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I have travelled to about 50 countries so more than many people but nowhere near all countries. I am unlikely to realize it but it is nice to daydream, at least, of visiting all of them. A recent question on visas for Saudi Arabia surprised me, I had not known and would not have guessed that they are hard to get. So, I wondered which others are hard to get.

I am a dual UK / Irish citizen.

To count as a visit, I should pass through immigration and stay at least 48 hours. So, merely changing planes won't count and very short transit visits won't either but a more generous transit visit would. So, China is in this category.

I will consider regions with distinct immigration rules as separate countries so mainland China and Hong Kong are separate countries for this purpose. Also, Taiwan is a country for the purposes of this question.

I can attempt to divide the countries in categories.

  1. I can just go there. Most (all?) of Europe for me and quite a few other places.

  2. I need a visa (or visa like permission such as an ESTA) but it is easy to get. So, the USA and quite a few more countries are in this group.

  3. I need a visa and it is not as simple or as immediate as an ESTA for the USA but there is little chance that I would fail to get it.

  4. I need a visa and it could be difficult and there is a significant chance of failing to get it.

  5. Very difficult without some special circumstances.

I am most interested in countries that fall into groups 4 and 5.

Additional information.

My travel history is good. I have never been refused a visa or admittance. I have never overstayed. I have a good job and own a house in the UK.

badjohn
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1 Answers1

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One of the most difficult countries might be Saudi Arabia

As detailed in this question they don't issue tourist visas, so (assuming you're not Muslim), you'd only be able to get a business visa, which is expensive and bureaucratic even if you do have a legitimate business interest in visiting.

Another is North Korea: it's generally not possible to get a visa without going on an organised tour, supervised by government officials. If you have the money this isn't necessarily too difficult to organise, but it certainly counts as special circumstances.

Joe Malt
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