Posts Tagged ‘Syrian visa’

Traveling on a Budget? Lonely Planet Says, “Get a Syrian Visa”

Sunday, November 14th, 2010

With the economy (still) in a funk, more and more travelers are looking for places where their dollars can stretch further. In that spirit, Lonely Planet just released a guide for budget travelers with recommendations for cheap places to go. Syria was on the top 10 list, so if you’re thinking about visiting the Middle East on the cheap, you may want to consider applying for a Syrian visa.

The Lonely Planet notes that street food in Syria is what street food should be: cheap and tasty. Transportation is also cheap: it’s quite possible to get from Aleppo on one side of the country to Damascus on the other for less than $5.00, and you can live quite well for $50 a day.

Digging a little deeper, Wandering Earl from Wanderingearl.com has found that it’s quite possible to travel in Syria for as little as 25 dollars a day if you’re thrifty, provided that you don’t mind sleeping on rooftops and hitching a ride on local buses (not as bad as it sounds, they even have movies!)

To visit Syria, you need to apply for a Syrian visa before leaving the US. To do so, you will need the following documents:

  • A valid US passport
  • 2 completed Syrian visa application forms
  • 2 recent passport photos
  • A copy of your airline tickets and your itinerary

Also, be aware that Syria will not admit foreign visitors who have traveled to Israel in the past. If your passport has an Israeli visa stamp or an Israeli entry/exit stamp you will be denied entry. The US Department of State also notes that “the absence of entry stamps from a country adjacent to Israel, which the traveler has just visited, will cause Syrian immigration officials to refuse admittance.” So, some passport jujitsu, like getting a second passport, may be necessary if you want to visit both countries.

RushMyTravelVisa can walk you through the Syrian visa application process, assisting you with the paperwork and expediting your application with the Syrian embassy.

Apply for your Syrian visa today!

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Travel Visa Requirements To Follow in the Footsteps of Alexander the Great

Friday, May 21st, 2010

From 336 to 323 BC, the Macedonian army, led by Alexander the Great, blazed through the Middle East as Alexander strove to conquer Darius, the king of Persia.  Although Alexander’s reign was short, his impact on history was tremendous. Now, reporter Theodore May is retracing the path the army took, on foot.

Currently in Lebanon, he is blogging about his journey here.  For real-time updates, you can also check out his Twitter feed here.

Of course, travel visas weren’t really an issue back when Alexander the Great traveled this route. Even if they had been, I seriously doubt he would have cared. You, however, are not Alexander the Great, and you don’t have the entire Macedonian army at your back. If you want to undertake a similar journey, researching travel visa requirements is an important first step.  Here’s a breakdown of the visa requirements for each country:

Turkey- Visas are required, but as long as you’re traveling as a tourist, they are easy to get and can be obtained for $20 on arrival.

Syria-You do need a travel visa to enter, and make sure you apply in advance. Also, you will not be allowed to enter if your passport shows entry/exit stamps from Israel.  For more information, see Syrian Visa Requirements for Tourists.

Lebanon-You do need a visa, but if you are an American citizen you can get a tourist visa at the airport.  Entry/exit stamps from Israel will get you into trouble here, too.

Iraq-You need a visa, and you need to apply in advance. Although you can get in via the Kurdistan Region without one, you won’t be able to travel anywhere else in Iraq unless you get an Iraqi visa prior to your trip.

Israel- You need a passport valid for at least 6 months, proof that you can support yourself financially in Israel and an onward ticket, but you should be able to get a visa on arrival.  Please note that the Israeli authorities may question you extensively and will do a background check, and if they see anything they don’t like, they don’t have to let you in.

Egypt- You need a passport and a visa. If you are flying in, you can get a visa on arrival at the airport or get one ahead of time. If you are entering via land, apply for your visa in advance For more information, see Egyptian Visa Requirements for Tourists.

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Getting a Syrian Visa to Visit Damascus

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

The world’s oldest continuously inhabited city, the Syrian city of Damascus has been inhabited since at least the 2nd millennium BC.  By the time of the Roman empire, it had become an important center of trade for the ancient world, a crossroads that brought together goods from Southern Arabia, Palmyra, Petra, and China’s Silk Road.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Rashidun Caliphate took Damascus from the Byzantines. The city remained one of the most important cities in the Arab world until it was eclipsed by Baghdad, which became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate in 750 AD.

Damascus gained importance as a center of trade and commerce again starting in the 11th century, when it was ruled by the Seljuk Turks. The city passed through the hands of many different rulers, and finally became the capital of Syria when Syria gained independence in 1946.

Today, Damascus is a modern and thriving city that still retains a wealth of rich history to explore, including ancient walls, churches and mosques.

To visit Damascus, you will need to apply for a Syrian visa. You cannor apply for a Syrian visa at the border-you must apply in advance, before you leave the US.

Here’s what you will need to apply for a visa to Syria:

  • Your US passport
  • 2 completed Syrian visa application forms
  • 2 recent passport photos
  • A copy of your airline tickets and your itinerary.

RushMyTravelVisa can help you research your trip and the required travel documents. Then, we can help you with the paperwork you’ll need to obtain visa, providing an easy to understand checklist that makes it easy to complete the application and gather the required documents.

When you have filled out the application, we forward it to the appropriate embassy or consulate for the fastest possible processing.

Get your Syrian visa the easy way-let RushMyTravelVisa.com help!

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