Make sure you’re not getting ripped off on holiday visas and tourist cards.
Take a trip to Europe and it’s a case of producing your passport as you head across the border; but if you’re going further afield, you may need to apply for a visa or tourist card before you travel.
Your travel agent or tour operator may be able to arrange this for you but holidaymakers should watch out for inflated costs.
Thomson and First Choice are promoting a website that charges those travelling to Cuba over four times as much for a tourist card as getting one direct from the Cuban Embassay.
The Cuba tourist card rip-off
If you’re going to Cuba with a British Citizen passport, you’ll need a ‘tourist card’ to get in.
Until last November tour operators Thomson and First Choice, (part of the TUI group), included this in the package price, but since then passengers must pay for, and apply for one themselves.
Both the Thomson and First Choice websites give passengers two options to apply for the card.
“Customers can either obtain tourist cards directly from the Cuban Embassy, or they can be purchased online from the Travel Visa Company”.
However, applying for a tourist card at the Cuban Embassy costs £17 per person, (or £39 if applying by post), but if you use the Travel Visa Company that Thomson and First Choice recommend you’ll pay a whopping £74.
When asked about this, Thomson and First Choice say they regularly review what’s included in their holidays.
“For the majority of destinations we travel to, it’s the customer’s responsibility to apply for their own visa for countries which require one.
“In line with this we’ve recently changed what’s included in our holidays to Cuba and instead provide information on where customers can obtain advice on how to purchase a tourist card themselves and updated this information on our website”.
Thomas Cook and Kuoni also sell package holidays to Cuba, and in both cases, tourist cards are included in the package prices.
With Virgin Holidays, tourist cards aren’t included, but it says it can arrange these for an additional £15 per person.
Can holiday companies charge more for visas and tourist cards?
The short answer is yes. Book a trip through a travel agent or tour operator that’s a member of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), and under the its code of conduct, “you must be told about any visa or passport requirements” says a spokesperson.
However ABTA rules don’t cover “pricing issues” which means agents and operators aren’t bound by rules dictating they must only offer the cheapest option.
Several other companies, (not listed on the Thomson website), also offer Tourist Cards for Cuba at a cheaper rate than the Thomson affiliated deal.
These include Cuba Visas at £16, (per person), plus a £7 handling fee, or Visa Cuba at £26 (per person), for a standard five day service including postage.
Why pay more if you can get a visa yourself?
In some cases using specialist visa companies to arrange your visa or tourist card can save a day spent queuing at an Embassy, along with saving on travel costs, especially if you’ve got to make a trip to London to get a stamp in your passport or relevant documentation.
But with lots of countries like Australia and India offering online ‘e-visa’ options you could pay over the odds for something you could easily do yourself.
The Travel Visa Company flagged up on both the Thomson and First Choice websites provide a visa service for several big name travel companies including Thomson and Thomas Cook as well as for independent travellers.
“It will always be cheaper for customers to arrange a visa themselves”, says Head of Sales, Phil Ashwell, “But what the customer’s paying for is our knowledge, expertise and peace of mind as we manage the whole process”.
Before you book a trip it’s worth checking the Foreign and Commonwealth website for any visa requirements for the country you’re visiting.
This has a comprehensive ‘country by country’ guide with information on both visas and passport requirements along with links to the relevant Government websites for visa applications.
What other holiday visas should cost
Here’s a rundown of some popular long haul holiday destinations, where British Passport holders will need a visa or tourist card to get in and what you should be paying.
Australia
For holiday trips you can get a free ‘eVisitor’ visa online at the Australian Government Department of Immigration and Border Protection. This entitles you to stay for up to three months within a 12-month period.
But if you pay your travel agent or airline to arrange this; there’s a service fee of 20 Australian dollars; around £13.
Dominican Republic
All visitors will need a tourist card.
Apply online for one from the Dominican Republic Embassy which costs £11.50 plus postage or on arrival at the airport. Tourist cards are valid for 30 days.
India
You need to get a visa before you travel to India.
‘British Citizen’ passport holders who meet the eligibility criteria can apply for a ‘single entry e-Tourist Visa’ (e-TV) online. Costs $60; that’s around £40. www.indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html
USA
If you’re going on holiday or even just ‘passing through’ you’ll need to fill out an ‘ESTA’, (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation), in advance of your trip.
This tells you if you’re able to travel to the USA under its ‘Visa Waiver scheme and costs $14 per person (around £9) through the US Department of Homeland Security. With this you can stay for up to 90 days and it lasts for two years.
Turkey
You can apply online for an e-Visa before you go.
This costs $20 so around £13 or you can apply on arrival, (depending on your nationality), however if at this point your application is rejected you may have to return home.
Mexico
As a tourist you don’t need a visa, but you’ll need a Tourist Card which you can get on arrival by completing an immigration form at the border.
Dubai
You can get a free visitor visa on arrival which allows you to stay for 30 days.
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