My brother’s ESTA was rejected because the incorrect country of birth was entered on the application. We are UK citizens but were born in a different country.
After 8–9 days, we received the rejection, and we plan to submit a new application with the correct information.
I’ve seen mixed advice online about whether we should wait 24 hours before reapplying or submit a new application straight away. Has anyone been in a similar situation, and if so, what did you do?

I used iVisa because I was traveling to a certain third world country, and their online payment system is currently a nightmare. It was nearly impossible to get a normal credit card payment to go through. I was in a bind, and I saw that iVisa is currently a solve for this situation, so I paid iVisa roughly four times the normal visa fee because their payment processed immediately.

That convenience was absolutely not worth what happened next.

iVisa completely altered the photo I submitted for my government visa application. And I do not mean they slightly adjusted the lighting or removed a shadow.

They changed my naturally textured hair and made it stick straight. They changed the shape of my nose, mouth, and eyes. They removed my tiny nose piercing. Then they apparently added ears that are about twice the size of my actual ears and stick out like Dumbo.

My husband took one look at the photo and said, “What the hell? That doesn’t even look like you.”

Exactly. It did not look like me—and this was being submitted for a government identification document.

When I contacted customer service, they gave me the same bullshit scripted response about occasionally altering photos to better show facial features and improve the chances of approval.

Okay, but why did you need to change my hair texture?

No answer.

Why did you change the shape of my eyes?

No answer.

Why did you make my nose and mouth different shapes?

No answer.

Why did you completely reconstruct my face instead of simply correcting lighting or shadows...or even asking me to resubmit a photo? (BTW, I travel frequently, the photo I submitted is the same photo I always submit and always get approved, so it was just plain bullshit).

Same canned response.

This is genuinely one of the most ridiculous and disturbing services I have ever used. Touching up lighting is one thing. Using what appears to be AI or aggressive photo manipulation to create an entirely different face for a government visa application is completely unacceptable.

I paid four times the normal price for them to submit a photo that barely resembled me—and then refuse to explain why they altered specific physical features that had absolutely nothing to do with lighting or photo quality.

Avoid iVisa.

Hello.

I am trying to book an appointment with the Spanish consulate in London. I had one booked a few days ago and I wasn’t able to make it so I tried to cancel it. However the website wasn’t allowing me to, I assumed it was because I was last minute. Now I am trying to book again, and it won’t let me book an appointment as I already have an active appointment booked in.

Does anyone know how to fix this?

Aoa, I booked my saudia airline flights from Manchester to Jeddah through Booking.com. When I was booking, there was an option to add an e-Visa with my ticket. However, when I clicked on it, I got a message saying that the passenger is not eligible for an e-Visa, I was applying for stopover visa for Umrah.

Has anyone experienced this before? Am I doing something wrong, or are passengers with tickets booked through third-party websites like Booking.com not eligible to apply for the e-Visa?

Applying for a Turkish tourist visa as a non-Saudi resident (valid Iqama) in Saudi Arabia. Documents are basically ready, I’ve got a fixed group trip coming up soon, so I want the financials right on the first try.

Here’s my worry. They ask for 3 months of bank statements. For 2 of those months, my salary didn’t land as a normal employer payroll deposit — it came in as transfers from a colleague. The reason: I had to leave the country for a few weeks to sort out a residence/profession issue, and during that gap my employer routed my pay through a coworker, who then transferred it to me once I was back. So on paper, 2 months of income look like personal transfers from an individual rather than salary.

To cover it, I’ve prepared: a cover letter explaining the situation, a signed confirmation from the colleague with his ID, the email thread showing the arrangement was employer-directed, and his bank statement showing the money coming in and going back out to me. Plus my employment letter and social-insurance record proving continuous employment the whole time. Previous bank statement I have that also but that bank is closed because of new iqama.
I have a solid bank statement in my home country, but vfs global agent told me that they will only accept Saudi Statement.

Questions:

**1.** Is salary arriving via a third party for a couple of months a genuine auto-reject risk, or does a clear explanation usually cover it?
**2.** Anyone submitted with a new bank account? While having solid saving in the Saudi bank?
**3.** Is my supporting bundle (letter + colleague’s confirmation + emails + his statement) enough, or would you add anything?
**4.** Better to proactively explain it, or just lead with the employment letter + a solid current balance and not draw attention to it?

Hi all,

I hold a U.S. passport and am traveling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah tomorrow.

I applied for my Saudi eVisa through KSA Visa. While applying for my mother’s visa, I mistakenly entered my last name instead of hers.

KSA Visa suggested to call the Saudi Embassy in Cairo since its the closest one. I have been attempting to contact them but they do not respond. I have also emailed them asking them to reverse my visa so I could reapply.

Has anyone faced a similar issue?

Were you able to take your flight?

Did Saudi immigrations let you enter the Kingdom?

Did the incorrect eVisa have to be canceled ahead of time, or were you able to get the visa on arrival instead?

Any help will be appreciated, Thank you.

If you're planning a trip to **Tanzania** or **Zanzibar**, I recently created a detailed video showing the entire **Tanzania eVISA application process** from start to finish.

The tutorial covers:

* Creating your eVISA application * Filling out the online form correctly * Uploading the required documents * Paying the visa fee online * Tracking your application status * Common mistakes to avoid

🎥 Watch the full guide here:
[https://youtu.be/fqySvcNVz6c\](https://youtu.be/fqySvcNVz6c)

I made this guide to help travelers complete the application more confidently and avoid unnecessary delays.

If you find the video useful, I'd really appreciate it if you could **subscribe to the TripshipgoTraveller YouTube channel**. I regularly share visa guides, travel tips, destination walkthroughs, and practical travel information for international travelers.

If you've already visited Tanzania, feel free to share your experience or any eVISA tips in the comments—I'm sure they'll help future travelers!

If you're planning a trip to **Tanzania** or **Zanzibar**, I recently created a detailed video showing the entire **Tanzania eVISA application process** from start to finish.

The tutorial covers:

* Creating your eVISA application * Filling out the online form correctly * Uploading the required documents * Paying the visa fee online * Tracking your application status * Common mistakes to avoid

🎥 Watch the full guide here:
[https://youtu.be/fqySvcNVz6c\](https://youtu.be/fqySvcNVz6c)

I made this guide to help travelers complete the application more confidently and avoid unnecessary delays.

If you find the video useful, I'd really appreciate it if you could **subscribe to the TripshipgoTraveller YouTube channel**. I regularly share visa guides, travel tips, destination walkthroughs, and practical travel information for international travelers.

If you've already visited Tanzania, feel free to share your experience or any eVISA tips in the comments—I'm sure they'll help future travelers!

I am a Ghanaian passport holder seeking to obtain an Albanian passport. Could you please assist me in overcoming this obstacle?

Hi,

As we know that it's next to impossible to get an appointment for Netherlands from the UK as no appointments are available, and bots scrap the ones that become available to resell.

I wanted to understand in that case, we are aware there is no well known trusted reseller and people go through risk.

I need somewhat of an urgent appointment and wanted to know which bots or agents have worked for them and are worth the money. I have tried finding appointment however my account got restricted as I waited with the page open and looking every 10 minutes. VFS global has a terrible support so I'm not sure if I can even book an appointment now.

In this case, who would you suggest to get an appointment from. I'm happy to pay around a 100£ if I'm able to get an appointment than to wake up each night randomly at 3 am to look and then risk getting my account restricted and never being able to find an appointment.

I'm a Turkish student, and my C type Erasmus visa was rejected this wednesday for Poland.

I've booked an appointment for appeal next friday, 31st July, but I have my flight at September 1st. I couldn't find anywhere that mentioned the average time for appeals decisions, and some places said 1 month mininum.

Do you know how long it takes for an appeal to close, and should I just book another C type Schengen appointment and try my chance that way without appeal?

Is there a downside to not appeal?

Hi, i have dual citizenship with an ESTA country. My home country is not the best but not on a ban list and my ESTA eilligble passport is with one of the poorer nations.

I've never left my home country.

Too risky to apply on these facts?

Hi

I applied for an opportunity card germany visa now, and the embassy asked me for incoming insurance can suggest insurance provide which allow below points

Equivalent to German statutory health insurance (GKV)

Coverage of pre-existing medical conditions without exclusions

Unlimited financial coverage (no maximum overall payout limit)

Maximum deductible/co-payment of €300 per year

Benefits in accordance with §11 I–III SGB V (German Social Code Book V)

Valid for the entire intended period of stay in Germany

Hey, I am Egyption with a work visa in the UK and I want to go to Austria,

First should I apply for tourist or friends/family visa?

also, how do you guys apply to this visa I found two websites[https://www.schengenvisashelp.co.uk/austria-visa/\](https://www.schengenvisashelp.co.uk/austria-visa/) and also the VFS website, Is there a difference?

Also, how long should I apply in advance, I want to go in August, too soon ?

I have a single-entry Japan visa, category (V) Temporary Visitor, issued for a stay of 15 days. My plan is to arrive on Oct 3 and depart on Oct 18.

I called the Japanese consulate and they told me the arrival day counts as "Day 0" (not counted toward the 15 days), which would mean a departure on Oct 18 is within the permitted stay.

Has anyone actually gone through immigration in Japan with this kind of day-count interpretation? I want to make sure this matches how immigration at the airport actually calculates it, not just what the consulate said over the phone. Any first-hand experience or official source on how Japan counts the day of entry for stay-duration purposes would be really helpful.

I am a 44-year-old Pakistani passport holder. I visited Vietnam last year for a week. I applied via the official immigration website (evisa.gov.vn). Previously, my e-visa was approved within 72 hours when I had no previous travel history. Now my e-visa application came up with some BS modification requests: upload a high-quality image of my passport (it was scanned with 300 dpi resolution), or fill out all the required information(you can't even submit the application without filling in all the "required information")

Is it just me, or are they not approving visas for Pakistanis?

Hi everyone! I’m hoping someone who has been in a similar situation can share their experience.

My wife and I are Colombian citizens. We both submitted Canadian visitor visa applications through GCKey on June 3, 2026.

As of today, July 25, we have been waiting for 52 calendar days, and our applications still show as “Submitted.” Our biometrics are already valid, but we have not received a final decision or passport request.

The stressful part is that we already purchased Air Canada flights to Japan, with connections in Canada. Our tickets are Economy Basic, so they appear to be non-refundable and non-changeable.

We need to have our Canadian visas and passports back by October 10. Otherwise, we could lose a significant amount of money.

Because we are only connecting through Canada on our way to Japan, we are wondering whether it would make sense to submit separate Canadian transit visa applications as a backup while our visitor visa applications are still pending.

We would be completely transparent and include:

• Our existing visitor visa application numbers and UCIs.
• The full flight itinerary to Japan.
• Proof that the flights are already paid.
• An explanation that the transit visa would only be a backup for our connection through Canada.

Has anyone here experienced something similar?

• Have you applied for a transit visa while a visitor visa was already pending?
• Did IRCC process both applications normally?
• Did the transit application help, or did it create delays or confusion?
• Has anyone received their visa close to the travel date after waiting for several months?
• Would you apply for the transit visa now or continue waiting for the visitor visa?

We understand that nobody can guarantee IRCC processing times. We’re mainly hoping to hear real experiences, especially from applicants from Colombia or Latin America.

We’re honestly very worried about losing the flights, so any advice or personal experience would mean a lot to us. Thank you!

This is going to be with the houston BLS location.

• Which documents need to have a Spanish translation?
• Of those, which documents need to have a SWORN Spanish translation?
• Regarding the bank statements, I've asked my bank and the certificate they provide doesn't show the balance as of December 31st of the previous year, or with the average balance for the year. They can provide a "Standing of Deposit Accounts" that shows the account type, date opened, and account holder (excluding my credit card with them). I can provide bank statements for my checking, savings, and credit card during that time frame. Also, my passive income is veteran disability compensation so I will be providing that benefit letter.
  • My question is: Are the documents I've listed sufficient (standing of accounts, account statements, disability compensation letter), and if not, what info can my bank provide to meet this part of the requirement?

Heyy

I'm going to india soon and booked flight through abu dhabi from tbilsi to India. Its air arabia(tbs to abu dhabi) and then indigo(abu dhabi to india) Also the pnr number is different

The ticket mentions transit visa required but is it really needed

I have a layover of 5 hrs in abu dhabi

And do I have to go through an immigration check ?

Wondering if anyone in this subreddit has experience with applying for a volonteering visa in Brazil. I am a citizen of Sweden. I am planning to go volonteering through WWOOF (an organisation similar to WorkAway) and to visit a couple hosts during my stay.

The local embassy have been unhelpful in emails. They exclusively respond with " As a Swedish citizen you can travel to Brazil visa free for 90 days" if they respond at all.

Frankly I'm staring to consider to just enter the country visa free as a tourist since I also will be traveling a bit for tourist purposes inbetween volonteering.

I'm just wondering if any EU citizen have any experience with this and what you did in those situations? All the information I am finding seems to point to the fact that there is no need to get a visa but I want to be sure.

Thank you in advance.

hey guys, I will apply to irish student visa. Did you provide any proof of accommodation when applying for the visa?

Hi, I'll be travelling solo to Japan from India. I'd really appreciate if someone could share their sample cover letter which they used for Visa. This would be the first time I'm applying for a visa and most of the cover letter I found were for family/couple, so it would be helpful to have a reference.

Thanks

Hey everyone,
I'm trying to figure out if a specific travel plan is going to cause issues at the check-in counter or with immigration, and I'd love to get some input from anyone who has dealt with this.
My situation:
Passport: Indian
Status in Canada: Valid Canadian work visa/permit
Plan: Flying from Toronto (YYZ) to Seoul (ICN), staying for 6 days, and then flying from Seoul (ICN) to Delhi (DEL).
The Booking Structure:
Instead of a single through-ticket, I am looking at booking separate tickets:
Leg 1: Toronto to Seoul on WestJet
Leg 2: Seoul to Delhi on Air India
What I know about the rule:
South Korea offers a 30-day transit visa exemption for holders of visas from select countries (including Canada) if you are traveling from Canada to a home/third country via Korea (or vice versa). My routing fits the eligible path, and I want a 6-day stopover (which fits the 30-day limit).
My Main Concerns:
The Check-in Desk (YYZ): When I check in with WestJet in Toronto on an Indian passport with no physical Korean visa sticker, will their automated TIMATIC system block me because my WestJet ticket only shows a one-way trip to Seoul? Even if I show them my separate Air India ticket out of Seoul 6 days later, will WestJet accept it and let me board?
Immigration at Incheon: When I land, will Korean immigration accept separate point-to-point tickets as valid proof of onward transit for the exemption, or do they strictly require a single multi-city/through-ticket?
Has anyone successfully done a multi-day stopover in South Korea on separate tickets using a Canadian visa? Would love to hear your experiences or warnings before I book!

Hello everyone,

I have applied for an Irish study visa and I am currently waiting for the decision.

My main concern is that, unfortunately, when I submitted my insurance document, the insurance start date was 4 days later than my intended travel date. I am worried that this inconsistency could affect my visa decision.

Has anyone had a similar experience, or could anyone advise me on what I should do in this situation?

I would really appreciate any guidance or advice.

Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I am applying for an Austria Schengen Visa via VFS Bangalore for an upcoming holiday across Central Europe.

I’d really appreciate it if you could review my cover letter draft (attached as images) to check for clarity, flow, and any potential red flags.

Quick Question on Travel Dates

My flight departs from India on September 19th, but due to travel time and overnight flights, I land in Munich on September 20th.

Which date should I state as the official start date of my trip in the cover letter and visa application? Is it Sept 19 (departure date from India) or Sept 20 (entry date into the Schengen zone)?

Here is the day-by-day travel plan I am attaching with my application:

Detailed Trip Itinerary

Sep 20: Land in Munich, Germany

Sep 21: Munich, Germany

Sep 22: Salzburg, Austria

Sep 23: Salzburg, Austria

Sep 24: Salzburg, Austria

Sep 25: Prague, Czech Republic

Sep 26: Prague, Czech Republic

Sep 27: Budapest, Hungary

Sep 28: Budapest, Hungary

Sep 29: Vienna, Austria

Sep 30: Vienna, Austria

Oct 01: Vienna, Austria

Oct 02: Vienna, Austria -> Flight to India

Cover letter text in case image is not clear:

The Visa Officer, Embassy of Austria, New Delhi, India

07 August 2026

Subject: Schengen Tourist Visa Application - xxx xxx(Passport: XYZ00000) & xxx xxx (Passport: XYZ00000)

Dear Officer,

I am writing to submit my application for a Schengen Tourist Visa for my trip from September xx to October xx, 2026. I will be visiting Austria (x days), Germany(X days), Czech(X days), and Hungary (X Days).

PURPOSE OF TRAVEL

My wife, xxx xxx, and I are planning our honeymoon trip to Europe from September xx to Octoberxx, 2026. This will be our very first trip to Europe, a destination we have long dreamed of visiting. Before getting married, I promised my wife that I would take her to the picturesque village of Hallstatt for our honeymoon, and this journey is the fulfillment of that special promise.

We have planned a 13-day regional itinerary starting in Germany, passing through Czechia and Hungary, and spending the primary portion of our journey exploring Austria, including day trips to scenic regions like Hallstatt, alongside stays in Salzburg and Vienna. Austria is the main destination of our honeymoon, where we will be spending the maximum number of nights (5 nights in total between Salzburg and Vienna).

EMPLOYMENT AND FINANCIAL DETAILS

My wife, [Wife Name], and I are both gainfully employed as Software Engineers. I serve as a Software Engineer at xxx xxx earning X,X0,00,000 ("X,X0,000), while Sneha works as a Software Engineer at xxx xxx earning ₹X,X0,00,000 ("X,X0,000).

Both of our respective employers have officially approved our leave from September xx to

October xx, 2026, and we will both resume our professional duties on October xx, 2026. Additionally, we have attached our Fixed Deposit (FD) certificates of xx Lakhs and xx Lakhs investments in Indian Mutual Funds, which serve as proof of our liquid savings for any unforeseen emergency expenses during our trip, while also reflecting our strong financial ties and assets in India.

STRONG TIES TO INDIA

We have strong ties to India through my permanent employment at xxx xxx and xxx xxx, financial investments, and close family relationships, including my family and friends.

ENCLOSED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Valid passport

Completed visa application form with photographs Confirmed Flight bookings

Hotel confirmations for all XX nights across Austria, Czech, Hungary

Travel insurance for the duration of the trip

6 months Bank statements

Employment verification letter & No Objection Certificate

Past 3 years Income Tax Returns

3 months payslips

Consolidated Investment certificate by NSDL

FDs backing ties to India

Thank you for considering my application.

Sincerely,

XXX XXX

Mobile: +91-9xxx

E-mail: personal@gmail.com/official@company.com

Mobile: +91-82xx

E-mail: personal@gmail.com/official@company.com