VISA SERVICES CANADA: 2017

01 December 2017

Apply for China up to 90 days in advance

Effective immediately China now longer limits applications to the 60 day period prior to travel.

You can now apply for Chinese visas 90 days prior to entry of China. This will help a lot of people.

Click here for Chinese visa forms.

E-Visas to Brazil as of 19 January 2018

Starting on 18 January 2018, Canadian citizens will be able to apply for electronic visas (E-visa) to travel to Brazil for tourism and business purposes.

The E-visa will initially cover a new type of visa introduced by the Brazilian Federal Law n. 13.445/2017 — known as the new Migration Law —, which entered into force on 21 November 2017: the visitor visa. This new category applies to trips for purposes of tourism, business, transit, and artistic and sports activities.

Tourism purposes are considered to include visits to relatives; participation in conferences, seminars, workshops or meetings; volunteer services; and research, teaching and academic extension activities, provided that the visa holder does not carry out gainful activities in Brazil and does not stay longer than 90 days.

Business purposes, for their part, encompass the participation in business meetings and events and in trade fairs; journalistic coverage, filming and broadcasting; prospecting business opportunities; signing agreements; carrying out audits or consultancy; visits as aircraft or vessel crew member, provided that the visa holder does not carry out gainful activities and does not stay longer than 90 days.

The E-visa initiative will render applying for a Brazilian visa faster and more convenient. Canadian applicants will be able to submit their request by email and receive the visa by email.

During the initial stage of the initiative, the E-visa holder will need to present to the airline company either a printed copy or a digital image of the electronic visa. However, the systems in use by the Brazilian Federal Police are fully integrated to the E-visa, and there are plans to incorporate the latter into the e-Gates installed in Brazilian airports, which are currently operational only to Brazilian citizens.

The E-visa processing fee will be US$ 44.24 It will be valid for two years or until the expiration date of the passport, whichever comes first. Notwithstanding the onset of the E-visa, Canadian citizens traveling to Brazil for tourism and business purposes will continue to be able to apply to regular visas at Brazil’s posts abroad, should they so wish.

Click here for Brazil paper visas in use through January 2018.

Argentina Revokes Reciprocity Fee for 2018

Let the bells ring our and cheer the good news. as of new years 2018 (01 January 2018), the Argentine tourist reciprocity fee is officially abolished.

Canadian passport holders no longer have to pay a fee to enter Argentina.

The embassy of Argentina in Ottawa states:
"SUSPENSION OF THE RECIPROCITY FEE TO CITIZENS OF CANADA TRAVELLING TO ARGENTINA AS OF JANUARY 1, 2018. By Provision 6437-E / 2017 of November 23, 2017, the National Directorate of Migration of Argentina suspends as of January 1, 2018 the exigibility of the reciprocity fee for Canadians citizens travelling to Argentina."

The consulate general of Argentina in Toronto has this posted on their website:
"effective January 1st, 2018, the Reciprocity Fee (Tourism fee) is no longer required for Canadian passport holders travelling to Argentina."

The consulate general of Argentina in Montreal has this posted on their website:
"Canadian citizens do not require a visa but they must pay a tourism fee (also called reciprocity fee) if they travel to Argentina BEFORE JANUARY 1st 2018, for: - Tourism purposes (stay up to 3 months) (and) - Business purposes (stay up to 3 months)"

10 October 2017

China Promotes the 72 Hour Visa-Free TRANSIT of Beijing

At the China pavilion during the Beijing tourism day in Ottawa on Sunday 08 October 2017 the speakers highlighted the visa-free regime for TRANSIT of Beijing airport. This scheme allows Canadians (and 50 other nationals) to enter Beijing through the Capital airport, and stay for less than 72 hours, before boarding an international flight to leave China to go to a third country. It cannot be used to fly to another Chinese city, and it cannot be used to enter Beijing (or Shanghai) with a ticket which returns straight back to Canada. China cannot be the final destination- it must be a transit point to another country (not Canada).

China Hosts Event in Ottawa

The Embassy of China, and various Chinese government and private agencies, hosted a massive four day event in Ottawa as part of the Ottawa Welcomes the World year.

Here are some photos from the event!

the food was good!

One lucky couple won a free ticket to China!

Happy winners!

02 October 2017

Ottawa Welcomes the World

People in Ottawa who want to take advantage of the hospitality of many and various embassies should visit the OTTAWA WELCOMES THE WORLD events being held all this year.

Every few days another embassy hosts a large event, sometimes up to four days in length, at Lansdowne Park in the Glebe (Ottawa).

Staff are just back from enjoying the great hospitality and food provided by the Saudi Embassy, and are now looking forward to the Chinese Embassy event from 4-8 October 2017.

Click here to see all events at this great international festival.

Chinese Embassy Closed for National Day

The Embassy of China is currently closed for the Chinese national day, and will not re-open until Thursday 05 October 2017.

Click here for China visas.

China Photos - Very Strict Requirements

The Chinese Government has very very strict requirements for the photo to be used on the visa application form.

Both ears must be visible. No jewelery or earrings can be word. No nose rings allowed.

Click here for Chinese visas.

Indonesia Requires a Bank Statement

Any person seeking an Indonesian tourist or visit visa from the embassy in Ottawa must now prove they have sufficient funds.

This means an applicant must provide a letter from their bank, or a recent bank statement, proving you have at least $2000.

Click here for Indonesia visas.

Indonesia Multi-Entry Visa Must be Pre-Approved

The Embassy of Indonesia now requires all multi-entry visa seekers to be pre-approved.

Effective immediately all applicants seeking multi-entry visas must have a Letter of Authorization from the Directorate General of Immigration. To obtain the authorization letter, the applicant should request his/her sponsor in Indonesia to apply on his/her behalf.

Click here for Indonesia visas.

China Requires Previous Passport

Applicants MUST provide their previous (cancelled) passport in order to apply for a Chinese visa of any type. Applicants without a previous passport must now wait up to 30 days for a visa. This became fully effective as of 12 September 2017.

We are hoping that the very extreme rules will be relaxed after the 19 Party Congress held in late October in Beijing.

Click here for Chinese visa forms.

03 May 2017

Nigeria Drops Embassy Service Fees

The High Commission of Nigeria in Ottawa has officially announced that they have dropped all visa processing service fees formerly payable in Ottawa.

Now, only the application fees paid directly to the government of Nigeria remain. This means a significant lowering of the overall total fees being paid by applicants.

However, for the moment and until the new system is working properly, we will continue to list the old prices as a safety measure, but will charge the new lower ones. Once the system is proven we will publish the new confirmed rates.

There is one warning given about the new system. The high commission warns that any incorrect application will now be rejected and returned, and the applicant will be required to apply again from scratch and pay all over again. Be warned!

Click here for Nigerian visas.

28 April 2017

India Bumps Up Price to US$51.25

The government of India has increased the price of an e-Visa by a little bit from the old US$49.50 to the new US$51.25 fee applicable immediately.

Click here for the new and improved India e-Visa application.

05 April 2017

Nepal Visa-on-Arrival Prices

Nepal, a great hiking and mountain-climbing destination, with a great deal of local colour and culture, boasts a visa-on-arrival system to attract tourists.

These visas are usually issued at the airport in Nepal.

Canadian tourists can purchase a 15 day, 30 day, or 90 day tourist visa upon arrival at the airport in Nepal.

The on-arrival tourist visa fees are US$25 for 15 days; US$40 for 30 days; and US$100 for 90 days.

If you need an actual paper visa, which is fairly rare, we can assist you with that process.

Click here for the Nepal visa forms if you need a paper visa.

03 April 2017

India Expands E-VISA System

With the coming of spring, India has greatly expanded and refined their wonderful e-Visa system.

Effective immediately India now allows people to arrive in India at any of twenty-four (24) major airports and three (3) major seaports.

This means CRUISE PASSENGERS going to India may now be able to use e-Visas if their first port of arrival is Cochin Port, Goa Port or Mangalore Port.

The airport arrival scheme is now available at the following 24 airports:
Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bagdogra, Bengaluru, Calicut, Chennai, Chandigarh, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum, Varanasi

A great new feature is that applicants can send in their request as early as 120 days (4 months) prior to entering India.

Even better is the fact that the new e-Visa is valid for two (2) entries as of now, and that holders of the new version of the e-Visa can stay for a maximum of 60 days.

Canadians are also allowed to exit India from any authorized "Immigration Check Posts" (ICP) inside India. This expands your travel and flight and cruise options.

Click here for the new and improved India e-Visa application.

27 March 2017

Ottawa Int'l Travel Show 2017

Here are a selection of photos from the Ottawa International Travel Show held at the convention centre on 25-26 March 2017. Several embassies were present, as were national tourist offices.