Travel

Here’s what I’ve learned about travel to China and India. We’re making good progress on getting the letters of invitation, after which I begin FedExing my passport around.

Both countries require that you obtain a visa before your trip. There are no facilities at the points of entry for granting visas, and travelers arriving without one will be deported at their own expense. In each case, I need a “Business Visa,” which permits me to do business with a “sponsoring organization” in the country.

India:

One can obtain a visa to visit India either by visiting the embassy (Washington DC) or a consulate (New York) or by mail. If you show up in person, you can get your papers back the same day. If you mail it in, you should expect processing to take 2-3 days, plus whatever time your passport spends in the mail.

Required:
– Filled out form (available as PDF)
– 2 passport photos
– original passport
– fee, no personal checks. Cash or money orders only. No large bills. For a six month Business visa, the fee is $60. For a ten year business visa, the fee is $150.
– A letter from the sponsoring organization indicating the nature of the business and the duration of stay.

China:

One must go to the correct consulate. In our case, New York. Documents will be ready on the fourth working day. For $30 extra, they offer same day pickup. Applications are not processed by mail. You are instructed to “entrust your documents to a representative” if unable to come to the consulate in person.

Required:
– Filled out form (available as PDF)
– 1 passport photo
– original passport
– fee, no personal checks, no credit cards. Double entry is $75. 6 month $100. 24 months $150.

Oh yeah: Any person suffering from mental disorder, leprosy, AIDS, venereal diseases, contagious tuberculosis or other such infectious diseases shall not be permitted to enter China.

Singapore requires only a US passport. Singapore is therefore equivalent to Canada.