Itinerary Questions

Hello,

Me and my partner are looking to book our flights for our travel in January 2023 (I know its a bit last minute to be planning).

We are looking to fly from the UK to Delhi. Stay for 1-2 nights. Is this possible with a transit visa application?
From here we would fly to Colombo, Sri Lanka and travel for 3-4 weeks with local transport before flying to Kuala Lumpur and then on to Hanoi.
Travel through Vietnam, Cambodia and to Thailand before flying back from Bangkok to the UK again

From what I understand Sri Lanka we need an ETA visa and paper proof of vaccination. Vietnam we would be under the 15 days and therefore would be ok without a visa? Cambodia a 30 day visa is required.

Is there any roadblocks to this plan? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Sounds like lots of one way flights!

Is there any roadblocks to this plan? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Flying from the UK doesn't mean you have a UK passport.

What passport will you use to enter these countries? Not all passports are treated equal for easily entering particular countries. Some countries like Thailand, may require proof of onward transportation (POOT) to enter. (This means a verifiable flight out of the country.)

You have to check entry requirements for each country you visit.

I assume you're UK citizens?

The government FCO site has up-to-date entry and Covide requirements for every country:

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

>fly from the UK to Delhi. Stay for 1-2 nights. Is this possible with a transit visa application?

The link below suggests that a stay of maximum 3 days is possible with a transit visa:

https://www.cgimilan.gov.in/page/v-transit/

You'll need to apply for and be granted a transit visa before you fly. Indian evisas are still suspended for UK citizens so you may encounter difficulty if the visa requires an embassy/consulate appointment.

Having dated proof on onward travel from India and from Vietnam is a very good idea.

[ Edit: Edited on 28 Nov 2022, 14:23 GMT by leics2 ]

Quoting karazyal

Sounds like lots of one way flights!

Is there any roadblocks to this plan? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

What passport will you use to enter these countries? Not all passports are treated equal for easily entering particular countries. Some countries like Thailand, may require proof of onward transportation (POOT) to enter. (This means a verifiable flight out of the country.)

Thank you for the reply. Yes UK passports. I should have our onward flights booked before I travel. The only uncertainty for travel will be between Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand but I will have flights booked from Bangkok back to London.

Quoting leics2

I assume you're UK citizens?

You'll need to apply for and be granted a transit visa before you fly. Indian evisas are still suspended for UK citizens so you may encounter difficulty if the visa requires an embassy/consulate appointment.

Having dated proof on onward travel from India and from Vietnam is a very good idea.

Thanks for the information. I've read the visa is valid for 15 days from date of issue and for up to 3 days when entering. So would it be a case of booking the flight and then hoping your visa is granted or could you apply now with a future date of travel?
Proof of onward travel from Vietnam would be a flight from Thailand - would this be valid or would I need bus tickets booked beforehand to cross border?

>So would it be a case of booking the flight and then hoping your visa is granted or could you apply now with a future date of travel?

Personally, I'd never book a flight until I'd got the required documents. Others may be prepared to take the risk.

Unless you're happy to pay for a fully-flexible flight imo you need to first find out whether you'll need a visa appointment and then find out when appointments are actually available. Given the lack of evisas and the Christmas/New Year closures it may be that you won't be able to book an appointment in time for your flight so do sort out a plan B.

I can't answer your question about Vietnam, sorry.

"Proof of onward travel from Vietnam would be a flight from Thailand - would this be valid or would I need bus tickets booked beforehand to cross border?"

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Better check with the specific embassy website. Or visit the nearest embassy. For Thailand, I do know they would not accept bus tickets. Your problem would be when you check in for a flight and the airline won't let you board.

https://www.asiajet-travel.com/laos-travel-information#:~:text=For%20any%20entry%20into%20Laotian,confirmed%20onward%20or%20return%20ticket.

Money. Do NOT travel with a single source of spending money. Have back up sources. Some tourists travel with a single debit card and then lose it or crack it and cannot use it in an ATM. Credit cards can be useful for emergencies that may come up and purchasing flights.

Ambitious trip, have fun.

As for Vietnam in 15 days, you do North and South or North, Mid and South?

Thanks for everyones help.

We've decided to fly straight to Colombo and save India for another time. Also we are going to just do Sri Lanka to Kuala Lumpur. KL to Hanoi. Fly from Vietnam to Bangkok and miss out Cambodia. Bangkok back to UK.

Therefore we'd look to do Vietnam for longer than 15 days to see more of the country. Does anyone have any experience of the visa process?

Many thanks

You may find it cheaper to book a return to KL and use that as a hub for the rest, as they're well served for budget airlines particularly AirAsia.

Quoting AT1991

Thanks for everyones help.

We've decided to fly straight to Colombo and save India for another time. Also we are going to just do Sri Lanka to Kuala Lumpur. KL to Hanoi. Fly from Vietnam to Bangkok and miss out Cambodia. Bangkok back to UK.

Therefore we'd look to do Vietnam for longer than 15 days to see more of the country. Does anyone have any experience of the visa process?

Many thanks

You can apply for Evisa (30 days) if you want to stay more than 15 days in Vietnam.
The official site: https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/trang-chu-ttdt.
Check out your country is in the list of 80 countries to get an Evisa or not.