Libyan Visa

Libyan Visa Update (5): 05 December 2011:

• Visa: our visa services remain suspended.
  
  
• Border: Ras Ejdir and Dehiba border checkpoints with Tunisia are closed.
  
  Earlier updates can be found at: http://www.temehu.com/news-Libya.htm

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Previous Visa Data: (Pre-February 2011):

Libyan visa to European nationals has become very easy to obtain in recent years, especially so after the recent lifting of restrictions on tourism and foreign visitors. New laws were introduced to speed up the visa process for both individuals and groups travelling with approved Libyan tour operators, and to issue Libyan tourist visas on arrival at Tripoli Airport, the Tunisian border, or at the Egyptian border. According to recent improvements in relations with the USA American citizens can now obtain a Libyan visa on arrival.  All holders of tourist visa to Libya are required by law to be accompanied by an escort from the company providing the visa service. All other services (except transport) are optional and so there is no need to book an expensive holiday or any hotels, as you are free to choose your hotels as you go or camp.

Visas are granted for the following purposes:

Official mission, business, tourism, or accompanying a resident. The entry visa is usually valid for 45 days beginning from the day of issue, and will allow you (as a tourist) to stay for one month. But visas on arrival are valid for 30 days  - that is the visa approval must be used within one month after the date of issue and hence the importance of the provided date of arrival. Renewing tourist visas beyond 30 days of stay is not easy, and if it can be done it will be extended only for one more week. In addition to the high cost of the escort and the private transport we recommend keeping all visits to Libya within the allocated one month.

We offer Libyan visa on arrival:

In order for us to provide you with a Libyan visa on arrival and the compulsory escort you need to email us a .jpg copy of your passport's bio page (the page containing your personal data). According to a recent update the Arabic translation is no longer required for tourist visas. We will then use these copies to apply for what we call the Libyan Visa Approval: an official document allowing us to issue you with the actual stamp on arrival.

How guaranteed visa on arrival is?

There is no need to worry at all about the visa on arrival because you will be informed before arrival if your application was successful or not. When we apply for your visa and successfully secure the visa approval, we will send you a copy of this visa approval,  because you will need it before you are allowed to board your plane, and therefore you will know before you leave your country if your Libyan visa on arrival is a success or not. From experience we can guarantee that so far our applications for visa on arrival are 100% successful.

What if I was denied entry into the country on arrival?

Whether you will be allowed into the country or not is a different matter altogether and will apply regardless of whether you had the visa on arrival or from the embassy in advance. People with visas on their passports were denied entry before not only in Libya but also in other countries from around the world. But from our own experience, we can conclude that as long as the passport copy you provide us with is as accurate as the original there is nothing to worry about, and that 100% of our visitors for whom we secured visa on arrival were allowed into the country. However, tension between countries does fluctuate, as during the recent Schengen visa saga where some visitors were refused entry into the country despite having visas. If this happens again then we will know about it before hand - just check this page or our Libya news page for the latest visa updates.

Visa Requirements & Procedure:

1. The passport must be valid for at least six months when you leave Libya.
2. The passport does not have an Israeli stamp.
3. The passport must contain at least two blank pages.
4. Your profession(s): you can state this (or these) in an email.

Libyan law requires from your Libyan-government-approved tour operator to provide you with a Libya visa only if you book your holiday with them. This however does not mean that you must book an expensive tour or a fancy group holiday before you can apply for the visa. All it means is that the company granting the visa must also appoint a tour guide (escort) to accompany the visitor and that the company should be held responsible if this was not implemented; and therefore apart from the escort and the visa everything else is optional. If you will be coming by plane, then we will send you a scanned copy of the approval to the email address provided during the enquiry, because some airliners will not let you board their planes without a proof of the Libyan visa.

Who can apply for the visa?

Most Europeans, including Eastern Europeans, most South Americans, Australians, Russians, Japanese, New Zealanders, South Africans, Canadians, and now Americans can all apply directly to us for visa on arrival. We will be able to complete the whole procedure without the need to visit the embassy, in ten days. But all Arab and other African and Asian nationals need to apply to the Libyan embassy directly.

A Copy of The Libyan Visa Approval

This is the Libyan Visa Approval.

The above document is the proof that your visa on arrival has been approved. The approval lists your name(s), nationality, passport number(s), and date of arrival. It also states (right at the bottom of the page) that only the original document that is valid (not the copy) and only in the presence of the agent from the tour operator.

 

Libyan tourist visa.

Valid for one visit, and shows the visa number, place of issue, date of issue, valid for 45 days, allows one month stay.

Transit Visa Versus Tourist Visa:

Crossing Libya from border to border:
Some people still confuse "tourist visa" with "transit visa", while others still think that crossing Libya from border to border requires booking an expensive tour with the company providing the visa. Is this true? Not at all. One needs to bear in mind that Libyan tour companies are primarily tourist companies, authorised by the Libyan government to provide tourist visas only. Transit visa on the other hand is obtained directly from any Libyan embassy without the assistance of any Libyan agent. The catch however is that although with tourist visa you have to pay the cost of the escort, with transit visa you have to wait weeks (and even months, in some cases) without getting a straight answer.

Can you wait a month or two in Tunis or Cairo without knowing for sure if you will get the visa at the end of the month or not? Probably not.  Check the Lonely Planet website and you will find a number of success stories as well as a bigger number of failures and of visitors who gave up waiting.

What is important here is that travellers seems to confuse the two types of visas, and write in forums that you can get a Libyan visa without the compulsory guide. This is misleading because they should say: you can get a TRANSIT VISA without a guide and without the need for the compulsory guide. Of course, there are those who wrote just that.

Tourist visa however does require the compulsory guide and the private transport. It helps a lot of travellers were given clear and concise information about each specific situation, and we hope we have succeeded in doing so in this website.

Then there is another issue with the transit visa: the limited period of time you will be given: it could be one week, ten days, or two weeks, depending on your circumstances and luck. Say you will be cycling through Libya and you might get two or three weeks.

And there is another more important issue: if the law is applied correctly then you will not be allowed into any archaeological site because these are designated tourist sites. Transit visa will allow you to transit the country, literally. But, of course, there are so many good Libyan men who do not apply the law to the letter.

And then there is yet another overlooked issue: add up the costs of waiting such a long period (consider two to three weeks being very lucky) and you will  at once see that the tourist visa is a much better option despite the escort publicity attached to it; unless you plan for this before you leave your country.  However, there are success stories where the transit visa was obtained in just two weeks, and so it is well worth a try. Check the Libyan consulate in Tunis and see what they say.

Also you need to consider other limitations attached to the transit visa, like being stopped for your paper work at various check points and ordered to explain in Arabic what you are doing in Libya, where one mistake will inevitably lead to another.  Sometimes you will not be asked, but you need to be prepared.

We have made the tourist visa even a better option by offering to connect you with other travellers and share the cost of the escort from border to border via our crossing tour. No need to book a tour, no need to stay in any hotels, no need to visit any archaeological sites unless you want to, just share the cost of the escort with other like-minded travellers and cross Libya in 4 or 5 days.

Business Visa:

The business visa in Libya lasts from one to six months after the date of issue and allows the holder to enter and exit Libya as many times as desired within the specified period. However, please make sure that you only apply for this kind of visa if you really do have a business to establish, as failure to establish a business or sign a contract with a Libyan company during your first business-visa can prevent you from obtaining another in the future. This means that a three months permit is an ideal option as it allows you to return to Tripoli for further business enquiries, if the initial contact was not fruitful.

Libyan business visa; personal details covered with blue; stating that it is valid for 45 days, allows one month stay, and shows the number, date of issue, profession of holder, place of issue, and point of entry (Tripoli International Airport).

Libya Visa for Journalists:

Libyan tour operators are not allowed to issue visas for journalists, who need to secure an entry stamp directly from the Libyan embassy in their country of residence. Journalists wishing to visit Libya need a permit from the information ministry’s foreign media department. Remember that in addition to Libyan visa you must have confirmation from Libya that your visit is expected, and never turn up at the airport without prior arrangements. Once inside the country, do not interview any officials unless you have a prior authorisation from the department of relations with the foreign press.

Passport Arabic translation page

Passport Arabic translation is no longer needed for tourist visas (2010).

Libyan Visa For Americans