Visas and Passports

(First of two parts, jump to part 2)

We have a trip to Russia planned in a few months and I just found out that to visit Russia a visa is needed and there must be two blank pages in the visa section of one’s passport.

I read Dr. Wagenaar’s article about having a second passport (April ’05, pg. 102). I have two passports: American and British. I got mine through birth and parentage; I don’t think it’s worth the cost to actively seek out a second one.

Generally, the utility of having two passports is being able to choose between them depending on the country one is visiting (although the U.S. requires that all American citizens each enter and exit the U.S. using their American passport).

After returning from a trip to Chile on Nov. 21, ’04, I found that the TSA locks on my luggage had been cut instead of opened. I immediately filed the appropriate claim form with the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) reporting that two TSA-approved locks had been cut and requesting reimbursement for their value. Over a month later, having heard nothing from them, I wrote to ITN. My letter appears in the April ’05 issue, page 86.

I thought ITN readers might be interested in the outcome.

My traveling companion and I were on a cruise aboard the Pacific Princess, Sept. 22-Nov. 19, ’04, with a stop at Fortaleza, Brazil, on Oct. 2. As required, we had to go through Immigration.

I had seen a couple of mentions (Dec. ’01, pg. 33 & Feb. ’02, pg. 111) about getting Australian visas electronically for a fee of $15 (visit www.eta.immi.gov.au). I don’t mind paying the fee, but the website did not seem to me to be secure, as I did not see any padlock.

(Second of two parts)

The April ’05 “Discerning Traveler” column deals with getting a second passport. There is one significant group of people that has the chance to get a legitimate foreign passport: people who have one grandparent born in Ireland. If you are in this crowd, you are entitled to become an Irish citizen.

You must register with the nearest Irish embassy or consulate by providing official documentation: birth, marriage and any death certificates of your grandparent and parent as well as your own birth certificate and a few other items.

(First of two parts)

“How can I possibly get our passports back in time?” l said to my wife, Flory.

“What is the problem?” she asked.

“Boy, did they go through fast.” We looked with envy as the European Union passport holders whisked through Immigration, while our line inched forward in tandem with the beetle on the floor.