigration service to various exchangers and back, was very enjoyable. He spoke a little in English, and I shared with him the majority of the words out of my meager vocabulary in Russian (eg: hello, thank you, Airport, excuse me, beer, vegetarian). The guys told me to leave my bag for more than half an hour, until we went to look for the money and I was not worried about her.
After all ustakanilos, chief officer I even smiled and said: "Welcome to Belarus". That was great. In half the cases, when I get back to America, the immigration officer did not even say, "Welcome to the USA", which is very annoying - this change is perceived "in the large". Belarus mad heavy bureaucracy issues, but no one was rude to me. And for all the time I never felt intimidated, anxious or tense (although, of course, I was tired - JetBlue from Portland to Minsk does not fly, besides, I have not slept for two nights).
My driver, who waited outside, smoking one cigarette after another bored. I apologized for the delay. In the car, I am playing the Russian rock, something Phil Collins. "Another day in paradise" ("Another day in paradise» - known song) - Phil sang, while the driver drove me to the hotel "Planet" in the center of Minsk, 40 kilometers from the airport. The driver was smoking and I looked out the window and occasionally dozing.
Not sure about the "paradise", but Belarus - an interesting small town. The balance of his journey, I wandered around the city and even ran through a big park. I slept well, but escaped with two eight-hour sleep until the evening of the day after which does not want to sleep and nothing to do all night. The inability to communicate with the majority of people in a place like Belarus, - it is sometimes difficult, but really does that to write, to think, to dream and to wander. I enjoy it all, that's only for the very airport could walk a little less. "
Source:
American Chris Guilbaud (Chris Guillebeau) set a goal in 2013 to visit all the countries in the world - he left to conquer the lower 50 states. In his blog on August 9 he depict his misadventures in an application and payment of the Belarusian visa, "the most expensive 30-day visa for the world».
Belarusian website offers translation of the story of an American tourist, concerning Belarus, in fact, entirely:
"Until this week, I thought that most of all love to fill the paper in Africa, but now I know that Africans did not compete in this with Belarus. I needed to fill a stack of papers before submitting documents, even more - before my application was granted, and on top of a pile of papers on arrival at the airport. By the time I filled it all, there were even fears: I may have got the citizenship, or something like that ?!
By the way, I do not give a true and found out why my first two attempts failed to visit the country. Visa support service that I used (Belarus), reported more and more new problems. At this time I changed the service, and it was the right idea - though still not done without difficulties. Here are a few problems that I met with a new best service:
1. It is impossible to write a code of state «OR» - should be written «OREGON».
2. Do not write state «Oregon» - should be written «OREGON».
3. Do not use the "#" instead of «Number» («Room") - should be written «NUMBER».
4. Digital signatures do not accept.
5. In normal signatures must all be letters of the name.
6. To sign only black ink! And no other!
7. Visa cards are accepted only from Canadians; Americans can only use Mastercard.
8. Blue Card Mastercard do not accept ("our bank says that the image is too dark»).
9. Signature on Mastercard must comply with the signature in the application, even if the signature on the application is incorrect because of the requirement 5.
In each of these cases the service returns me the documents for correction. Finally, I gave everything in line (or they realized that I did not give up) and got a third sheaf of papers that had to pay at the airport.
When I arrived in Minsk last Tuesday, the law-abiding gave all five papers. It turned out that it was necessary six - this is my service for visa support scolded call immigration officials as I expected solutions.
Belarus set a new record of the 150 countries that I have visited, "the most expensive 30-day visa in the world"! I expected the price of $ 125, but it turned out that this - last year's rate. This year, as a special offer for the citizens of the United States, the price rose to $ 420.
Yes, the $ 420 can be paid in cash only (deducted from the card Mastercard money for visa support, but not for the visa). I usually travel with $ 1,000 in his pocket "one-hundredths" and "twenty", but this time changed their habit and took only $ 500. If you think that the $ 500 would be enough to pay the $ 420 for a visa, you are wrong. Each note carefully studied officials, and those notes which were a bit older than the others, refused to take. As a result of my $ 500 only $ 300 were found fit, and I needed somehow to pay another $ 120.
Since I have found is still around € 200, so I asked if I could pay the difference in euros. No: you can pay or in dollars or euro, but not the equivalent of $ 300, plus the remaining $ 120 in euros.
I looked at the declared unfit dollars. "Um, that" hundreds "looks like normal," - I said, but to no avail. The guy from Lebanon, who was waiting for me with some of his visa problem, offered to help: "I have a few dollars, I can change." Representatives of the state tested - his dollars were "fit." Perfectly! Here are just a Lebanese found only $ 60. I traded them, thanked him for his help, but still had to find another $ 60.
In the end, we decided to send me a representative of the civil service, which would have led me through an entry zone without a visa (another employee all the time while I tried to pay, reading the newspaper). However, Belarus Belarus would not be if we just went to the ATM and withdrew the necessary money. We went to the ATM, but he did not like my card and he refused to give money. We passed through the terminal, find another ATM ... The same. Finally, the other end of the terminal detected bank. Can the bank to charge my debit card magic $ 60? Alas, no.
My Belarusian accompanying me, bowed his head, returned to the office of the Immigration Service. "Going to the ATM did not work" - he said to his colleagues - at least I think so. Dear failure visa, I thought.
Then another officer came up with a simple idea, to which no one has yet thought of: even if you can not combine euros and dollars, to pay $ 420, but because I had $ 360 "fit" dollars and $ 200 a suitable euro, so that I could go to the bank and ask to change € 50 for $ 60. Voila! That's the idea.
Belarusian servant and I passed the guard post, went down the corridors and went to the bank, where there were already a half hour ago. Do you think this is our mission successfully completed? My heart sank when we come to the bank and saw a closed window. Oh no!
To my incredible joy here I saved me one-employee who, I think, tired to walk back and forth. He knocked on the window and said something like "Open up, damn it, a window, so I can read the newspaper again" - at least, I thought so. I do not know what he said, but really open the window and there was a man burning with the desire to help me to exchange money. A small victory.
Belarusian escort and I returned to the office of the immigration service, which I gladly gave 420 dollars fit. Officials visa pasted in the passport and stamped it.
I could still talk and talk - I have touched only the most-most points three-hour wait. The most interesting thing in all this was the friendliness - this is about how Russian rule would be combined with African hospitality. The guy who put the paper in order to take a walk with me from the office of the immigration service to various exchangers and back, was very enjoyable. He spoke a little in English, and I shared with him the majority of the words out of my meager vocabulary in Russian (eg: hello, thank you, Airport, excuse me, beer, vegetarian). The guys told me to leave my bag for more than half an hour, until we went to look for the money and I was not worried about her.
After all ustakanilos, chief officer I even smiled and said: "Welcome to Belarus". That was great. In half the cases, when I get back to America, the immigration officer did not even say, "Welcome to the USA", which is very annoying - this change is perceived "in the large". Belarus mad heavy bureaucracy issues, but no one was rude to me. And for all the time I never felt intimidated, anxious or tense (although, of course, I was tired - JetBlue from Portland to Minsk does not fly, besides, I have not slept for two nights).
My driver, who waited outside, smoking one cigarette after another bored. I apologized for the delay. In the car, I am playing the Russian rock, something Phil Collins. "Another day in paradise" ("Another day in paradise» - known song) - Phil sang, while the driver drove me to the hotel "Planet" in the center of Minsk, 40 kilometers from the airport. The driver was smoking and I looked out the window and occasionally dozing.
Not sure about the "paradise", but Belarus - an interesting small town. The balance of his journey, I wandered around the city and even ran through a big park. I slept well, but escaped with two eight-hour sleep until the evening of the day after which does not want to sleep and nothing to do all night. The inability to communicate with the majority of people in a place like Belarus, - it is sometimes difficult, but really does that to write, to think, to dream and to wander. I enjoy it all, that's only for the very airport could walk a little less. "
Source:
