Most expensive visa for Indian passport holders

Holding Indian passport is probably one of the worst business credentials as this literally stops one from going to places on business without paying :)

Anyway, I am aware of many folks who are proud of the blue passport (one of them) and we have been struggling for years and this is a summary of my experiences. I could be wrong and happy to correct as the fees are pretty dynamic and with India changing the visa fee yesterday, the reciprocal actions could warrant a very quick update of this post.

So here it goes.

Some notes: I took the price and converted to USD; and the cost is per year to have a good comparison. 

Country	VISA Charges (in USD)	Notes
Australia	102.34
China	136.85
Indonesia	169.26	VOA $35/ visit
Japan	7.20
Korea	95.07
Malaysia	23.04
New Zealand	30.25
Netherlands	67.70	Single entry typically
Philippines	139.73
Qatar	54.37
Russia	75.62
Singapore	21.69
Sri Lanka	360	$30/Month
Sweden	105	Single entry typically
Switzerland	69.86	Single entry typically
Thailand	151.25
Turkey	528	$44/mo
UAE	331.32
UK	222.25
USA	16	$160 / 10 years
Vietnam	246	$82 /3 months

Corruption becoming Public - Thailand Visa On Arrival at Bangkok

If you are one of those nationals who are visiting Thailand and hoping to get Visa On Arrival, yes you can do that. But at the queue itself you'll get a shock of your life. Perhaps this is the only place where I saw people asking for extra money so publicly and daringly it's a shame for the people.

There are two queues at the V.O.A desk. One if normal and the other is Priority. So Priority is supposed to be for physically challenged, old age folks and families with young kids.

For both queues the VISA Charges are "1000" THB only. But the moment you enter the priority queue, the lady at the counter would immedietly asks you to pay for 1200. If you refuse, the answer is very blunt. Go and queue at the normal line.

What exactly the Government of Thai doing here? I am not talking about some road side desks or remote public offices. This is the largest airport in the country where millions of people transit every day. What exactly is the motive behind simply ignoring this?

No idea, but my impression on BKK dropped by few points. 

Philippines allows visa-free entry for Indians from Singapore, USA, UK, EU, AU, Canada, Japan

Source: Philstar

A decision in the right direction. Perhaps one of the best decision by Philippines government and this improves the business travel tremendously and reduce the problems faced by tourists/businessman from these countries.

Today it takes approx 5 business days to get a entry VISA from Philippines consulate in Singapore and two trips (you must go yourself and no agents) which is a waste of time and resources. For multiple entry it may take 20+ days and again three trips to the consulate.

A simple decision will remove all these limitations. If Phil government feels that it might lose $ from visa issuance, they can charge a flat fee (say $250) similar to multiple entry visa/year.

Wish to see more nations following suite. If money is the issue I'm sure people are willing to pay for it.


Update: Comments from Immigration Philippines

Also managed to capture a photo of the circular (not very clear though, but the content is same as above)

US VISA requirements in Singapore

If you happen to apply for US VISA, then you know how painful it is. Except few nations most of the people need VISA to enter and the requirements can be daunting.

The process is outlined clearly here: http://singapore.usembassy.gov/niv-apply-step1.html . However I've some tips,

1. DS 160. Note lots of information required like your parents date of birth, passport no, spouse, children details, your education institute details (address etc). Make sure you save or try to finish it fast. I've to do it almost three times before I can complete it.

2. You can only pay the VISA Fee through Standard Chartered Cashier Order. So you've to make a trip to Stan Chart. Make sure you check the amount before your trip to the bank and bring sufficient cash :)

3. Appt will be atleast two weeks away. So if there is urgency, call the embassy. The guys give priority for specific tasks. For business travel, you should share a document clearly mentioning what is the loss if you don't make a trip :)

4. Interview & the rest just as mentioned in the website..

4.

For the rest,the requirements are pretty simple but I found the photo requirements are a bit tough. It seems some sort of advanced, sophisticated stuff to me. Anyway here goes the link for the list of  so called 'endorsed' list

http://singapore.usembassy.gov/acs_photo_studios.html

The list contains only few of them and note, that these are not the typical "instant" shops. You need to give them 3-4 working days for the 'touch-up's. ;)

Also, most of the Kodak stores offer the 5x5 size which is relatively cheap (6 for $12) and you can avoid the travel.