Back when I wrote a post about planning for the Trans-Siberian, I was a bit premature in my confidence about step number 6, “Secure Your Visa.” The post was written when Dan was on his way to Beijing to apply for our visas, and I blithely assumed that everything would be fine once he got there. I had called the embassy to confirm the rules, and I knew that all our paperwork was in order. We’d even taken new, non-smiling passport photos, per an oh-so-Russian rule in the fine print of the visa application instructions.
So when the phone rang a few hours after he’d gotten to Beijing, I hoped that he was going to tell me that everything had gone fine. But no — instead of taking our paperwork and sending him off with a smile, the Russian consular officer had refused to accept my documents because I wasn’t there in person. No amount of cajoling or insistence that I had been told specifically that this was allowed could get her to budge.
At that point, there were only two weeks left until we were supposed to leave for Mongolia. A national holiday took up three of those precious days, and I had to be back in Changsha to administer my students’ final exam a week later. Beijing and Changsha are around 16 hours apart by train, and who could even say if tickets would still be available?
There was one other option: same-day visa processing for the breath-taking price of $250. (For Americans, the normal five-day option costs $131.) We planned to have two days in Beijing before leaving for Mongolia, so if something went wrong with the train or with the visa application, I would have exactly one day to fix it. This was the option I chose.
During my final days in Changsha, I walked around with a heavy knot in my stomach. If I couldn’t get this visa, months of travel planning, and a wad of cash would have gone down the drain. Fortunately, nothing went wrong: the train arrived in Beijing on time, the embassy was open, and once I had recopied my application onto the proper size of stationary, my visa was issued.
But it was a valuable lesson, whether you’re dealing with the Russians in Beijing or any embassy anywhere: Double- and triple-check the visa rules, and don’t leave your visas till the last minute. It’s the only piece of travel planning that is totally nonnegotiable, and you have no control over it at all.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
an even more valuable lesson is learning to trust the flow .. heavy knot in the stomach? what a waste, and all from the mind
Have fun on the trans-seiberian! I took it a few times in early 90th, between Moscow and Beijing and other way, but never went through Mongolia. It is a long run, but with right company it can be fun. btw, I just went thorugh similar experince with visas to China. We are visting Urumuqi as one of our destiantions and folks at the Chinese embassy insisted that it is under the same jurisdication as Tibet. It took me couple vsits to make them happy and get Chinese tourist visas.
I ride the NYC subways. That’s enough travel excitement for me, thanks. :-}