Libyan Visa For American Citizens

Update: (23/03/2009):

The American Embassy in Libya has made an important announcement:

" The Embassy is pleased to announce that effective March 25, 2009 , the Consular Section in Tripoli will be open for all non-immigrant visa categories at its Sarraj location. " Read more about this here.

Libya Entry Visa & US Citizens:

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 (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_951.html): "The restrictions on the use of U.S. passports for travel to, in, or through Libya were lifted in February 2004."

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 Seraj 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:

• VIP visa: the situation with the VIP visa is OK, and we can help Americans secure a VIP visa (see below).
• Tourist visa: this visa is not guaranteed. The following process describes the steps needed to acquire a tourist or visit visa.

Where in American can I apply for a Libyan Visa:

No where.
The Libyan Embassy in Washington DC does not accept visa applications from the public.You can contact them for general enquiries regarding the Libyan visa. The address is: 2600 Virginia Avenue NW – Suite 705, Washington, DC 20037, phone number 202-944-9601, website libyanbureau-dc.org.

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:

• All Libya visas are obtained from the Libyan Embassy in Ottawa, Canada.
• The Libyan Embassy in Ottawa needs to receive a "visa approval" from the Immigration Department in Tripoli; the approval is telexed directly to the Embassy in Ottawa.
• This "visa approval" is requested from the Libyan Immigration Department by the chosen Libyan tour operator handling the tour.
• Requests from individual travellers will not be processed; a minimum of four (4) travellers is required to make it a valid request.
• This process should be allocated at least 40 working days.

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.

The VIP Solution:

Until recently the best solution was to apply for a VIP visa, which will allow you to enter Libya and visit some coastal sites and cities, but it is not good for desert sites and the south because it is not classified as a tourist visa. But it seems that this option too is currently unavailable.

Americans who visited Libya recently

Rebecca 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.

Useful Related Links:

• US Embassy in Libya