Russia Begins Visa Outsourcing

by Summer Jenkins, Director of Brand Development

Russia’s new visa outsourcing system is now in effect, and the transition to outsourcing has been relatively smooth.  The outsourcing offices in Washington and Houston have been in operation since mid-April, and the offices in New York and San Francisco will open tomorrow, May 2, after the International Labor Day holiday.

In Washington and Houston, we have seen a slight slowdown in the processing times as the new outsourcing offices get up to speed.  We are continuously updating the processing speeds listed on our website and our visa instruction PDFs, so our clients can be assured that the visa processing speeds we publish are as accurate as possible.  Our instructions also include the most up-to-date consular fees, which include the outsourcing surcharge.

The only other change to the visa processing due to outsourcing will affect only those travelers who choose to fill out the online visa application on their own.  Toward the end of the application, the applicant must select the location where the application will be lodged, and must now select the option that says “ILS” (for example, “ILS Washington” instead of just “Washington.”)  However, travelers who take advantage of G3’s Concierge Level Service won’t have to worry about this – a G3 expert will fill out the Russian visa application online, and will make sure that this and all other details are correct.

If you have any questions, or would like to request Concierge Level Service for Russia, please contact our Russia team at CLS@g3visas.com or Russia@g3visas.com.

Country in Focus: Hong Kong
Although Hong Kong was returned to the sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China in 1997, it  has retained a limited autonomy over the administration of the territory.  It has a different system of customs and immigration, including visas, [Read more →]

by Summer Jenkins, Director of Brand Development

Russia Begins Visa Outsourcing
The Russian Embassy in Washington, DC announced on April 2nd that they will begin visa outsourcing on Tuesday, April 10.  The visa outsourcing, similar to the outsourcing programs already used by India and Algeria, will impact only the DC embassy for now.  All other consulates will begin outsourcing later this spring.

The Embassy has provided very few details, but we anticipate that the only change that will be noticed by travelers is an increase in the consular fee to cover the outsourcing fees.  G3 will continue to provide all visa services as normal, including Concierge Level Service and official business and tourist invitations.  As more information becomes available, we will post it on our Facebook page and on the Breaking News section of our home page.

Country in Focus: Switzerland
by Timothy Bennett, Director of Corporate Relationships and Concierge Level Services

Lately, we have been getting lots of questions on the requirements for US citizens entering Switzerland.  Switzerland does not require a visa for US citizens for a stay of less than 90 days.  However,  it is important to note that the traveler can only stay in Switzerland for a total of 90 days within a 180 day period without a visa.   US citizens who intend to stay in Switzerland for more than three consecutive months will need authorization from the cantonal authorities and a visa from the responsible Swiss visa desk.

Citizens of many other nations, including China, India and Russia, must have a visa in order to enter Switzerland.  Switzerland joined the [Read more →]

NEW ONLINE APPLICATION FOR INDIA

by Mirissa R. Spears, Country Information Coordinator for India

The Government of India’s new online visa application is now in use at the Indian Consulates in Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco and Houston. We anticipate that the consulate in Chicago, the last one still using the older version of the application, will soon switch over to the new application as well.  The transition to the new visa application has proved to be relatively seamless, with only minor hiccups with the Indian Consulates throughout each jurisdiction.

Although the information requested on the new application remains largely the same, the printed application looks quite different from the old one. One critical change on the new application is that it now requires the applicant to provide two original signatures, one on the top of the first page and one at the bottom of the second page. The Indian Government has also introduced several new questions on the visa application, including questions on the applicant’s religion and educational background.  Applicants must also provide details of any previously issued Indian visas.  G3′s “Guide to the Online Indian Application,” included in all of our visa instruction PDFs, has been revised to provide clarification on the new questions.

G3′s Concierge Level Service Associates are here to answer any questions regarding the new India visa application and would be more than happy in assisting with the completion of the visa application. For more information, please contact CLS@g3visas.com.

United Kingdom Passport Processing Update
As of March 7, the U.K. Embassy in Washington, DC will no longer accept any passport applications that are delivered in person by the applicant or by a professional service like G3.  All applications must be submitted by mail.  As the Embassy in Washington processes all U.K. passport applications for residents of the United States and Bermuda, G3 will no longer be able to assist with U.K. passport requests. [Read more →]

New Year Brings New Changes for India

by Mirissa R. Spears, Country Information Coordinator for India

The Indian Government will be introducing a new visa application in the United States over the next several weeks. It has been confirmed that the old application will continue to be accepted for up to two weeks after the new visa application has been introduced in each location. One major change will include a revised online application that is currently being utilized worldwide in over 30 countries. We anticipate major delays in processing speeds across the board once all locations have been introduced to the new visa application.

The Government of India has opened a new Honorary Consulate to serve the Southeast.  The new Consulate is located in Atlanta, Georgia; Georgia is the 10^th largest exporter to India among US states.  In addition to Georgia, the office will serve states of Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee, as well as the US Virgin Islands and the US commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Consulate has a temporary location and is currently awaiting approval from its home government in New Delhi and the US State Department on a pending contract for its permanent space. It is expected that this Honorary Consulate will be upgraded to Consulate General status later this year, at which point it begin issuing visas.  We will continue to provide detailed information as it becomes available.

China Enforcing New Regulations

As of February 1, the Chinese government is enforcing strict new visa regulations.  Same-day visa service has been discontinued, though applicants may still appear in person in extremely urgent cases to request same-day processing.  G3 is still able to process visas in 24 hours.

The Chinese Embassy will also be enforcing consular jurisdiction, meaning that applicants must apply at the consulate that has jurisdiction over their state of residence.  With our nationwide network of offices, G3 is able to assist residents of every state to get their Chinese visas quickly and easily.  If you have any questions, or would like to request the appropriate visa instructions, please email China@g3visas.com.

Passport Cards Available Online
The U.S. State Department is currently running a test and allowing holders of valid passport books to apply online for passport cards.  Travelers can apply at U.S.Passport Cards, and the cards will be issued without having to submit the passport book.  The test period will run through mid-April.

Passport cards are valid for land or sea travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean only.  All international air travel requires a passport book.

[Read more →]

2011 in Review, and Looking Forward to 2012

By Summer Jenkins, Communications Director, G3 Visas & Passports

The world of visa processing is a world of constant change.  Embassies change their visa applications, their processing times, requirements and fees; not a week goes by without updates to our website and PDF visa instructions.  However, 2011 brought major changes to our top two countries, China and Russia, and even saw the creation of a brand-new diplomatic mission in Washington, Southern Sudan.

In February, China’s embassy in Washington released a new visa application, replacing the two-page application they’d used for years with a far more detailed application consisting of four pages with a two page supplement for select applicants.  Over the next few months, the other Chinese consulates in the US phased in the new application, and the New York consulate released its own version of the application.  Further requirement changes followed: first the consulates insisted that the application must be completed typed with no handwritten answers (G3 provides fillable PDF applications for the convenience of our clients), and then they instituted a rule that all questions must be answered, even if the answer is “n/a” or “none.”

Russia’s changes were even more extreme.  On July 1, the Russian government abruptly instituted a new online application, which must be [Read more →]

Russia Holiday Update

By Summer Jenkins, Communications Director, G3 Visas

With Christmas and New Year’s fast approaching, please be aware that Russia will close its consulates and the Foreign Ministry in Moscow for an extended period. We can expect the Russian Foreign Ministry to be closed as early as the 30th of December and possibly staying closed to the 16th of January, which is the first Monday after the celebration of Old New Year’s on the Julian calendar.  This means that there will no business invitations issued during this period. The embassy will most likely be closed for 7-10 business days as well, with a short week schedule in the second week of  January.

We recommend that any travelers planning a business trip to Russia in January or early February should contact G3 now to initiate visa processing, as business invitation processing will come to a virtual halt for about three weeks during the holiday.  For more information, please contact G3′s Country Information Coordinator for Russia, Jonathan Phillips, at Russia@g3visas.com.

Visa Updates
India: The updated visa application which was scheduled for release in early November is currently on hold. Our sources do not know when the new application will be released. As the new application is expected to be more difficult than the current one, we recommend that travelers planning trips to India get their applications in now, before the application changes. As all India visas are valid for at least six months after the date of issue, visas can be applied for well ahead of the departure date. [Read more →]

India and Russia Visa Changes

The governments of both India and Russia are planning changes to the visa regime for US citizens, though neither country has made official announcements with details of those changes.

The online visa application for India will change to a revised version on Monday, November 7.  There has been no official announcement of what the revisions will entail, but our contacts in the Indian Visa Offices say that the online visa application will no longer be editable after it has been completed.  Any changes would require completing a new application.  There are also reports that visa requirements may become stricter at all consulates, but again there have been no announcements as of yet as to which requirements may change.

Russia will be moving to an outsourcing system, similar to the one used by India, starting as soon as December 1.  Outsourcing is expected to be implemented first in Washington, DC, and will be phased in at other consulates in the US this winter.  It is reported that there may be different outsourcing companies in various cities, so we may begin to see more differences between visa processing at the consulates.  Changes to the fees and processing times are likely, but we do not anticipate that the online application will change. [Read more →]

China Visa Changes

by Fabiola Garcia, Country Information Coordinator for China

China has recently implemented changes to their visa application that impact all travelers, and have added requirements for certain types of visas and nationalities.

All Chinese Consulates now require the application to be typed using a computer, and all fields must be filled out. When the question is not applicable, the applicant must enter N/A. Applications with any blanks spaces will not be accepted by the Consulate. The only fields that may be handwritten are the signature and date on the last page of the application.  We have made the application “user friendly” by adding fillable fields for all questions and notes in the margins to provide some clarity to the questions and assist with answers,  if applicable. If you would prefer to have a G3 Associate type up your application for you, this service is included in our Concierge Level Service. (Additional service fees apply for Concierge Level Service requests.) [Read more →]

Visa Updates

China: All Chinese Consulates with the exception of the Embassy in Washington, DC now require French citizens to appear in person to apply for their visas.  G3 recommends that all French passport holders should send their Chinese visa applications to our Washington, DC headquarters for processing.

Afghanistan: Consular fees for Afghanistan visas have been increased; the Embassy now charges a minimum of $100 for single entry visas.

Armenia: A new visa application for Armenia has been released, and is available on visa instructions at www.g3visas.com.

Democratic Republic of Congo: The DRC Embassy in Washington, DC has announced that all nationalities of visa applicants, including US citizens, will need to have visa approval from the immigration authorities in Kinshasa.  This approval is requested only after applications are received by the Embassy, which will result in all visa processing times being extended by up to two weeks.

Iran: All consular fees for visas have been increased by $8 each.

Peru: The Consulate General of Peru in Miami now requires all applicants to appear in person to request their visas.  As all Peruvian consulates enforce jurisdiction, this change will impact applicants who reside in Florida, Mississippi, Puerto Rico and the West Indies. [Read more →]

Russia Online Visa Application Update

By Jonathan V. Phillips, Country Information Coordinator for Russia and CIS, G3 Washington DC

Russia’s new online application, located at http://evisa.kdmid.ru/, has now been in use for one month.  For the first few weeks,  the new online application system was plagued with errors, was painfully slow,  and was not accessible during US business hours. This situation caused major disruptions in daily visa processing. Today, 30 days later, the situation is much improved.  It appears the server in Russia has been upgraded to handle the traffic and currently, applications are being created with minimal delays.

Although functional, the online application is not intuitive, and it’s complexities can create issues for many applicants who are not sure, for good reason, how to respond to questions it is asking. Accuracy with answers to the application questions is important as the Russian Embassy goes over every question on the application with a high level of scrutiny when they are submitted.  The Embassy officials hold the information on the application to a rigorous standard; incorrect, incomplete answers will warrant a rejection until the data is amended to their dictates.  G3 does offer a detailed guide to the online application to assist travelers navigate the complexities of the application, but we still recommend the use of our Concierge Level Services for completion of the online Russia application. It is the most efficient way to ensure smooth processing of your Russian visa request.
Please contact Russia@g3visas.com with any questions or feedback, or email CLS@g3visas.com for Concierge Level Service processing.

Ramadan and Visa Processing
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan has begun today, August 1, and will last until the holiday of Eid al-Fitr on August 29 or 30.  (As Muslim holidays are calculated based on the observance of the moon, all holiday dates are approximate and are only confirmed immediately prior to the holiday.)  Ramadan is known as the month of fasting, during which observant Muslims do not eat or drink during daylight hours.

During the month of Ramadan, many embassies shorten their workdays, and slight delays in visa processing are possible.  Some embassies, such as Afghanistan, will close for a day in observance of the start of Ramadan, and there will be widespread embassy closures for Eid al-Fitr at the end of the month.

Please contact G3 if you have any concerns about how Ramadan may affect your visa processing.

Visa Updates

China: The Chinese Consulate in New York City has released their own version of the new four-page Chinese visa application.  All applications submitted to the New York Consulate must be made with the New York-specific application. [Read more →]