U.S. citizens need a passport valid for at least 7 months beyond completion of the tour. A visa is required for Kenya and Tanzania. Tauck has collaborated with Pinnacle Travel Documents Systems (TDS) in the U.S. to assist our guests with processing and issuing their visas. TDS visa kits for 2011 may be downloaded through our www.tauck.com website. You will find that the ‘Visa Kits’ link is accessible at the bottom of most pages on our website. Fees will be listed on visa paperwork. We recommend that guest’s mail their passports to TDS by a traceable mail delivery service. TDS has effectively processed thousands of visas for U.S. citizens traveling with Tauck.
The visa fee, as well as any applicable consular fees and shipping fees, are not included in the tour cost, and payment should be mailed with the completed application directly to TDS. The visa application will include the amount of the visa fee, which varies by destination. If you have questions, please call Tauck’s visa specialists at 866-951-0077. To speak directly with TDS Customer Service, call 888-838-4867 (toll-free in the U.S.). Please note that visas cannot be processed more than 90 days prior to departure and that the process will take several weeks.
Non-US citizens should contact the consulates of any countries that we visit to determine if a visa is required. If guests wish to obtain visas on their own they may contact the agencies below for detailed entry information.
We landed in Arusha, Tanzania on January 19, 2012, and it seemed half our plane descended on one or two visa officers at the airport. S-o-o-o-o, the answer to your question - in our experience - is to get the visas before you leave. I saved some money by filling out the paperwork myself and sending our passports by FedEx to the Tanzanian Embassy in Washington. When the passports were returned in about ten days, I sent the Kenyan paperwork to their Embassy in Washington.
It's much easier than it sounds. If you go on the Internet and look up the Tanzanian and Kenyan Embassies in the U.S., there are easy instructions to follow.
As the Tauck representative said to you, be sure you will still have seven (I thought it was 6 months) months remainingon your passport when you return from your trip. Also, the Embassy will want you to have at least two unused pages in your passport for their visa. Two pages for Tanzania and two for Kenya.
Hope this helps. You may wish to visit our Tanzania / Kenya Safari 2012 blog for more information about our trip. It was awesome.
Comments
U.S. citizens need a passport valid for at least 7 months beyond completion of the tour. A visa is required for Kenya and Tanzania. Tauck has collaborated with Pinnacle Travel Documents Systems (TDS) in the U.S. to assist our guests with processing and issuing their visas. TDS visa kits for 2011 may be downloaded through our www.tauck.com website. You will find that the ‘Visa Kits’ link is accessible at the bottom of most pages on our website. Fees will be listed on visa paperwork. We recommend that guest’s mail their passports to TDS by a traceable mail delivery service. TDS has effectively processed thousands of visas for U.S. citizens traveling with Tauck.
The visa fee, as well as any applicable consular fees and shipping fees, are not included in the tour cost, and payment should be mailed with the completed application directly to TDS. The visa application will include the amount of the visa fee, which varies by destination. If you have questions, please call Tauck’s visa specialists at 866-951-0077. To speak directly with TDS Customer Service, call 888-838-4867 (toll-free in the U.S.). Please note that visas cannot be processed more than 90 days prior to departure and that the process will take several weeks.
Non-US citizens should contact the consulates of any countries that we visit to determine if a visa is required. If guests wish to obtain visas on their own they may contact the agencies below for detailed entry information.
Hope this helps,
Emily
It's much easier than it sounds. If you go on the Internet and look up the Tanzanian and Kenyan Embassies in the U.S., there are easy instructions to follow.
As the Tauck representative said to you, be sure you will still have seven (I thought it was 6 months) months remainingon your passport when you return from your trip. Also, the Embassy will want you to have at least two unused pages in your passport for their visa. Two pages for Tanzania and two for Kenya.
Hope this helps. You may wish to visit our Tanzania / Kenya Safari 2012 blog for more information about our trip. It was awesome.
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leomcyr/1/1326885220/pod.html
Leo M.