Travel Visas to overland the world - What, Why & How

[@pv4083]

This guy talks about how to get into countries to overland meanwhile everyone other “overlander” is talking about rock sliders. Love this channel

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Ha, thanks!

[@rosssyster]

Great info as always Dan. Visas have always been an issue while overlanding for sure. On a side note, the UK was never in the Schengen Area. You’ve always been able to pass back and forth between the UK and the EU to get around that 90-day limit. Some people actually sign up to take classes at a small college and get student visas, or they go through the trouble of getting one of the German freelance visas, both will allow much longer stays in the EU. Also, some counties, Mexico for example will allow you to travel if you have a USA, Canada, Japan, UK, Schengen Area visa that is valid without the need to get one for Mexico itself. I don’t know how many counties work together like this, but it’s an avenue to explore for some people maybe.

[@manimalworks7424]

Hi, Dan, a couple with Chinese passport just drove from Iran to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, all without any problems. They were given a tracker that was not even turned on. So they just drove around to wherever they liked. They camped on the edge of “Gates of Hell”. They were there last November.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Good to know!

[@Grateful.For.Everything]

Super Helpful! Appreciate the advice and motivation! And as a side note, thanks for standing out in the cold so long lol, it was worth it, made for a great shot, really nailed that focus!

[@ppoletto]

Great vídeo as always. Just an update: USA citizens no longer need a visa to go to Brazil, as well as citizens from Canada, Australia and Japan. That changed around an year and a half ago. Second thing, people already said: you got Uzbekistan confused with Turkmenistan, that’s the one with the crater of fire and the very hard-to-get visa.

[@frankbritton4219]

Hi Dan, great video. You mentioned getting a visa for the Stan with the big fiery crater at Darvaza. I think you said its in Uzbekistan when you probably meant to say in Turkmenistan. Best wishes.

[@wolfgangwust5883]

Frank, your are right.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Thanks Frank! I always seem to get confused about that part of the world. Maybe I need to go there to improve my geography!!

[@georgekamba3013]

Hey Dan ,I loved u adventure in Africa and still look forward for what u have to share with us ,am ugandan ln living in BC.

[@emixmim]

Uzbekistan has changed dramatically. You can go visa free for 30 days if you are an EU citizen also Australian and a few other countries. Not sure if you need log your itinerary anymore as well.

[@mpn7738]

thats true. However, there was a mistake in the video since the "flaming hole" is not located in Uzbekistan but in Turkmenistan - and to gain the 5 days transit visa for Turkmenistan can really be a problem.

[@geographyquiz4563]

Wow.. what a informatic video.... Inscribe... Keep going brother.... Before I click on your video I spend hours and hours to find out how to border crossing while overlanding... 👊👌

[@kiplambel4052]

I'm going to be overjoyed just to get back into Canada and Central America this year!

[@mdogg95]

You talked in your book about the teachers in your family teasing you about you eventually catching the teaching bug. With all of these awesome videos you've put out since you returned from Africa, I think they were right :)

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Haha, the irony!!

[@jacktyler7599]

@@TheRoadChoseMe Not irony. Fate.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Haha, what do you call fate when it's the one you were trying to avoid ? haha

[@kiplambel4052]

*somebody* has been spending a lot of time looking at central Asia!

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Always. Dream trip for sure.... but with the borders all being closed I'm struggling to know when it will even be possible again..

[@HourlessLife]

Excellent as always Dan. Thank you

[@jacktyler7599]

Couple of corrections, Dan. Britain has never been part of the Schengen Treaty, so their immigration rules has always differed from the EU. Last time we entered the UK, our USA passports gave us 6 months. As for passport pages, I think you'll find a USA embassy (and consulate?) can provide a passport addendum if you're carrying a USA passport. Overall, this is by far the most difficult, highly variable topic you've tackled, you've done good by it, and this has lots of gems of advice. And you haven't even touched on VAT in the EU, e.g. For Americans, this kind of stuff is hard to cope with. We expect rules to be clear, well defined and stable. Not so much in the developing world, when crossing a border.

[@Gnaw85]

Unfortunately US stopped doing additional pages few years back so if you ran out of visa pages you’ll now have apply for a new passport.

[@tfrye008]

Al about easy. Appreciate all your work Dan. Happy New Year.

[@timgardner3130]

This info was very helpful thanks. I have been reading your first book and I am enjoying it

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Great to hear! Please leave a review on Amazon when you're done, I'd love to hear your full review!

[@RobertVinet]

Also, visa requirements are fluid. For example, when I left for South America by motorcycle, there was no visa requirement for Brazil. Months later when I arrived at the Brazilian border, things had changed, and there was a 30 day waiting period. On another occasion I obtained a visa for Iran, but before I could fly there, restrictions for Canadian nationals were restricted to match those of the UK and USA and meant I could no longer travel freely within the country.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Excellent point! It's always a work in progress!

[@robertvoss9111]

Been waiting on this one!

[@ricoman7981]

Just an old story. In 1992 I was overlanding East and Southern Africa. I wanted to go into South Africa but that posed an issue with my passport. Some countries were not allowing people to enter if you had a visa or entry stamps in your passport for South Africa. Normally Canadians are only allowed one valid passport at a time, however, the Gov’t was very helpful and issued me a separate passport issued just for South Africa. That allowed me to use my regular passport for all the countries and I simply switched to my second passport when I entered South Africa. It cost me for the second passport but it was an excellent solution at that time.

[@carleraphael7011]

Thanks to share your experience Mate. I go to follow I give some like. very interesting your post. well I know all about paseport I am french and it's more easy. My girlfriend she"s Thai it's hell to travel with her. 5 years both around the Asia y Sudamérica.

[@mikehagan4320]

Wow! In some of those countries if you broke down or get sick for 5 days you might have a real nightmare to deal with. It Sucks the Fun out of it. M.H.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

I choose to look at it the other way around - it just makes it all the more exciting and difficult, so the rewards are massively higher! Trust me, you won't bump into other tourists!

[@erichughes9098]

Very interesting thank you Dan 😎👍

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Very welcome

[@robertvoss9111]

Got some more questions/ video ideas for you, how common is it for people to overland with a pet? I know here in the EU and in America lots of people take a dog with them, is that something that is possible when going international? As well as that I was wondering about your stickers on the Jeep and bribery etc. I can imagine for instance that a lot of people would like to have their van be bright yellow with flowers and such but that this will just be a hassle, where do you draw the line on them and how do they inpact your trip?

[@mikebutler9332]

Really informative, thanks!. I would be interested to hear how you found driving a JKU internationally. Especially in cities/on roads that typically see smaller vehicles. I imagine you would have some insights after driving both a TJ and JKU.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

The JKU was fine everywhere. It's not a big vehicle, certainly everywhere in Africa are Land Cruiser Toopies and Defender 110s which are close enough to identical.

[@mikebutler9332]

@@TheRoadChoseMe Thanks for the info! Much appreciated.

[@yorkchris10]

I used the HUBB to find people who had recently crossed. It'd be nice to have a hub kept up to date. I see some Nora and Noraly visas.

[@jayspvarghese3653]

Thanks my dear friend, iam watching your videos one by one

[@Onward4x4]

Thanks for another information filled video! Someone should come up with an App that has all the information needed to help plan for the visas and their time requirements!

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

I think the challenge is the requirements are constantly changing, they chance depending on the nationality of the applicant, they're different if you're flying in vs. driving AND different embassies give different answers just because. It's really a "has to be now" kind of thing.

[@Onward4x4]

@@TheRoadChoseMe Makes planning extremely difficult... Although I reckon not impossible.

[@calsurflance5598]

Very informative video. I would just be happy to see more of my home country.(US) no Visas needed here at least for now.(who knows what the future holds for California). Where are you spending the winter?

[@classicvwride7520]

Very helpful thanks

[@MarkRose1337]

Ireland and the UK have their own Common Travel Area outside of the Schengen Zone. So both have served as a hideout for the 90 days. Ireland gives Australians and Canadians 90 days, while the UK gives 6 months. The other popular escape are the Balkans, where Serbia, Croatia, and so on, are outside of the Schengen Zone. New Zealanders have it lucky, since a bunch of pre-Schengen agreements allow 90 days in _each_ of 17 Schengen countries. It may be difficult to leave the Schengen Zone from a country that isn't one of those, if you've stayed longer than 90 days. Also, Venezuela requires visas for Canadians and Americans now, due to political reasons.

[@out4ar1p]

Great load of information, thanks for sharing!

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

My pleasure!

[@johnroberts2012]

Congratulation you have got my attention

[@foxtransfer]

One thing, what I cant see here. For EU citizens it is important. As we are part of US ESTA Visa program, which helps us to enter to USA without Visa, you might remember not to visit some countries around the Globe, otherwise you are fired from free Visa ESTA program. At the moment there are 6 countries, including Sudan what better to avoid. Good news is that Afghanistan is not part of these 6 countries anymore. So, EU citizens can visit Afghanistan without losing VISA free enter to USA. If you visited any of these 6 countries, you need to aply for VISA again and take an interview at the US embassy.

[@landexta4994]

hi - did the african tour 2012 - 14 and would generally agree with all you said but would add a few points. Cost is a consideration and adds up as you will know $100 - $200 each is probs a minimum ( depends on your origin) Also many countries have other charges - "eco taxes"😁 , community levies etc etc the list seems to inrease with time, multiplied by 30 odd countries adds up to quite a sum. Also timescales for issue vary - 3 - 5 days i would say when we travelled as these embassies are in citys camping may not be an option and accomodation is not cheap - basic hotels often charge european rates again adds up. At the time we like a few others tried every angolan embassey on route and failed so we all ended up in Brazzeville trying to solve issue - most of us ended up having to send passports back to embassies in counties of origin - ours took 3 weeks from UK - again cost/ time impact. Try to have contigency route plan ( and money!!!) - things were bit crazy then ( arab spring etc) and geopolitics can have a big effect - we had to contend with sudden coup in Mali which changed route/ necessatated whole new thinking/travel plan, another in Equitorial Guinea which knocked that on the head and on the way out it was touch and go if we could get out of Sudan into Egypt even with visa,( options were back to Kenya or poss Suadi at the time) we did but then found no ferries from Egypt so went out via Israel. Big picture wise i would guess similar issues will still persist given regional politics. Dont rely on web info - check and double check yourself. Also came across scams - it will be ready 3 pm friday - turn up its not - so you are faced with delays/ costs or the intended bribe -or be prepared to cause a scene like we did -which worked! With regards the Stans/Asia a nephew of ours was cycling around world at same time, at that point with a friend met on route - his friend got 28 days - he got 7!! - no logic. He did well as had to be out otherside otherwise penalty was repatriation back to country of origin - so back where he started after many months - good effort as he made it cycling 24 hrs a day for 7 days. As you say its all down to effort.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Thanks for all the real-world info, that's super, super helpful!

[@MarkRose1337]

But in regards to the difficulty of the west Africa situation, I'm just glad to have a passport that makes most of the world relatively easy. Others are not so fortunate.

[@katakiguesthouse7465]

Thanks Mr Road

[@SmashTheNumbers]

Dan, my daughter came up with an idea to solve the problem between airports having easy VISA processes and road borders not having easy ones. Why not leave your vehicle behind, fly to a neighboring country that you want to go to (possibly not too expensive), get the paperwork done? Hang out for a couple of days in that city, with a nice hotel, get refreshed, and get back to your vehicle via the return plane ticket a couple weeks later in your vehicle? Beats going all the way to Australia.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

A few reasons: 1. Lots of countries won't let you leave without your vehicle when it's temporarily imported. You literally can't leave! 2. Just because you're in a neighbouring country that doesn't mean they'll issue you a visa any more than the one you're already in! 3. Almost all visas are single entry... and have strict time limits imposed. 4. What you're proposing means going to the capitals to fly around, which isn't the most fun. 5. What you're proposing would astronomically blow out the budget of a trip like mine, and make it impossible for a regular person like me.

[@TheJourneyAhead]

Thanks Dan for this many helpful tips. I'll also have a look at your Overlander Wiki, maybe I can contribute something too. In some countries you can have more than one passport. In Germany, for example, we can get up to three passports, but you have to submit an extra application and you need a confirmation from your employer that you need the additional passport for work. So you have to be creative. I got a second passport for my travels. Simply as a security, and to have the opportunity to apply for several visas at the same time. But you have to be careful, a visa cannot simply be transferred from one passport to another. For my West Africa trips, I have always applied for visas from Germany. This is usually a little more expensive than in the embassies in Africa and it also takes about 1-2 weeks per visa, but you have everything ready before departure and you don't have to worry about it on the way. Of course you have to be careful not to miss the entry and exit dates.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Have you been able to drive the length of West Africa with all the visas you got from home? How quickly did you do the entire coast?

[@TheJourneyAhead]

​@@TheRoadChoseMe Not yet. I've only driven North West Africa, Mali, Burkina, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, etc. As soon as the world is halfway normal again I want to go to South Africa. Our plan is to get most of the visas from Germany. I think Angola can only be applied for online now. Fortunately, the southern African countries don't need a visa. On average, I always paid around 100 € for the visa (30 days) per country. That should also be the case for the countries from Nigeria and south of it, provided my research from last year is still correct. But as soon as it is possible to travel again, I want to check again for which countries it makes more sense to get the visa on the way. That often changes in Africa.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

I don't think you'll be able to get enough "time before entry" on the visas for DRC, Nigeria, Rep Congo unless you plan to do the entire coast in less than 3 months. Which I STRONGLY recommend against.

[@TheJourneyAhead]

@ The Road Chose Me I know this is a big problem. But for Nigeria it is the easiest way and many people from Germany did it with a visa from the Nigerian embassy in Berlin. In addition, I unfortunately don't have unlimited time for the trip and I already know the West African countries like Mali, Burkina, Guinea and Senegal very well. Since we want to have more time for the countries that come to Nigeria, we have to make the first part of the journey through the countries we know a little faster on the direct route. Therefore we drive directly from St. Louis via Bamako to Ouaga and then via Togo / Benin to Nigeria. I can and will travel to these countries again in the future. From Germany you can comfortably drive to Senegal within a week. And I don't know yet whether I will be able to make another trip to South Africa in the next few years. For someone who is visiting these countries for the first time, I would of course also recommend taking a lot more time for the trip.

[@lsobrinho]

You should also consider bring your second passport, if you have one. Several Brazilians, for example, have Portuguese and Italian passports. You may use one or the other, according to the border you are crossing.

[@fernandateixeira1833]

You just have to be careful as some countries want to make sure you use the same passport when crossing the land border. I have multiple passports too and have had to use the “fly out with one, and land with the other “ scenario before, but land borders are much trickier Even Obe-wan is not impervious to the rules

[@darthjawn]

Great video. It's Turkmenistan that has the big flaming hole in the ground not Uzbekistan - I was there in 2005, great trip!

[@gasfranangolalda6145]

Useful tips! Holding several passports, I'm lucky that the only visa I need on the West African route is for Cameroon. Sadly, I can't get visas for the US, Canada, Australia. and probably pretty soon, the UK too.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

What passport do you have? I can't imagine you can get into Nigeria and DRC and Angola and Mali and all of those without needing a visa.... essentially everyone does!

[@gasfranangolalda6145]

@@TheRoadChoseMe I have an Angolan passport, an ECOWAS passport and three European passports. Three through birthright and two by marriage. So yes, I CAN go to Nigeria, Mali, the DRC, etc without visas. My issues are the US, Australia, Canada, as I've been blacklisted by a well-known security agency:))

[@RobertVinet]

Schengen system permits third-country nationals to enter into the Schengen Area for a maximum of 90 days within any 6-month period for the purpose of visiting Europe for pleasure.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Thanks for the clarification!

[@adelarsen9776]

Yes, true. And most Schengen countries will allow you to extend your stay after the 3 months is up if you are a tourist. When you get to a land border crossing or you re-enter a land border you simply drive into the Red Declare and tell them you want to stay another 3 months. It's easy especially if you've got a passport from a friendly country.

[@RobertVinet]

@@adelarsen9776 Interesting. Do you know how this affects the "within any 6-month period" rule? I have been planning my route and stays based on going in and out of the Schengen countries (so into Morocco, UK, eastern European countries, etc) every 90 days as I make my way through Europe, post COVID of course.

[@adelarsen9776]

@@RobertVinet A good and valid question. The answer is that the rule is waived when you ask for more time. You have to do it though for each country. The best thing to do is request the permission online first and when you get to the land border you show them the letter and ask nicely and they will let you stay another 3 months. You can do it up to 2 years however they start to get suspicious after 9 months. Please ask if you have more questions. Cheers.

[@kel8026]

Great video, and very informative. Although, Central Asia, or the 'Stans' themselves are very easy, including Uzbekistan now - which is visa free. I went in and out a number of times last year with my car. It's just Turkmenistan that is the nightmare that people suffer with on their way to or from Iran to Central Asia... I think that's the logistical headache you were referring to. Russia also plans to introduce evisas soon, but unfortunately, not to any of us English speakers though. :)

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Thanks for the update, that's really good to know! I expect Iran and Afghanistan are still tricky too - and then what happens when you get to China?

[@adelarsen9776]

@@TheRoadChoseMe Dan, good luck at the Afghan China border post....

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

What I mean was what happens visa wise when you get to China (from any other country). Are Chinese visas easy enough?

[@kel8026]

​@@TheRoadChoseMe Iran requires a carnet, and so does Pakistan and India - but you're experienced with that. Visa-wise they're fine - Pakistan introduced e-visas a year or so ago which helps immensely, but you have to get a visa in advance for Iran as we can't get them on land borders. The good thing with our passports (Aus and NZ) is that we don't require a guide to be with as throughout Iran, as British, Americans and Canadians do. As far as I know, Afghanistan is still a no go, although if someone is adamant about it, there might be pockets or slices of the place that are possible to enter or access - I'm not sure and haven't really looked into that. The closest I have been to Afghanistan was when I spent a week or so along the border in the Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan. That was fascinating as the villages and people are right there over the river from you all the time as you do part of the Pamir Highway. China itself is another joke. Takes a lot of logistical effort, organisation, guides and expenses just to even pass through for a day. I lived in China for a number of years so I managed to take the Chinese driver's test and get a life-long Chinese driver's licence and explore a fair bit of the country with my own 'Chinese wheels'. You aren't allowed to use a foreign licence in China, hence the hassle of a company having to organise a temporary one even for your transit as an overlander. Everything is becoming harder and harder there unfortunately and seems to be heading the way of North Korea when it comes to openness to foreigners. Myanmar is another one that requires a guide, but you can jump into the Overlanding Asia group on Facebook where there were often (pre-Covid times) people making groups to travel through to share expenses which is useful. For China they do that too. It's a useful place for getting the info you need. You thought West Africa was a pain, then welcome to East Asia - a part of the world with decent enough to excellent roads (and bad drivers), but low enthusiasm when it comes to cross-border co-operation - the positive being they're at least stable when it comes to security. So, there are a few hassles, but some have become easier in recent times, and everything is doable with time, patience and will-power. Personally, Turkey, the Caucasus area, the Stans and Russia and backtrack a bit, then Iran, the Arabian Peninsula (with a LHD vehicle you're good), Pakistan, India, through Myanmar, to SE Asia is the easier option when it comes to avoiding the biggest obstacles of war zones, terribly annoying visas and/or tour groups, closed borders, geographical barriers, shipping expenses i.e. Vladivostok - South Korea, Japan onwards which is also an option. Hope that is helpful, if not long. You've given us a heck of a lot of great advice and hope this is helpful in some way. Now you might have accidentally given away where you're headed next. Good luck with the planning and the waiting out of Covid. I am also waiting to set out for India via Iran and Pakistan, and thanks to Covid have been experiencing life in Istanbul for a year already. :D

[@Nickle314]

In the UK you can get 2 UK passports. Makes it easy when you have to hand over your passport to get a visa. You have the other passport.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

I've never seen it make much difference on a world trip - it's not like you're going anywhere until you get your first one back anyway. In theory you could apply for two visas at the same time, but you're almost never in a place with two consulates that will offer the visas you need. Also, I saw my German friends try to use their second passport, and it made the border guys REALLY unhappy ! The really, REALLY want to see an exit stamp from the previous country, so then you have to show them you have two passports, and then they get REALLY mad!

[@zuesmondo1]

I wonder if you could book a round trip airfare for like a day before are about to enter. You go into the capital city get it fly back to where your vehicle is and then come back and drive across the border.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

There's no way that would work time-wise when you account for how long it would take to fly in and out of every country. Plus, many countries won't let you leave while you have your vehicle in the country as a temporary import.

[@desertfox486]

In addition to that, most visas on arrival are not multi-entry so your outbound flight back to the country where the car is parked cancels the visa.

[@tomasarndt8139]

Great info What about visa which are only available at the embassy in your home country? You fly back?

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

I've never had that situation, I have always managed to find a way to get it on the road.

[@alexandermeijer]

free vs pay if I fly into the US with my EU passport, I get a waiver for 'free' (it's included in the airfare), when I drove from Canada to the US, I had to pay! stay safe!

[@plasticthrowers]

What do you do about vehicle insurance? I'm planning a trip in South America.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

I've covered that in previous videos, notably this one - kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYHKfIpme5idfKM

[@plasticthrowers]

@@TheRoadChoseMe thank you

[@andreag9167]

Where did you get stamped when you entered without a border, like in Ethiopia? thanks

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

I got stamped out of Kenya a week earlier in Nairobi, and I got stamped into Ethiopia the next day when I got to a town that had Immigration and Customs. Same when I crossed a few other really REALLY remote borders like Nigeria to Cameroon.

[@andreag9167]

@@TheRoadChoseMe I worked 20 years in Africa with the UN and refugees, I will go back for a road trip soon. Take care and thanks again

[@Gnaw85]

Wow... 56 pages... the most amount pages you can get in a US passport is 52 pages and only 40 pages are available for visas...

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Wow, it's not possible to order a "Frequent traveller" one that is thicker? That's what I did for my Australian one. I had to pay a little more, but obviously worth it. Mine has 75 pages, 70 for visas/stamps.

[@Gnaw85]

@@TheRoadChoseMe Unfortunately the 52 pages, or what they call the large book here, is the "frequent traveller" version. A standard US passport only has 28 pages. It used to be that you can request them to add additional pages in your passport but they stopped doing that a few years back...

[@GATORADDAM]

That does not sound like a relaxing, care free kinda travel. Wouldn't it amazing if people just all got along as one, all over the world? The things we could see. The things we could share. The things we could accomplish!

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

West Africa is a proper expedition, no doubt about it. If you want carefree, look elsewhere in the world!

[@gumbystown]

What happens if you did get sick and you didn't make the border crossing in time or your car broke down what would happen to you? Are we talkin just complicated situations or you're going to go to prison or the firing squad.

[@TheRoadChoseMe]

Not prison or firing squad, but certainly a world of trouble that might mean large fines, or deportation. If I knew I wasn't going to be able to exit a given country in the legally required timeline I'd go straight to their immigration office and explain my situation / extend my visa any way possible, etc. etc. Staying legal is VERY important.

[@rajeshtelang4910]

It's not same with all nationality

[@danielmattsson8138]

Oh my.. why is everything that has to do with governments stupid???