Visas and Passports

After Dec. 31, 2014, any traveler to Turkey requiring a visa will need to have an e-Visa. Turkey’s e-Visa program started in April 2013 and is available to visitors from 94 countries, including the US. 

The new visas are meant to be easier to obtain. If approved, travelers are able to receive their e-Visas immediately upon completing the applications. Travelers can also get e-Visas at kiosks upon arrival. The e-Visas are less expensive as well — $20 if purchased in advance, $30 if purchased on arrival. 

I read the letter from, and had a different view than, the traveler who came away with a negative impression of Turmenistan (March ’14, pg. 23). I too did the 5 ’Stans, traveling as part of a group with Zegrahm Expeditions (888/979-4421) in May 2006.

In a letter about Turkmenistan (March ’14, pg. 23), a subscriber made many valid complaints about travel in that country. 

As he correctly pointed out, there are a number of challenges for tourists there. Entering the country usually involves delays at the border, and there is that little item about walking in the no-man’s land between borders, but this annoyance is not limited to that area of the world.

Turkmenistan was one of the “five ’Stans” that I visited on a group tour of Central Asia, Oct. 4-27, 2013. If you are planning to travel there, you may wish to take note of my experiences.

China’s program offering transit passengers 72-hour visa-free visits now includes eight cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shenyang and Dalian. Travel is limited; no trips outside the city are permitted. 

A visitor with a confirmed ongoing plane ticket to a third country can apply for the visa-free visit at the entry/exit department in the international airport in any of the seven cities.

Adding to sites in over 100 airports, the Transportation Security Administration announced in December that it will be opening more than 300 centers across the country at which US citizens can enroll in the TSA Pre√™ (Pre-check) system, which allows for expedited security screening at airports for approved travelers. 

By submitting an application and a fee of $85 (good for five years), a traveler may be certified for the program after providing background interviews, fingerprints and other biographical information.

Tell us about the funniest thing that happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the United States.) There are no restrictions on length. ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Include your full mailing address. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged. 

The US Department of State continues to warn of the risks of travel to the Republic of South Sudan. It strongly recommends avoiding all travel to the states in the border region between Sudan and South Sudan (Upper Nile, Unity and Western Bahr el Ghazal states in South Sudan; Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states in Sudan, and the Abyei Special Administrative District). 

Much of the Arrivals terminal of Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was destroyed by fire on Aug. 7, 2013. My spouse, sister-in-law, brother-in-law and I passed through the airport twice while visiting Kenya in late August and early September. I thought I would share our experience plus some tips.

The Department of State urges travelers to avoid Lebanon. A number of extremist groups operate in Lebanon, including some, such as Hezbollah, that the US government has designated as terrorist organizations. US citizens have been the target of numerous terrorist attacks in Lebanon in the past. 

Hezbollah maintains a strong presence in parts of the southern suburbs of Beirut, portions of the Bekaa Valley and areas in southern Lebanon. Sporadic violence involving Hezbollah or other extremist or criminal organizations remains a possibility in many areas of the country.