Visa validity

Hi there, Seymour Sunshine!!

You first need to get whoever is bringing you over here to apply for an invitation letter for you at immigration in Libya.  Then when they have issued the invitation letter, they should either scan that letter through to you, OR at the least give you a reference number to give into the embassy to apply for the visa, otherwise they wont even look at your application.  And if you dont get that all sorted before ramadan starts, I'm afraid you can forget about anything happening until AFTER Eid al Fitr!! 

Basically, just about everything shuts down (or slows down! ) over Ramadan - and doesnt really get moving again until after Eid al Fitr.  Last year my company applied for my visa just before Ramadan - about a day before - and we still only received it three weeks AFTER Ramadan!

Do you have an Arabic translation stamped in your passport already?...If not, you will need to have that done before the company on this side can apply for the letter - but I guess they will have told you that already?...

In fact, whichever company is bringing/sending you over here, should have all these facts at their fingertips...

Not sure if this was helpful or not - but this has been my experience till now - with everyone my company has brought over here!

Regards
Jenni Red

hey guys!
was trying to tell my agency the exact same thing the other day. makes me feel justified in not handing my notice in until that visa is firmly in my passport!!

meems wrote:

hey guys!
was trying to tell my agency the exact same thing the other day. makes me feel justified in not handing my notice in until that visa is firmly in my passport!!

basically, whoever is bringing you over here should do all the legwork, until the moment they send you that reference number which is VITAL - I cannot stress that enough.  After you have the ref number, the speed at which you get over here is up to you - as then you have to apply for the actual visa, which usually only takes about 3 working days - and book your flight - unles your company is doing that for you as well!!!

But if it is a Libyan company bringing you over, you do have to sit on their backs a bit about getting that invitation letter applied for, I'm afraid - it's kind of a case of "tomorrow's another day" here - they do keep their promises - just not always in the time span you expect!!! 

SeymourSunshine wrote:

I've tried getting information directly from the embassy, but their phone number is inoperative.

The number works fine. It's just that no one at the other end can be arsed to take the call. Same for embassies anywhere.

Yes. I have everything: the visa number; the translation; the letter of invitation.

The company bringing me over is aware of all these things and has been very helpful.

What I need to know is how far in advance of travel can I get my visa.

I'm aiming to arrive just after Eid and I know that things can move at glacial speeds during Ramadan. If the visa is valid for travel within one month of date of issue, I have to get it during Ramadan. If it's valid for travel for up to three months, then I can get it now.

My only other experience of going through a similar process was for Saudi Arabia. The visa, once issued, was valid for travel to Saudi for up to three months.

But Libya ain't Saudi and I need hard information - hopefully before the start of Ramadan.

SeymourSunshine wrote:

Yes. I have everything: the visa number; the translation; the letter of invitation.

The company bringing me over is aware of all these things and has been very helpful.

What I need to know is how far in advance of travel can I get my visa.

I'm aiming to arrive just after Eid and I know that things can move at glacial speeds during Ramadan. If the visa is valid for travel within one month of date of issue, I have to get it during Ramadan. If it's valid for travel for up to three months, then I can get it now.

My only other experience of going through a similar process was for Saudi Arabia. The visa, once issued, was valid for travel to Saudi for up to three months.

But Libya ain't Saudi and I need hard information - hopefully before the start of Ramadan.

If you have everything from this side, then there should be no problem about when you get it from your side.  The timing is usually a problem from this side.  From that side, it's a matter of 3 business days - and as they are not in a specifically Muslim country, they will still work during the day.  my concerns for you were only if you still had to get the invitation letter from our side.

My last two visitor visas had two different time limits.  On one I was given 30 days to enter and the other 48 days.  Hope this is a help!

I don't know if it's the same rules for visitor visas. I was told to apply for a business visa. Is this the normal visa to apply for? If it is, what't the normal "valid for travel within" limit?

SeymourSunshine wrote:

I don't know if it's the same rules for visitor visas. I was told to apply for a business visa. Is this the normal visa to apply for? If it is, what't the normal "valid for travel within" limit?

Business Visas are different - they are usually issued with 6month validity (sometimes multiple entry) - but not sure when you have to enter by - that your company should actually be able to tell you, though...

About multiple business visas, the date on mine says 15/7/2010 until 15/10/2010( which is 3 months) but states 60 days in another section.
What if I take a 4 day holiday out of the country on 7/9/2010 (before 60 days are over) , will I be able to re-enter Libya on this same visa. Will i be given another 60 days after re-entering or will have to leave before the 15/10/2010?

I get different answers from different people so to make sure, would like to ask those who have been there done that?

Hope this makes you feel better, we get different answers as well.  I am sure just about everyone does.  Not sure why they make this and a lot of things -- especially pertaining to business -- hard.  Everything they do, they make hard -- when it really can be so easy.

We know and have experienced that doing business in Libya is probably the most difficult country.  I wish my husband's company had done more research before they just threw us to the wolfs.

I decided to stop spending the companies money buying more furniture because I have a feeling we are going to get pulled out.

The Libyan Embassy in London Only excepts visa applications monday,tuesday,wednesdays so i would suggest go on a Monday when yuo get to the embassy you go down and sit in room and then someone comes out and gives two raffle tickets when they call your number you go up give your paperwork in pay your money and return to your seat and then you will get called again for you to do your finger prints then you are finished the idea for the 2nd raffle ticket is you use this when you go back to the emabssy to pick your passport up I have always used a company that has a representive there so i hand it to them and they pick it up a week later and then post it to me, there are normally these people in the emnbassy waiting so if you dont have anyone one to do this for you have a word with one of them it does save the hassle going back to the embassy especially if you arent local.

And the normal time frame from submitting your paperwork is a week but with the people i use for getting my passport i have had it back in my hand within 3 days

Also a business visa is valid from the date it goes in your passport but the visa vary you could get a 6 month or even a year

the tourist visa is valid for 30 days only

I believe it is open for applications Monday to Friday now with longer opening hours.

and I am not sure if they have stopped it now but you had to also submit 6 months bank statements and flight details

Yup, you still need to do that.

By the way, visa processing in Schengen countries is taking over three weeks in most cases. Same time it takes them to process Shengen's for Libyans.

the six months bank statements are only for a tourist visa - for a business visa, you need a letter from the company bringing you over stating that you work for them and they will cover all costs.  You do need a flight ticket OR an itinerary (they dont know the difference, with e-tkts these days!), though, for both types of visas.

Tourists do not need to present bank statements and they don't need to visit the Embassy to have the visa issued.
The visa is issued as a sheet of paper, a stamp is put in the passport upon arrival.