Travel Advice: Be aware of countries’ different visa requirements

Moving around the world can be complicated by visa requirements and electronic permissions. While Irish passport holders can go to many countries without requiring a visa, there are others that make it complicated and costly.

Travel will get more complicated as geopolitical and country specific issues tighten or change regulations. If you are intending on travelling, check the requirements in advance. For example, some countries will require you to have at least six months’ validity on your passport from the last day of your journey.

Other countries will require that you have a return ticket and sufficient funds to pay for your trip. You may even need to have proof of confirmed accommodation and proof that it is paid for. You may also need two clean pages in your passport, as some countries put a sticker in your passport and stamp a page.

Electronic permission

For some countries you can apply for a visa online; they are: Australia, India, Turkey and Kenya. Other countries have what they call an electronic permission to travel and include the United States, Sri Lanka and, since September, Canada. Application time for electronic permissions vary from two days to three weeks, so check well ahead of your trip.

If you are travelling in a group or through a travel agent, they will usually handle all the onerous visa requirements. Visas can cost from $20-$100 per single entry. Some embassies are hidebound in red tape and getting a visa can be a trial.

There are also other regulations in some countries, such as if you have been in or transited though a yellow fever area, you will not be allowed in unless you have a medical certificate showing you have been immunised.

Regulations change all the time and a good source for information is the World Travel Guide which you can access online at worldtravelguide.net.

Jscales@irishtimes.com