VISAS!!!!!!! - 28 Days Until Departure

Ok, so it's the month of May and everything has changed.  I can now say...I leave THIS month for Ghana!!!  The nerves have kicked in, but I know it will be a great time once I am there.  This month is all about breathing, getting through the stressful stuff, and remembering to have some fun!

Let's talk visas!  Visa applications tend to be really simple, but have very important details that you must follow or you will find yourself getting denied or held up.

***Make sure you take the instructions straight from the consulate you plan to be working with.

***Consider printing them out so you can make notes, check things off, and go through the list multiple times before sealing your package to mail.

***You will have to mail your original passport, so it's important you feel comfortable you have met all their requirements or your golden passport could get held up in consulate space!

For most visas they start on the day they are issued.  This means you want to mail it late enough so it will last as long as possible on your trip, but not so late that you don't have time to get it back from them or deal with unexpected hiccups.  This is a fine line to dance.  If you are nervous about this...I'm with you!  There is something unnatural feeling about mailing your passport away less than a month before your flight to a foreign land.

My best advice to you is...

1. Make sure your application is complete and that you've followed all of their express instructions
2. If you feel more comfortable there are visa expediting companies - they charge you to handle your visa on top of the consulate's fee, and I think they just add a middle man which in my opinion is always scarier than doing it myself, but it depends on your personality.
3. Don't be afraid to follow up and call if something doesn't feel right with the consulate

Common items you may need for your visa (check with your consulate and use their list first!):

1. Your passport and it usually can't expire less than six months from your visa application
2. A copy of your shot record showing any required vaccinations.  
3. A copy of your bio data page of your passport
4. Passport photo for the application
5. Payment in cashier's check or money order - most don't take cash or personal check
6. A copy of your flight itinerary showing a return flight out of the country of destination 
7. A letter of invitation and ID from someone in the country you are visiting
8. You application, sometimes done in capital letters, and sometimes in duplicate