nous sommes plusieurs femmes à préparer notre voyage pour cet été au tibet.
nous sommes très enthousiastes et motivées. Seulement depuis 10 jours, nous nous retrouvons face à la difficulté du permis de circuler de lhasa et autres régions. en effet, nous ne voulons pas dépenser des fortunes dans un circuit tout organisé. nous voulons voyager en mode routard entre nous avec seule envie de circuit 1 petit treck de 3 jours avec yack en circuit.
Le problème étant que les agences que nous contactons nous imposent un circuit pour toute la durée de notre séjour, qui serait de 3 semaines.
Comment faire pour obtenir le permis de circuler en atterissant à lhassa directement, sachant que nous voulons acheter seulement nos permis, ou le permis + treck de 3 jours et ensuite circuler en individuels sans organisation ou agence...
avez vous des expériences récentes, des infos à partager qui nous donneraient des pistes...
l'une d entre nous commence à se dire que nous allons échouer et ceci est pour moi impossible, car c est un rêve, que je compte bien exaucer...
2 solutions :
- entrer illégalement au Tibet et voyager indépendamment. Il faudra alors vous débrouiller seuls sur tout le voyage (aucune agence ne prendra le risque de vous vendre des services sur place si vous êtes arrivés sans permis) avec le risque de vous faire arrêter et expulser. Impossible de prendre l'avion sans permis, mais pour le train, c'est jouable.
- passer par agence du début à la fin
oui je pense que sans agence c est mieux...
mais arrivez ailleur qu a lhassa...
une autre ville de chine et prenez letrain...il ne devrait bpas y avoir de problemes...mais si vous passez par une agence ils vous venderons de toute maniere le permis , meme si en ce moment il n est pas necessaire...
et si vous devez avoir un permis sur place, allez au PSb de lhassa sur beeijing dong lu pres de l hopital du peuple...
oliwen
en ce moment c est surement tendu au tibet...le losar approchant...
mais en ete pas de probls....(mais on nest jamais qur de rien en chine)fo tenter...
mais arrivez ailleur qu a lhassa...
une autre ville de chine et prenez letrain
Où peut-on arriver ailleurs qu'à Lhasa en prenant le train ??? 😮
On a pris le train xining - lhasa en novembre dernier. Permis vérifié à l'intérieur de la gare à l'entrée (on nous a demandé notre billet de train, quand le policier a vu "Lhasa", il a demandé à voir le permis et a noté nos noms dans un registre). Il n'a pas été vérifié ensuite. Cela dit, il y a aussi parfois des contrôles dans le train et à l'arrivée à la gare à Lhasa. Solution partielle pour ceux qui veulent tenter sans permis : acheter un billet de train pour Goldmund sur le même train (siège, moins cher qu'une couchette), comme ça en cas de vérification jusque sur le quai, il est possible de dire qu'on va à Goldmund plutôt qu'à Lhasa pour éviter d'avoir à montrer le permis. Evidemment, ça ne fonctionne pas en cas de contrôle dans le train ou à Lhasa.
meme si en ce moment il n est pas necessaire...
Quoi, permis pas nécessaire ? Si j'avais su, c'est ce que j'aurais dit aux policiers qui se sont chargés de nous expulser du Tibet il y a 4 mois ! A moins que la règle du "permis non nécessaire" date de plus récemment ? Mais vu que la Chine ferme totalement le Tibet aux étrangers en mars encore cette année, il semble peu probable que le permis devienne effectivement "non nécessaire" comme avant mars 2008. Relis mon message dans un autre fil de discussion : http://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=4081933;#4081933.
et si vous devez avoir un permis sur place, allez au PSb de lhassa
Super conseil. C'est probablement le meilleur moyen pour se faire expulser ! De toutes façons, la PSB ne délivre pas de permis directement.
😕
ok...
mon conseil est bon mais
TOU
bon admettons que pour un etranger non habitue la chine c est mars...même pour moi parfois...
j ai fais les frais aussi de cette politique de l expo universelle en ete... j ai du quitter le train a xining (ils m ont remboursé les frais) et ainsi j ai du rejoinder le nepal par le xinjiang et ensuite le pakistan , l inde et enfin le nepal ou j arriverai visiblement dans une semaine...
bon pour qqn ne parlant pas chinois et ne connaissant pas trop le comportement a avoir c est plus difficile...
le probleme est que la "ploirique des etrangers" change constemment et que les policiers ou odficiels du coins ne sont pas tj au courant pou ont peur de prendre le moindre risque...
faut essayer...prenez par exemple le train a lanzhou...
sinon fo douiller...et ca fait cher pour pas grand chose...
moi j ai ete a lhassa en 2006 2007 et en 2008 avant les evenement...et aussi en 2009 et on ma jamais rien demandé...
la seule fois que j ai eu un probleme , c etait cet ete en pleine expo de shanghai...et le flic du train etait vachement emerdé...il m a dit que si j avait un visa du nepal ca aurait pu passer , maklheureusement je comptait le prendre directement au consulat de lhassa...
bref...je ne peux pas donner un meilleur conseil que essauer et si problemes il y a ....et que vous dev ez debarquer xining, allez directement dans une des deux auberges de jeunesse du coin (xilanyi) et (golden pagoda) ils vous donnerons de bons conseils...ils sont tres charmants...et bien plus efficaces que les agences de voyages que vous trouverez sur place...
en sortant de la gare prenez le bus un jusqu ta shi si et demandez qin nian lv shi...ou allez sue le website..
mais si vous etes presses par le temps...passer par eux directement...il ont de bons tuyaux
voila
un autre conseil pour les amoureux des chinois et des tibetains...venrz faire un tour a daramsala en inde...c est super interessant
oui je me reilrai..
desole mais hier...je ne pouvais pas me concentrer sur mon texte car beaucoup de gens me parlaient en m^me temps....
je suis a daramasala et le seul bon cyber du coin est tibetain et sert aussi de cabint telephonique vers la chine...
comme je suis le seul etranger de la ville a etra allé plusieurs fois au tibet et a parler couramment chinois, ils me sautent litteralement dessus pour me poser des questions sur leur ville ou village, sur l evolution de la chine ou ils veullent améloirer leur niveau de français...
il est tres intéressanr de noter que la plupart des moines et des jeunes ici viennent tous de la partie ouest du sichuan, l ancienn province tibetaine du Kham...c est la qu'il ya eu le plus violent soulevement anticinois en dehors de lahssa en 2008 et la repression a ete terrible et cette partie du tibet (qui est actuellement au sichuan et aeez touristique) semble encore dans la ligne de mire des autorites...
le parcours des tibetains pour venir ici est interessant: ils reloingnet tous lhassa, en bus ou en train...prennent un bus pour shigathse et de la un autre pour la frontiere nepalese et de la traversent a pied la montagne!!!!! l himalaya quoi!!!!!
ils font appels a des passeurs clandestains et cela leur coute en moyenne 20 000 yuans (2000euros)...ceux qui ont un passeport chinois passent la frontiere leégalement avec un visa népali...(mais ca ne concerne pas les prisoniers politiques)
Arrivés a Katmandu (ou ils restent parfois un an), ils prennent un bus jusqu'a la rontière de l Inde ou ils se font connaitrent comme réfugies tibetains (ils rercoivent alors un laissez-passer d un an)
de la, ils rejoignent le parcours classique des touristes (train ou busde gohkarpur vers delhi ou daramsala) et il leur arrive parfois les mêmes arnaques que aux touristes...(le sentiment general des tibetains envers les indiens n 'est pas fameux:ils apprécient la liberté d'expression et politique mais pensent que les indiens ne sont pas fair plays avec les etrangers)
ici a mac leod gang et da daramsala, la situation est très intéressante: on peut dire que les tibétains occupent la place des britaniques avant 47...ou qu ils occupent la position de patron qui leur est refusé actuellemet au tibet...
et il est parfois dur pour les indiens de travailler a la chinoise...les tibetains travailent 7 jours sur 7 du matin (7h) au soir (10-11h) et bien sur attendent la même chose de leurs employes...genre le walla du café doit rester debout toute la journée, même si y a pas de client...c est parfois un peu dur pour eux...hehe
et ca risque pas de changer car il y a de plus en plus de jeune tibetains qui viennent et il ouvrent tous un bisness a la chinoise...d ailleurs ici on ne se sent plus trop en inde...
voila...pour en revenir au topic...comme je le disais, tentez...et si vous voulez eviter toutes les emmerdes, allez faire un tour au qinhai ou justement dans la région de titang, kanding ganzi etc..c est magnifique (plus que lhassa a mes yeux)
Le Kham et l'Amdo....sont aussi des régions de population tibétaine....totalement libres pour le touriste, pas de permis, ....sans la chape de plomb des chinois imposée dans la T.A.R.
On évite ainsi le racket.......
oui...
libre de touriste c est relatif...yt en a qd même un peu, mais c est vrai qu y fo avoir le temps pur aller la...la route est tellement mauvaise, même si le tunnel de kanding abrege le voyage de 6 h...
on trouve par contre des touristes chinois...et pas mal d expats...car fo dire que dans ces coins recules il vaut mieux avoir des motions de chinois...et c est si beau...
traditionellement les khambas sont les guerriers tibetains
Je prévois avec des amis d'aller au Tibet au mois de juillet pendant mon séjour en Chine. Mais j'ai eu que des échos négatifs concernant l'obtention de ce…
à ceux qui se sont rendus à Lhassa... aviez-vous le permis original? ou bien le document scanné est -il suffisant? J'ai lu que pour le train, une copie du…
M'y perdant de partout pour l'entrée au Tibet, je démarre une nouvelle discussion. Durant mon parcours Ouzbékistan, Kirghizistan, Chine septentrionale, je…
Nous voyageons actuellement en velo en Asie. Apres la rencontre d autres cyclos et apres avoir consulte le super site de Fred Ferchaux nous souhaitons nous…
I’m heading to Laos next spring, but I have a question about the Thai arrival/departure form. I’ll be flying PAR-BKK, then taking the train to Laos (so exiting Thailand), and later re-entering Thailand by train to catch my return flight. Do I need to fill out two forms in this case?
Hi there,
I have a 9-seater passenger vehicle that I use for my business in Paris, transporting people.
I’m planning to go to Algeria with my family.
The vehicle registration lists my company as the owner.
Can I get a TPD (Temporary Admission Document)?
Will I need a KBis extract or a power of attorney?!?
Thanks for your help.
Worst case, I can add my personal name as a co-owner on the registration, but that would be a real shame!
Hi,
I’m bringing Seresta, an anxiolytic (tranquilizer) from the benzodiazepine family,
to help me sleep.
I’ll have the prescription with me.
Will this be a problem at customs, and do I need to declare it?
Same question for antibiotics?
Thanks a bunch!
Hi,
I’m writing to ask for some info—I’ve heard that you **must** have travel insurance to land in Zanzibar.
What’s the process, and which insurance should I get?
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Best,
Seb
Hi there,
I’m a French citizen living in Switzerland, and I set up an RV LLC in Montana, USA. Through that, I was able to register 3 vehicles (an RV, a Jeep, and a Harley) with Montana plates.
I’d like to spend 3 months in Mexico, but it seems complicated—maybe even impossible—to cross the border from the US with all 3 vehicles.
Can anyone give me some advice?
Hi, are there any travelers who’ve recently crossed the border between Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan) and Beineu in Kazakhstan?
It was closed for a while.
Thanks for any info!
I bought a one-way flight (Ryanair) and a return flight (EasyJet) to spend a week in Morocco in April.
My passport expires 3 weeks after the return date.
Some websites say the passport must be valid for 3 months at the time of entry.
However, it will still be valid both on entry and return, but its validity will only be 1 month at the time of entry (and 3 weeks on the return date, everything prepaid).
It's an individual family trip.
The consulate can't give me an answer—they're still looking into it (really!)
Last year, we stayed for 3 months in Thailand, north of Khao Lak, and were able to benefit from the 2-month visa exemption, renewable for one month by going to Takua Pa to validate a 1-month extension (1,900 baht).
This year, it’s a disaster for us—not only were we planning a 4-month stay, adding a visa run in between (which some say is quite risky), but the law is apparently changing in the coming months with the return of the 1-month exemption (plus the usual 1-month option). So, we looked into applying for a 6-month multiple-entry visa, allowing a maximum of 60 consecutive days in Thailand. However, I can’t find anywhere the minimum time required outside Thailand between two stays—do any of you have an idea?
Thanks for the info! If you’d like tips on Khao Lak and the surrounding areas, we’ve got some experience, though things change fast!
Cheers,
Bruno.
My partner, our 8-year-old daughter, and I are going on vacation to Gex.
We’ve decided to spend one day in Switzerland and another in Italy. Will we need ID (national ID card or passport)? Do we also need ID for our daughter?
Hello,
We’ll soon be moving to Madagascar long-term.
As a French national, I need to obtain a short-stay visa that can be converted to a long-stay one. To do this, I have to send the required documents to the Madagascar embassy in Paris.
No issues with that procedure so far.
If I get this visa, once I arrive in Madagascar, I’ll need to provide the same documents to the Ministry of the Interior in Anosy. I’m trying to find an email address or website for the Ministry to check which documents I need to submit (I think they ask for additional ones).
If you have any info on this, I’d appreciate your replies.
Best regards,
M. Buisson Eric
I’d like to know if anyone has already applied for a private visa to Russia with an invitation from a Russian resident.
I traveled earlier this year with an e-visa, but since I want to stay longer, I’ll be visiting my friend who lives in eastern Russia.
For the visa application, does the invitation need to be on an official paper form issued by the Russian ministry? And most importantly, do I need to present the original for the application, or is there an electronic version that can be sent directly to the consulate in France?
Thanks for any info if you’ve gone through this process before!
I filled out the B2 form to apply for a visa, created an account on Atvis to pay the visa fees and schedule a meet-up, but every time I try to pay with my Boursobank Visa 1st card, they refuse the payment with a message telling me to check my details (address), even though everything is correct. Does anyone know why this is happening, or maybe they don’t accept Visa cards? Are you aware of this?
Thanks for your feedback!
Elisabeth
There are rumors going around about the ETA: it must absolutely be on your smartphone in the "ETA" app.
Paper documents might not be accepted.
Is this real or just a hoax?
Thanks, I’m leaving in 3 weeks. My passport is good to go and my ETA is still valid for a year, but I only printed the email I received.
Thanks everyone.
Hi there,
We need to apply for a B2 visa because we visited Iran in 2018. It currently costs $185, but they’re planning an additional $250 fee per person for the same visa—it’s been approved but not yet implemented. Does anyone know when this fee will take effect?
Thanks in advance!
Elisabeth
Hi there,
In November, we're heading off on a 4-month trip. We'll be landing in China and plan to leave the country via a land border into Vietnam.
I’ve read that China may ask for proof of exit within 30 days (flight ticket or other reservation). Since we’d be leaving by land, I’m wondering how this works in practice.
Has anyone here been in this situation recently?
Did the airline ask for an exit ticket before boarding?
Did Chinese authorities require proof upon arrival?
Is a train/bus ticket to Vietnam sufficient?
Is a cancelable or flexible reservation accepted?
Hi there,
Just a question that’s probably been asked before (though usually the other way around for my situation :))
My wife and I are heading to the US.
On her ticket, it only has her maiden name (e.g., Martine DUPOND).
On her passport, it’s written as Martine DUPOND épouse AVRY.
No issues for travel, I hope I did the right thing with the ticket?
Then for the ESTA, is just Martine DUPOND enough, or do I need to include the "épouse AVRY" part like on the passport?
Thanks in advance!
Hi there,
I’m spending a few days in San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) and would like to cross the Argentine border to make a loop toward Salta and then return to Chile to drop off the rental car.
I’ve heard that crossing the border can be tricky!
Is it possible with a rental company’s authorization? Which company, and at what cost?
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Best regards,
Arnale
I saw on the French Embassy in Peru’s website and the Peruvian Consulate in Paris’s site that the rule is to have a passport valid for 6 months *after the arrival date* (not the return date).
I arrive in Peru on August 13, 2019 (for about twelve days), and my passport is valid until February 16, 2020.
That’s 6 months and 3 days after my arrival date in Peru. In my opinion, I’m good to go.
But could I still be denied entry if they say I don’t cover the return date or that I’m too close to the 6-month mark?
I read on the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website that it’s possible to apply for a temporary driving permit in China, valid for 1 month.
I’m planning to rent a car (without a driver) to explore part of the country next August, so I was wondering:
Has anyone here already gone through this process upon arrival?
How long do the formalities take on the spot?
Is it possible to handle these steps in advance, before arriving in China?
Hi there,
My departure is slowly approaching, and now that I’ve got my Russian visa sorted, I’m fine-tuning the rest of my trip to Tajikistan. Since the Tajik visa is no longer required for stays under 30 days (for French nationals), I’ll need to visit the Ministry of Interior (OVIR) to register within 10 days of entering the country. No big deal, though, since I had to go there anyway to apply for my GBAO permit. 😉 However, I’ve *seen* several reports from travelers (mostly motorized) mentioning that you need an entry permit for Kyrgyzstan, which has to be arranged in advance at the Kyrgyz Ministry (consulate?) in Dushanbe. Otherwise, you’re *stuck* at the Kyzyl-Art border (with no Wi-Fi, of course, to try and sort it out). The most recent report was from a year ago, so I’d love to know if this is still the case and if it’s indeed at the Kyrgyz Ministry (consulate?) where you need to go for this pre-authorization.
Does anyone have any recent info on this?
Thanks in advance!
Hi everyone.
I’m leaving for almost 3 months in the Philippines (11 weeks total) starting in early May.
I already have my round-trip ticket.
The problem is, I don’t have time to get a 2-month visa because the process takes nearly a month.
From what I’ve read here and there, I need a return ticket valid for less than a month when I arrive in the Philippines to prove my good faith.
After that, I can apply for a 30-day extension at the immigration office.
I’m planning to either buy a fully refundable ticket to the nearest country or a fake ticket.
For 3 months, I’ll need to extend my visa two more times before my return date to France.
My question is this:
Will immigration ask me each time I extend my visa by one month to show proof of an exit ticket matching the new visa extension date?
Is it possible to extend directly by 2 months before the initial 30 days expire?
Thanks in advance for your experiences and tips! 😊
I’ve been to Thailand several times, but it was about 20 years ago…
There’s a new system in place now, it seems.
TDAC – Thailand Digital Arrival Card.
Before arriving, I apply for a TDAC, okay.
If during my stay I cross the border to spend a few days in Malaysia and then re-enter Thailand,
do I need to submit a new TDAC application?
Do I use the same TDAC as when I first entered the country?
Or do I initially have to pay for a Thai multi-entry visa?
Thanks in advance for your insights—I can’t find the answer online.
My partner (Mexican) entered France on January 21st as a tourist. She was therefore entitled to stay for 90 days in the Schengen Area. She’ll be leaving for Mexico on April 16th, so she’ll have “used up” 86 days.
She plans to return to France on July 18th. According to the European Commission’s Schengen calculator, this new stay “may be authorized for a maximum of 90 days.” That’s not very clear ("may be," "for a maximum of").
The text of Article 6 of the European regulation (2016/399) states that for a stay planned in the territory of the Member States, not exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period, one must examine "the 180-day period preceding each day of the stay." That’s not very clear either.
My partner wants to return to France for a 90-day period starting on July 18th. Is this possible?
There are two ways to look at it:
1) The first day she spent in the Schengen Area was January 21st. That day will drop out of the calculation 180 days later, on July 20th.
From July 20th, she’ll get back 1 day of possible stay; on July 22nd, 2 days; and so on. All the days from her previous stay (January 21st–April 16th) need to be outside the 180-day rolling window.
The last day of her stay was April 16th. Looking 180 days ahead, that brings us to October 13th. From that date, she’ll be able to return for a full 90 days.
2) The number of allowed days is calculated for each day of the new stay. In other words: the 180-day window is recalculated every day, not fixed at the entry date.
If she re-enters France on July 18th, she’ll only have a “credit” of 4 days. But with each day of her new stay, one day from the previous stay (January–April) will drop out of the calculation. The rolling window allows her to “replace” days from the previous stay with those of the new stay, without ever exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period.
In this case, my partner could stay in France for 90 days starting on July 18th.
The Prefecture doesn’t provide any information, nor does Air France, and in the forums I’ve checked, opinions are divided. Thanks for any insights you can share!
Hello,
We’re planning to travel to Indonesia (Sulawesi with family) next July and August for a stay longer than a month (about 6 weeks).
I’ve seen that it’s possible to get a 60-day visa before departure, but I’ve also read about people having a lot of trouble getting it (some even didn’t manage and had to leave without it).
We absolutely need to have these 4 visas BEFORE leaving because once we’re in Sulawesi, I’m not sure we’ll be able to go to an embassy to request a visa extension after 30 days.
In short, how can we **100% guarantee** that we’ll get our 4 60-day visas before our trip this summer?
Hello, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!
We’re heading back in October for a trip through Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
I have a question: for our route, we’ll need to cross the Zambia and Zimbabwe borders twice each. From experience, I know we won’t have any issues with Botswana.
But for the other two countries, I can’t find a clear answer.
All your tips are welcome!
I’m currently a student on a gap year, and I don’t plan to go back to school right away. That said, traveling really interests me. But I’ve been wondering: does being a student come with any perks when you decide to go abroad? The real question is whether I should re-enroll in a program just to keep that status without actually attending.
hi everyone,
I’m French and live in France, and my Thai girlfriend just told me she’s pregnant—she lives in Thailand. First step, a paternity test to set my mind at ease. What steps do I need to take to recognize the child? Can I do it before the birth or only after? Where do I need to go, and what paperwork is required?
Just to clarify, I want him to stay in Thailand but be able to come to France anytime without any issues!
Thanks for taking the time to read and reply.
