Me and my mate want to tour round SA next summer. The
problem is, or may be, that he is from Bulgaria and seems to
have trouble getting visa's & work permits. Does anyone know
if SA is particularily strict if you are from Eastern Europe
and which countries, if any, don't need visa's
Cheers
Ben
x
[There are 3 posts - the latest was added on Wed 19 May, 23:52]
Use the form at the end of this page to add your own post.
Topics
| Thorn Tree
| Home
Hi there,
I have a Turkish passport (not exactly eastern european, but
pretty much treated the same by sa countries), and travelled
around a bit in sa and ca, a few of those trips accompanied
by a russian friend. ecuador & peru should be no problem:
they require visas, but are issued without much hassle.
bolivia can be a nightmare. your friend should probably
apply a few months in advance or so, since most east
european passport holders need to be approved by the foreign
ministry in la paz, and this takes time. again, for bolivia
i would recommend (for your bulgarian friend) to ask for a
visa, even if the consulate tells him he doesn't need one.
the consulates don't know the regulations too well; i was
told in nyc that i don't need a visa, and was
almost deported, if not for some last minute negotiation
and a 40$ 'fine'.
as far as i know, colombia is one country that doesn't
require visas from e.european countries, but i haven't been
there, so i'm not sure about that.
in case you're planning on heading to ca as well, honduras
will be a big problem for any east european passport, but
the others are fairly easy to get.
also, does your friend live in bulgaria or a western
country? it's much easier to get an sa visa if you already
live in the west.
hope this helps.
cheers,
david
I am Bulgarian citizen living in the USA. Above post has it
pretty much right. Bulgarians do not need visas for Ecuador,
I got 30 days on teh border. Peru and Brazil give visas
readily at the embassies. Bolivia, however, is a pain in the
ass, haven't even tried to get a visa. They need special
permission form La Paz which takes months. I have had no
problems with embassies in the US. However, embassies in
Bulgria might be different. In the worst case he can get to
Quito and hunt for visas there. Good luck and let me know if
my compatriot needs s
David and Kris - thanks very much for your help. You have
probably saved us about a month of phoning embassies and
probably not getting anywhere.
The above is very much appreciated.
Ben