Expensive Visa In The World
Whether it’s an investor visa or a work visa, the cost of getting a visa to live and work in another country can be excruciatingly high. Here are just some of the most expensive visas in the world.Do you think you’ve got it tough? That all your money struggles are behind you? Wait till you read this. Hold onto your wallets, folks. This article is about the top 10 most expensive visas and passports in the world!
The world’s most expensive visas exist in virtually every corner of the globe, but the jurisdictions highlighted below are particularly renowned for their imposts – even though local services and assistance have never been better. Of course, one of the reasons these nations charge a premium to visit (or reside) is to raise funds for development projects, or simply to keep an influx of counterfeit or non-resident currency from unbalancing the economy. For our purposes here, however, we examine visa fees according to basic monetary conversions:
Expensive Visa In The World
Most Powerful Passports in the World
Every year, Henley and Partners publish a Passport Index that ranks all of the world’s passports according to the number of countries to which their holders can travel without a visa. Before releasing the list, they also use data from the International Air Transport Association. India’s passport, along with Tajikistan’s, is placed 90th, allowing visa-free travel to 59 countries.
The list of countries which feature in the top 10 with regards to having a powerful passport is as follows:
| Rank | Countries | Countries they can visit without Visa |
| First | Japan, Singapore | 192 |
| Second | Germany, South Korea | 190 |
| Third | Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain | 189 |
| Fourth | Austria, Denmark | 188 |
| Fifth | France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden | 187 |
| Sixth | Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland | 186 |
| Seventh | Malta, Czech Republic, Greece, Norway, United Kingdom, United States | 185 |
| Eighth | Australia, Canada | 184 |
| Ninth | Hungary | 183 |
| Tenth | Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia | 182 |
World’s most expensive passports
The costliest passport in the world is issued by Australia and costs 282 dollars, while the cheapest passport is issued by Tunisia and costs only 25 dollars. The holder of an Australian passport can visit 171 countries without obtaining a visa. It’s worth noting that the cost of an Australian passport has risen by 41% in the last ten years. Canada and New Zealand issue the next most expensive passports in the world. The top five most costly passports in the world, as well as their fees, are shown in the table below.
| Name of the countries | Application Cost |
| Australia | US$282 |
| Turkey | US$255.66 |
| Switzerland | US$182 |
| New Zealand | US$168 |
| Canada | US$161 |
Visiting the iconic Red Square or skinny dipping in Lake Baikal is no easy undertaking. A tourist visa to Russia is among the most difficult travel visas for Americans to obtain, and its high price only makes it more challenging to acquire. The Consular Division of the Embassy reserves the right to request from applicants things like a statement from the employer regarding the preceding year’s wages, medical insurance, and even a certificate on the makeup of the applicant’s family.
What makes the price so high is the fact that, according to the Russian Embassy, “US citizens shall as a rule be issued multiple-entry business, private, humanitarian, and tourist visas that are valid for three years (36 months) from the date of issue of the visa” — and while single-entry visas start at just $90, multiple-entry visas start at $270 (and go up to $540 if you require a quick turnaround time).
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2. The Democratic Republic of Congo: $200
Photo: Marian Galovic/Shutterstock
If your bucket list activities include observing wild mountain gorillas in the historic Virunga National Park or trekking Mount Sabyinyo, a dormant volcano, it’s going to cost you. A tourist visa to the Democratic Republic of the Congo costs $200 for Americans. Visa applications must be submitted several weeks prior to departure as “no Congolese visa will be issued at any port of entry,” according to the Embassy of the Republic of Congo. However, the tourist visa grants Americans access for 180 days and allows multiple entries, so it makes for a good excuse to explore other parts of Africa on the same trip.
3. Afghanistan: $195
Photo: Mark Time Author/Shutterstock
Make sure to set aside an extra $195 if you hope to check out the Buddhas of Bamiyan, the Gardens of Babur, or the awe-inspiring Blue Mosque in Afghanistan: With a $160 visa fee and $35 processing fee, tourist visas for Americans don’t come cheap. Moreover, your signed and notarized visa application plus all necessary documents must be delivered to the Afghan Consulate in New York City, Beverly Hills, or Washington, DC. Once approved, the visa does grant access for a 30-day stay, so make sure to set aside ample time for the trip.