Libyan Visa For American Citizens
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22 May 2010 Libyan Visa For Americans: Second Update:Yes US Citizens Can Now Obtain Libyan Tourist Visa on Arrival:We have announced on the 19th of May (see below) that we were attempting to confirm the recent news regarding Libyan visa for Americans. We are now in a position to confirm that the ban was lifted and that Americans are finally allowed to visit Libya on a tourist visa. To apply for the Libyan visa right now, please get in touch with us via this secure form.
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 most often 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. But whether you will be allowed into the country or not is a different matter altogether and will apply in both cases: whether you had the visa on arrival or from the embassy. However 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 were allowed into the country.
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Update: (19/05/2009): Can The Citizens of USA Obtain Libyan Visa? Latest News: Libya Appears To Lift Visa Ban On Americans:We are currently trying to confirm the news we heard today in that Libya has finally lifted the visa ban on Americans. If the news is confirmed it would mean that the citizens of the United States of America will be able to obtain a Libyan tourist visa. The news first leaked out on the 5th of May, after Saif Al-Islam Muammar Al-Qaddafi was reported to have said, at the American University in Cairo, that “Very, very soon, it will be very easy for many people around the world to visit Libya.” However, we still do not have 100% confirmation regarding this matter, but today, the 19th of May 2010, may prove to be a historical day as we have strong indications that the time has finally come for Americans to visit Libya on a tourist visa.
Tripoli - on March the 24th, US Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Janice L. Jacobs, cuts the ribbon on the new consular section of the American Embassy in Jeraba (Jarraba) Street, Ben Ashour, Tripoli; during which the ambassador Gene A. Cretz emphasised the recent progress the Embassy had made in issuing visas to Libyans: over 4500 non-immigrant visas to Libyan tourists, businesspeople, students, and government officials. Currently, the embassy does not issue any visas to immigrants - visitors who intend to settle in the USA.
Update: (23/03/2009): The American Embassy in Libya has made an important announcement:
Libya Entry Visa &Libyan visa for the citizens of the USA is such a complicated issue that we have decided to devote a special web page for it, so that we can gather as much information as possible about the US issue. The Libyan visa complications were the result of the old political tension between Libya and America. As the climate changes with time, so does the visa situation. This continuous change explains the conflicting stories circulating the Internet regarding the Libyan visa for Americans: some say you can get a visa, others say you cannot! Both are correct, because some times Americans can get a Libyan visa and at other times they cannot.
The recent visit by Condoleezza Rice,
the first American secretary of state to visit Libya
since John Foster Dulles in 1953, on Friday the 5th
of September 2008,
is a good sign that relations between the two countries
are heading in the right direction.
Moreover, the good news is that the US Senate has confirmed
career diplomat Gene Cretz to be the first US Ambassador
to Libya in 36 years.
This without a doubt will eventually open Libya's
gates to the citizens of the United States of America,
just as the improvements in relations between Libya and
Europe opened the doors for tourists and foreign
investors from all over Europe.
Libyan Visa For Americans:
Officially the travel ban on Americans was lifted a few
years ago, as confirmed by the
US Department
of State
's Bureau of Consular Affair at
Travel.State.Gov
US citizens of Libyan origin are subject to Libyan law. All children born to Libyan fathers are considered by the Libyan government to be Libyan citizens. Dual Libyan-American nationals must obtain a Libyan travel document before visiting Libya, and are advised that US consular assistance is extremely limited. There are cases where American citizens of Libyan descent entered Libya using old Libyan documents and then found themselves unable to leave without obtaining a valid Libyan passport. The US State Department encourages American citizens travelling in Libya to register with the nearest US Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration website. Please contact the website of the American embassy in Libya (in the Serraj District, Tripoli, tel.: (+218) 91-220-0125) for further information: http://libya.usembassy.gov/general_travel_info.html. Registration allows travellers to obtain updated information on travel and security within Libya, and allows the embassy to contact travellers during emergencies. For further information about American government websites visit: http://www.usa.gov/
Visit Versus VIP Visa:Here we must make it clear that there are two types of visas in question:
Where in American can I apply for a Libyan Visa:
No where.
However, visa application forms must be submitted to the Libyan People’s Bureau in Ottawa, Canada; although even this office frequently declines to accept visa applications from American citizens.
What is the alternative?According to the USA-based ZVS (Zierer Visa Service) , the majority of Americans who apply for the Libyan tourist visa through their company receive a visa. All visitors must first provide an Arabic translation of their passports (also provided by the ZVS). The process as described in their website ( http://www.zvs.com/ ) involves the following steps:
Our opinion, based on the information we currently have, is that it is doubtful if the above procedure will work. But if you are in a group of five or more (owing to the new requirement of a minimum of five for all nationalities), then you can send us the documents to try and secure the visa for you. We cannot however guarantee that it will be successful, but we do not mind trying.
Americans who visited Libya recentlyRebecca Byerly, an adventure journalist, documented February's race for al-Jazeera. For the first time, a US team has competed in the 200-kilometre Libyan Challenge Master Trek: a race on foot through the Sahara. In the following video Rebecca describes her adventure across the desert and tells how she was invited by the Libyan embassy last August (2008) to take part in the 2009 race. It took the winners just under 30 hours to finish the 200 kilometre race; while Rebecca and her teammates crossed the finishing line after 58 hours.
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US Department of State: "TOURIST VISAS: After halting the issuance of tourist visas to U.S. citizens for several years, in June 2010 the Libyan government again began issuing visas to U.S. tourists. Like European tourists, U.S. citizens must apply for tourist visas through tour operators licensed in Libya." http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_951.html
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