The visa situation
1.10.15India is a great country. It has a lot to offer, in the tiny space it takes in this planet. The terrain is diverse, the cultures from one co...
1.10.15
India is a great country. It has a lot to offer, in the tiny space it takes in this planet. The terrain is diverse, the cultures from one corner is vastly different from another, there are all sorts of things that India has to offer. As an Indian, I can't help feel proud of this. However, there are some ugly aspects to being an Indian.
One of these that works against me is that very few countries are willing to accept me as a tourist without a visa in advance. Normally this isn't a problem. Plan the trip in advance, get the visas, fly into the destination, have a good time and fly out. This works very well when you have a day job and you are vacationing for a few weeks in a year. While on the road, this doesn't really work out without a set destination, a set itinerary etc.. There are very few countries that accept Indians with a visa on arrival. Very few. Let me quote the excellent wikipedia article on this topic. A picture says a thousand words, so it's easier to link to the image from there. The shades of green are where I am readily welcome.
As you can see, this isn't much to begin with, most of the green is just third word countries. the vast majority of the world is still off limits to me. Thankfully, I can start slicing the world into certain categories:
At this point, the only country left out in continental Northern America is Belize. A lovely place from what I read, but the entry into there from any South Asian country is a refundable deposit of ~$600. Which could potentially be waived if I show my visa to them. I'll have to make that decision when I cross that bridge. Or rather, when I enter El Salvador.
Summary: With the exception of Belize, I can enter all of North America.
I am charting out all the countries in South America. I don't think I'll get to all of them. I probably might put the Guiana triplets on the chopping block - the visa requirements are tricky (I need a sponsor in the country to let me in?), most of it is jungle, with confusion about entry and exit points. Uruguay is also too far out.The America part of the trip ends in Patagonia. From one tip of America, next to the Arctic Ocean (Deadhorse AK) to the end of the world, at the other side. From there, I ship the bike to South Africa - that is the easiest way out, and lands me right into another beautiful continent.
One of these that works against me is that very few countries are willing to accept me as a tourist without a visa in advance. Normally this isn't a problem. Plan the trip in advance, get the visas, fly into the destination, have a good time and fly out. This works very well when you have a day job and you are vacationing for a few weeks in a year. While on the road, this doesn't really work out without a set destination, a set itinerary etc.. There are very few countries that accept Indians with a visa on arrival. Very few. Let me quote the excellent wikipedia article on this topic. A picture says a thousand words, so it's easier to link to the image from there. The shades of green are where I am readily welcome.
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| "Visa requirements for Indian citizens" by Twofortnights - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons. |
As you can see, this isn't much to begin with, most of the green is just third word countries. the vast majority of the world is still off limits to me. Thankfully, I can start slicing the world into certain categories:
North America
| Country | Visa Status | Duration | Moto Carnet |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | Already have a B1/H1 | Not a problem | Bike registered in US |
| Canada | Already have a visitor visa | 6 months? | US registration and insurance OK |
| Mexico | On arrival with US/Canada Visa | 60 days | 60 days, refundable $400 deposit |
| Guatemala | On arrival with US/Canada Visa | 90 days | ~ $9 |
| Belize | Probable with US/Canada Visa* | TDB | <$20 |
| Honduras | On arrival with US/Canada Visa | 90 days | ~ $60 |
| El Salvador | On arrival (no conditions) | 90 days | $3 extra |
| Nicaragua | On arrival with US/Canada Visa | 90 days | ~ $30 |
| Costa Rica | On arrival with US/Canada Visa | 30 days | ~$40 with insurance |
| Panama | On arrival with US/Canada Visa | 90 days | ~$20 with insurance |
At this point, the only country left out in continental Northern America is Belize. A lovely place from what I read, but the entry into there from any South Asian country is a refundable deposit of ~$600. Which could potentially be waived if I show my visa to them. I'll have to make that decision when I cross that bridge. Or rather, when I enter El Salvador.
Summary: With the exception of Belize, I can enter all of North America.
 |
| Green = Visa/Visa on Arrival. Blue = Visa on Arrival, but not in my itinerary. Red = visa needed prior to entry |
South America
Most of South America is lax when it comes to visa requirements. The continent is largely corruption free and paper work is minimal. My entry point into South America is Columbia, so let's start from there.| Country | Visa Status | Duration | Moto Carnet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | On Arrival with US Visa | 90 days | ~$50 |
| Venezuela | Visa needed, Feb 2015 | 90 days | Free |
| Guyana | No road from Venezuela Needs sponsor? | 30 days | TBD |
| Suriname | Visa: $45 | 60 days | 30 days, no fees |
| French Guiana | Visa free | 90 days | €5 |
| Brazil | Visa needed | 90 days | 90 days CdP? Brazil uses E30 fuel! |
| Peru | Visa needed | 6 months | 90 days, no CdP (free) |
| Equador | Visa free | 90 days | 90 days, no CdP (free) |
| Bolivia | Visa on arrival | 90 days | 90 days, no CdP (free) |
| Paraguay | Visa needed | 90 days | 90 days. CdP nice to have |
| Chile | Visa needed | 90 days | 90 days, no CDP $5 |
| Argentina | Visa needed | 90 days | 8 months CdP nice to have |
| Uruguay | Visa needed | 1 year? | 90 days, no CdP |
I am charting out all the countries in South America. I don't think I'll get to all of them. I probably might put the Guiana triplets on the chopping block - the visa requirements are tricky (I need a sponsor in the country to let me in?), most of it is jungle, with confusion about entry and exit points. Uruguay is also too far out.The America part of the trip ends in Patagonia. From one tip of America, next to the Arctic Ocean (Deadhorse AK) to the end of the world, at the other side. From there, I ship the bike to South Africa - that is the easiest way out, and lands me right into another beautiful continent.
 | ||
| My Visa Status. Green = Visa on arrival. Yellow = Visa needed prior to entry. Red = impossible to get visa |
Africa
My entry point into Africa will most probably be South Africa, from Argentina. I am going to start this section as a placeholder, but it will most likely be incomplete until a year into my trip.| Country | Visa Status | Duration | Moto Carnet |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | Needs Visa, apply from Argentina | 90 days | no extra charge |
Europe
Most of Europe is covered by a Schengen visa. If I reach there, it is one single visa for three months. I can't plan this ahead right now, I'll get to it when I get to it. This is too far ahead in my trip to contemplate at the moment. If this happens, my crossing into europe will either be through Turkey from Egypt, or Spain from Morocco.Asia
This is too big a continent to even start listing. I will be traversing at least the pat that lies in between India and Africa. In my list is parts of Middle East, and the *Stans. Maybe Siberia. I want to really add China, Japan and South East Asia to that list, but I just don't see it happening.Australia
I totally want to tour Australia and New Zealand, but I have a suspicion that this will be a fly in and a rental motorcycle out there. I need visas for both these countries, but the big plus is that the process is very streamlined.Related Reading:
- http://www.drivetheamericas.com/
- http://wikioverland.org/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Indian_citizens
