Im sorry people but its that time again. This blog after all is originally intended as a venue to host my rants and occasional bellyaching and im afraid im about to do THAT again.^^ The mere exercise of gathering my thoughts about this subject is already giving me a throbbing headache. If you have to go through the things that we from the third world are made to go through, wouldnt you just want to pull your hair from frustration upon reflecting on how stressful and financially painful to your pocket a suppose to be simple thing like a visa application could get *Orz* Anybody whose civil status is Single, Female, a citizen of a poor country and had once upon-a-time experienced applying for a tourist visa, you know exactly what im talking about. It is a task not for the faint-hearted. Each country has different visa requirements and procedures for application, others more strict than some but generally, the same amount of paperwork is required. Now, if youre fortunate enough to be born a citizen of a rich country, in all probability, you wouldn’t have any idea what we who had the misfortune of being born in a third world country go through just to visit and be allowed entry to your precious land. You only have to go online and buy that ticket to wherever and that’s it. Welll… let me enlighten anybody out there who’s interested, first with the basic requirements for a tourist visa:
1. The Application Form. What could be so difficult with filling-up an application form? If youre a senior citizen who’s not tech savy, it would be a major drag. Some countries like the USA and now the UK require an Online Application. I know a lot of old people who doesn’t even know how to use an ATM machine, I don’t have to look far, my own mother doesn’t use a cellphone or a computer. im not a very "techie" person, in fact im somewhat IT challenged or a "PC-tard" if you may and to tell you honestly, my last online visa application took almost 3 freaking hours to get done !*Orz*
2. The Photo. Strictly 45mm x 35mm with light background. Don’t make the mistake of posing in what you think is your better angle or put a smile in your face in an attempt to show a happy/friendly nature to nail that visa. THAT WONT WORK! Look straight to the camera, pull your hair back from your eyes and sport a poker face expression and that’s it!
3. The Passport. Your current passport and ALL your previous(expired) passport. You will be judged by the number of visas(old and new, used and unused) and immigration stamp on your passports. If you’re submitting your first passport and the pages are empty, YOUR APPLICATION IS IN BIG TROUBLE, unless there is divine intervention, prepare to be denied!
4. The Income and Employment. The latest copy of your ITR. If youre employed… a certificate of employment that states your position in the company, how long you have been with the company, Leave of Absence approved by employer, and, how much is your gross income . Sometimes, they even ask for pay slips. If youre self-employed… a Bureau of Internal Revenue registration, a Dept. of Trade and Industry or Securities and Exchange Commision registration, a Business Permit to Operate(Mayor’s permit), ALL ORIGINAL COPIES.
5. The Money. I sooo understand the logic that if youre a tourist, you need to prove that you can afford to travel. Im sooo ok with that. BUT, when a bank asks you to sign a waiver when you request a Bank Certification of your Bank Accounts for visa application purposes, why do I get this feeling that my rights are being violated somehow, somewhere. OK, so I did sign those waivers and let them trample all over my rights ‘coz im a desperate single woman from a poor country in need of a visa * Orz ^^ * so the following are what you need from your bank:
• Bank Certification of ALL YOUR BANK ACCOUNTS that specifies, the Total Balance, the Average Daily Balance and When the Account was Opened.
>>> if all you have saved in the bank is $1000/$2000 or its equivalent in your own currency, just stay at home and sleep it off. you have a better chance of getting to your intended destination in your dreams than in actual fact.
>>> now if somebody from your country of destination is financing your trip. you have to be reeeally close to this somebody. WHY? because now, the burden of proof that you can afford this trip is now transferred to him/her. for short, this somebody needs to prepare practically all the paperwork that is being asked of you and more. his/her citizenship, income and employment, proof of residence and residency, etc.
• Time Deposit Certificates and Bank Passbooks
• At least, 3 to 6 months Bank Statements, those that are mailed to you by your bank. *So you better start hoarding those spam mail, you’ll never know, you might need it someday ^^ *
6. The Flight Itinerary. Confirmed roundtrip flight booking certificate from an airline. you better make sure those confirmation holds the entire time those embassies are processing your visa, they do check.
7. The Accomodation. Hotel Booking and confirmed reservation. some embassies requires hotel vouchers believe it or not!
So that’s the basic requirements, and if you still have the energy and feels those stated above are not enough to secure you that visa approval, now here’s the additional requirements and more paper work for you. To all intents and purposes it means, YOU ALSO HAVE TO SUBMIT the following if you have them:
1. A Birth/Marriage Certificate from/or aunthenticated by The National Statistics Office. if youre a single woman travelling alone, more often than not, youre instantly suspected to be going to their country to hook and catch one of their nationals with the intent to marry. duh. *Orz ...what an overactive imagination and hello... delusional wishful thinking*
2. A daily schedule of activies.
3. Vehicle Registrations. Yes, they want the Original Copy of your Car/s Registration/s.
4. Land Title/s. Originals ONLY, no certified copies please.
5. International Credit Cards with 3-6 months of credit card statements.
and before i forget, they have a new thing now, biometrics! in the old days, they are satisfied with your thumb mark, and then years after, they want electronic prints of your index finger. NOW, they will get the prints of ALL your fingers and take a photo of you using what i suspect is a state-of-the-art camera that takes more than your image. what's scary about this is, what if your prints end up in the wrong hands... in the wrong place like let's say, a crime scene... yeah, im watching too much CSI ^^ it is a joke but it is possible, highly improbable but still possible ~~ actually, there are still possiblities for this particular requirement to evolve and progress. i suggest they ask for toe prints next... prints from our bare feet... elbow prints... knee prints... armpit prints... b*tt prints... ^^ WAAA, im getting hysterical, stop me please ^^
You'd think THAT’S IT they'll be happy with that, you better think again. If youre applying for a Schengen Visa(European Visa), aside from all the requirements stated above, you would also need to submit a Travel Insurance Policy from an Insurance Company accredited by the Schengen States and with very specific provisions clearly stated in the policy, one of which is that, it should have 2.5 million pesos insurance coverage valid on ALL Schengen States. YES, with no guarantees that you will be issued a visa, these European countries some of whom incidentally are currently way over their heads with debt troubles, waiting to be bailed out by the European Union, are demanding that you get yourselves a travel insurance policy!!! Of ALL the requirements, nothing tops this as THE MOST RIDICULOUS!!! I wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow IF they want this AFTER a visa is approved, BUT, for crying out loud, what am I suppose to do with a travel insurance valid in all Schengen States IF my application is denied? Get a refund? And how long would that take and how much will be refunded? *Orz :(* A few years ago, after you have been told that your Schengen Visa application is approved, they will not put that visa on your passport unless a paid roundtrip ticket and a travel insurance policy is submitted. That is still the requirement for the tickets which already as far as im concerned is enough to raise my eyebrow by 1 or 2 millimeter, but the travel insurance requirement became completely unreasonable that my eyebrows shot through the roof! As if all those is not enough to bother and torture us, depending on which Schengen State you’re lodging your application, they will charge you 30+ pesos per minute when you call to ask for an appointment time and date to submit your application and more often than not, you’ll find yourself talking to a freakin’ machine that takes forever to give instructions and sometimes even hanging up even before they could give you a freakin’ date! The whole process of getting an appointment date and the actual visa processing will take more than a month, so in the meantime, while these embassies judge you, yahoo… you can look forward to a whole month of mental torment, worries and anxiousness .*Orz >:(*
It seems that it is not enough for them to know that once you set foot in their country, you start spending money on their country. Why do I get the feeling that they are milking us dry and that the whole process of visa issuance to them has now become a business, a money-making machine. Visa processing fees are non-refundable and the price ranges from, reasonably fair, exorbitant, to obscene amounts ^^ if some countries can charge reasonable fees why cant others follow suit or a least the gap shouldn’t be that great right??? To think that the largest economy in the world charges the most is… nvm *Orz ^^ * I think now is the right time to pay tribute to a country that has become a personal favorite of mine. The only country that I know so far(at least until 2008 that is, im not sure now) that do not charge a single cent for visa processing… youre the best JAPAN! ^^ *clap, clap and a 90 degree bow*
I KNOW, I KNOW… that the reason why they have become these strict is because of the transgressions by some of our own countrymen. The operative word in the last sentence ladies and gentlemen is, SOME. So may I ask, why punish the entire population because of the wrongdoings of a few??? AND puhleez, the poor does not have the monopoly as far as violations on visa restrictions are concerned. am i right or what!Relax, I do not plan to include in this post the plight of foreign nationals who violate their visa retrictions ‘coz that deserves another entry in this blog, so im not gonna go there right now. All im hoping for from these countries is a semblance of reason. Do not make it impossible for us to visit by making impractical demands that seems to encourage us to give up without even trying. Anyhoo, let me end this post on a happy note by sharing some good news… I have recently allowed myself to be judged again and im happy to say that I have passed their scrutiny and they have found me to be good enough and worthy enough to visit their country *pop the champagne and light the fireworks* HA!… whatever ^^
