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Sometimes people ask me whether they need a visa to leave an airport during a layover, or what it costs to enter a country, or some other question related to their ability to enter a country with a certain passport.
I hesitate to answer those questions because I would sure hate to be wrong. Even if I have first-hand knowledge, something could have changed.
So I send them to the country-specific info at travel.state.gov, the US Department of State’s very helpful site.
On the left hand side, select the country you are visiting from the drop down menu.
At the top of the country’s page will be links to specific information about the country. Here is the top of Chile’s page.
To get up-to-date warnings from the local embassy, check the Recent Embassy Notices for American Citizens. Here are the ones from Chile:
As you can see, they might be a little useful, but they also illustrate that the US government is like your mom on your first trip: scared to death of every little danger.
Scrolling down the main page, you come to the Country Description. Here is Tanzania’s:
This is always a nice overview of the country, but no substitute for guidebooks or wikipedia on the subject.
Below that is the location of the US Embassy in the country and its other contact information. This is crucial information to have handy. Here is that information for North Korea.
The next section is where I pay the closest attention: the entry/exit requirements. Here you’ll find out whether you need to pay to enter the country, whether you need a visa in advance, and any other peculiarities. Here is the information for Argentina.
The rest of the page has interesting information about criminal laws, transportation safety, and other local issues. It’s all worth a read.
Recap
I make sure to read the travel.state.gov country-specific information for every country I am visiting to get the US government’s perspective in addition to relevant entry requirements.
Does anyone else have any other resources they recommend for this stage of trip planning?
After Benghazi, why would they have any reason to be “scared?”
After Benghazi, why would they have any reason to be “scared?”
This is always the first place I check before booking a trip to a country I am unfamiliar with…I wonder does anyone register for STEP? I have always let it go (lots of Western European Travel), but wonder if it isn’t a good idea. Thoughts?
I never have. It probably is a “good idea.”
A TIMATIC source is also a smart play. Delta and United both offer interfaces to the data. That’s what the airlines and immigration authorities use to verify documentation and health requirements.
I always look at state.gov before booking a ticket but I also normally use visacentral.com as a quick & east reference point
Ha ha, I agree with the part about the State Dept. being like your mom. It’s a good resource to read about the absolute worst-case scenarios you can encounter in a country. I like to read about local scams so I can avoid them.
Following up on visas, I like using ProjectVisa.com for looking up visa requirements fast. Best bet is to visit the website for that country’s embassy or consulate in your country. That way, the information is localized for you (e.g. U.S. citizens, U.K. citizens, etc.). So if I wanted to go to China, I’d check the China embassy website in Washington, D.C. for the most up-to-date and accurate information.