Visas & Immigration is a popular topic at the Australian Frequent Flyer. When travelling overseas, you certainly need to have a good understanding of immigration procedures, including getting the required visas to the countries you are planning on visiting.
Flights to New Zealand will become $22 more expensive after the New Zealand government announced a new tax on arriving and departing passengers. The “border clearance levy” has been spruiked by the New Zealand government as a way to cover the cost of customs and border protection. Our members are not particularly thrilled about this. … Continued
The UK is infamous for its high departure tax imposed on departing airline passengers. Under the Air Passenger Duty, passengers are currently slugged up to $280 on top of their airfare! But there is some good news for flyers. From the first of May, children are now exempt from this tax if flying in economy. … Continued
Despite an announcement last year that Australians travelling to Indonesia would no longer need a visa, it seems Indonesia has backflipped on its decision. Australians will still be required to obtain a visa-on-arrival after all. It was originally thought that Australians would be exempt from the requirement from January this year, but the commencement date … Continued
Smartgates have been a welcome introduction to the immigration process for international travellers since their introduction about a decade ago. The machines make the process of arriving and departing into the country quicker and more convenient. But passengers travelling with children under sixteen have been unable to use the gates… until now. The signs at … Continued
Since the US embargo on Cuba began in the 1960s, the small nation has been inaccessible – at least directly – from the United States. Even though the Cuban capital Havana is just an hour’s flight from Miami, anyone wanting to travel between the USA and Cuba currently needs to get to an intermediate country … Continued
Australian passport holders are reportedly one of the luckiest in the world. For many countries, the only preparation required is presenting your passport on arrival for an instant visa. There are however, always exceptions. One of the more popular destinations for Australian travellers, is Indonesia. At present this requires the purchase of a USD$35 Visa … Continued
For some time now, Australia and New Zealand authorities have not stamped the passports of residents when they travel overseas. If you are a frequent traveller, a passport can soon start to fill with all those stamps. Often that means an expensive replacement well before the expiry of the original passport. While the move does … Continued
Most of our members hold Australian passports, one of the more widely accepted visa free passports in the world. But not all countries are happy to grant an instant visa on arrival. Some prefer you to give advance notice, or apply for one outside the country. Vietnam, like many of its neighbours, is one such … Continued
This week, one of our members asks a question about a situation no one would want to find themselves in Last week I received a panicked call from a friend of a friend (person A) who had just landed at BKK for the start of a 2 week TH holiday. Somewhere between boarding their flight … Continued
This week we look at one of our members venturing off the beaten track to take in the sights of Batam. If you have never heard of Batam, you will find it’s an island just 20km south of Singapore and forms part of Indonesia. While it may be the same size as Singapore, that’s where … Continued
Saffron may be expensive at $20 a gram – but Australian Passports are not far off in the value stakes, so it makes sense to extract as much value as you can out of one before renewal. Most frequent travellers would be well aware of the 6 month validity before expiry requirement many countries have, … Continued
