My job as a Biological Safety Consultant requires me to travel overseas rather frequently and in the process, I am required to apply for entry VISA on many occasions. Singapore, despite being a friendly nation globally, does not have many VISA-free entry programmes with many countries, particularly those developing nations in the region. Visiting foreign embassies and applying for an entry VISA can be quite a challenge and traumatising for some if you are ill-prepared.
Three months ago I went to the Royal Thai Embassy (RTE) to apply for a business VISA and I was caught with a change of ruling in the application process. The RTE required a confirmed air ticket slip or E-ticket to be presented along with the application form before allowing any acceptance of the application. That was a strange ruling which I could not comprehend; what if your VISA application is not approved and you suffered a monetary loss in the cancellation of your flight? Who will bear the cost of the cancellation fee?
For my first entry VISA application at the RTE, I filled up the application form which was downloaded from the website of the Thailand Foreign Ministry, but was later rejected as I had to used the photocopied version of the form available at the RTE premises. Right, so I figured that the downloaded version was the incorrect one and had to used the 'official' photocopied version (I wondered how official that form can be?); but why permit the incorrect version to be made available to the public online? Hmmm.......
I am planning a business trip to Myanmar next week and decided to look up the internet to find out the requirements for entry VISA. Stated on the foreign ministry website, I would require three passport size photographs, fill up three sheets of an application form and bring along an invitation letter from the Myanmar company who is requesting my visit. Again, the application forms are made downloadable from the website, but I decided not to make the same mistake twice. I filled up the downloaded form, but I also asked for the original official form when I got to the embassy this morning just in case the two versions are the same. True enough, the original form was different from the downloaded version in terms of paper size and quality (thinner sheets of printed paper instead of the normal A4 size paper). Just when I thought I out-smarted the process that round, I was told that I needed my own company letter to accompany the submission, which was nowhere mentioned on the website or posted on any notice on the embassy premises. Henceforth, I had to rush back to my office to prepare a company letter and returned a second time in the same morning to complete my application!
It seems apparent to me that most embassies' personnel enjoy seeing people making a come back each time they failed to follow the correct procedure or the lack of documentation. The entire situation is not made any better where there's no official notice put up on the embassy premises or the relevant foreign ministry website to advise the public on the proper procedure and correct documentation requirements for a successful submission - which I personally thought would enhance the efficiency of VISA application, shorter queuing time and less frustration from the applicants. Even foreign ministries' websites do not seem to be properly updated with the correct application forms and procedure requirements.
Guess one can never be fully prepared when making a trip to any embassy to submit an entry VISA application form; you have to expect that a second trip is needed to complete the entire cycle. Oh yes..., bring along your own stationeries, you won't want to miss out on the glue, correction fluid or paper clips if you are attempting to make ONLY 1 successful trip!!! I truly applaud the Australian government for granting its VISA approval via the online ETA system; we are afterall living in the internet era now!
