How Long Does It Take To Get Travel Visa?

It can take a considerable amount of time to get a visa when planning to travel to another country. Travel visa processing duration varies from 1 day depending on the citizenship and the country of destination to several months. This is a brief on the visa processing time and some of the measures that one can take to fast track his visa application.

Factors that affect Visa processing periods

There are several key factors that determine how long it takes to get a travel visa

• Your nationality – People from some countries have better chances of getting the visas quickly or they don’t even need the visas to travel to specific countries. For instance, the citizens of the United States can get the visa on arrival more quickly compared to the citizens of the developing countries.
• Tourist visa - The tourist visa is easier to secure than the working visa or study visa since the latter requires more paperwork and assessment.
• Country you are visiting – Some of the embassies or consulate offices take time to process visa than others due to their workload and efficiency. This means that because it takes less time to be granted a visa for Europe, it may take longer for you to be granted a visa for India or China.
• Method of application - Applying for a visa in person at an embassy is faster than mailing your passport and documents. At times, going through a visa agency helps make the process faster.
• Processing times – All the embassies reveal the amount of time it takes to process the visas but there might be some holdups. The time it takes to process an application may vary from 1-3 days for the fast track and emergency visas and up to 15-30 days for the tourist and business visas and up to 2-3 months for the slow track students and work visas.

Typical Visa Processing Times

Here are the average processing times once an embassy or consulate receives your complete visa application

Tourist visas: 7-15 days
Business visas: 1-3 weeks
Student visas: 4-8 weeks
Work visas: 6-12 weeks

Therefore, the period of time which it will take to get your visa includes shipping of documents as well as time to return your passport. Opting for express or courier delivery can normally save a few days at the start or end of the transit period.

Visa Appointment Wait Times

In some countries, before one can fully apply, one has to schedule an appointment through the nearest embassy or visa application center. Security measures in countries such as China, India or any African nation imply that the appointment for an interview may take weeks or even months to be scheduled for the visa acquiring process.

Visit the official embassy websites for information on visa appointment and it is recommended to schedule a visa appointment as early as possible depending on the intended travel dates. Waiting too long may result in there being no appointments to book or remaining stuck in queues at the DEA despite paying the expedited fees.

This link provides information on how to get your visa faster:

If you have flexibility in your travel plans and need a visa quickly, consider these tips

• As for the visa, it is recommended to apply for it at least a month before your departure, but it is better to start the process at least two months prior to the trip. This cushions any possible time loss.
• There is a visa facilitation service which has direct contacts with the consular offices and submits applications on your behalf increasing the pace of the formalities.
• If the country where the company is located permits charges for faster processing, then the extra fees should be paid. This means your application can get ahead on the line.
• Do not apply during summer holidays and end of the year since the workload of the visa section increases significantly.
• Regarding any visa on arrival opportunities, it is crucial to determine whether your nationality allows it when entering the airport.
• Carry with you an itinerary of your travel including the flight bookings and the amount of money you have on you.
• Use when you are still in your home country rather than sending your passport through mail when you are in another country this will take time.

However, it is not advisable to rely on the rush-issued visa, but if you wish to increase your chances then the earlier you start with the process the better. Understanding visa policies of the country you intend to visit assists in setting the right expectations on how long it takes. If faced with delays, remain dogged but do not get impatient — It is important to revisit the need-meeting requirements, not to shy away from asking questions, and to explore all other ways of expediting the approval.

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