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28 Apr 08 - China - For a business visa, a Visa Notice (invitation) from the authorized unit in China is now required, even for a single entry visa. The sponsor in China can fax this notice.

21 Apr 08 - China - To get a multiple entry visa, the ORIGINAL invitation, requesting multiple entries must be submitted with the application.

15 Apr 08 - China - The Chinese consulate updated their website with this Notice of Additional Requirements MORE

15 Apr 08 - China - The Chinese Consulate in Chicago has advised, no rush service until further notice.

10 Apr 08 - China - The Chinese consulates are requiring a hotel confirmation and confirmed travel itinerary from all applicants, for both business and tourism, starting tomorrow Apr 11th. We have also heard that the Chinese offices in Hong Kong are no longer issuing multiple entry visas and are taking at least 4 days to issue visas.

04 Apr 08 - Customer Service - We have almost finished our first week of implementing a new phone answering procedure. In our continued effort to improve and simplify our clients travel preparations, we are going back to the basics of answering the phone. We still have an answering system as a backup. Hopefully many of you will notice our Focus on the Phones Campaign.

31 Mar 08 - Cambodia and Thailand - Both countries are increasing their consular fees on April 1st.

28 Mar 08 - Final Rule on Passports for Land and Sea Travel - The rule requires travelers to present a passport or other approved secure document denoting citizenship and identity for all land and sea travel into the United States. These document requirements will be effective June 1, 2009. MORE

17 Mar 08 - China Travel Alert - The State Department issued a travel alert today regarding the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China. We do provide 3 links with more information at the bottom of the following page. We also have a similar page for each country listed on our site. MORE

13 Mar 08 - Azerbaijan and Togo - raised their visa fee for U.S. citizens to $131.

09 Mar 08 - Peru - The visa application now requires a fingerprint.

28 Feb 08 - Passport Extras - We have added a page containing quick links for passport authorization letters, finding passport acceptance facilities, getting a certified birth certificate, getting married in another country and many more. MORE

18 Feb 08 - Kosovo - The U.S. today recognized Kosovo as an independent country. As entry regulations are redefined by the newest country in the world, we will update our information. MORE

11 Feb 08 - Presidents Day Holiday - Monday, Feb. 18th the U.S Passport Offices, most embassies and consulates and Perry International will be closed in honor of the holiday.

11 Feb 08 - U.S. Passport Information - We have modified the passport section of our website. We now have instructions for the new Passport Card. The U.S. State Department has also modified their site for completing the online application. MORE

04 Feb 08 - FedEx fee increase - Because of the increased costs of shipping, on Feb 18th, we are raising our charge to FedEx documents back, on our account, to $25 for Priority Overnight shipping. As always, a completed, pre-paid label, of your preferred shipping service, may be included with the documents to avoid return shipping charges. Packages shipped on our account have their tracking information emailed to the client when the package is shipped. We can also assist if there are any delays with FedEx. Any shipping, not on our account, is the responsibility of the client. We do not keep copies or tracking information on a clients label.

29 Jan 08 - US Passport Fees Increase - On February 1st the U.S. Department of State will be raising the fees for U.S. Passports. Please see our passport section for details.

14 Jan 08 - China - The visa fee charged by the Chinese government, to U.S. citizens, will increase by $30 on January 22, 2008.

13 Jan 08 - Martin Luther King Holiday - Monday, Jan. 21st the U.S Passport Offices, most embassies and consulates and Perry International will be closed in honor of the holiday.

11 Jan 08 - U.S. Passport Card - The U.S. Department of State added the following link to their website, stating they will begin accepting Passport Card applications on February 1st. However, there is not yet an application or instructions to apply for the card. MORE

08 Jan 08 - Turkey - The Turkish government has raised their visa fees.

03 Jan 08 - U.S. Passport Card - The U.S. Department of State finalized its rules regarding the new pass card and hopes to begin issuing them by April. MORE

31 Dec 07 - Russia - The visa fee charged by the Russian government will increase by $31 on January 14, 2008.

31 Dec 07 - Brazil - The visa fee charged charged by the Brazilian government, to U.S. citizens, will increase by $30 on January 2, 2008.

31 Dec 07 - Chinese New Year - The Chinese New Year begins Feb 7th. The government offices of many countries will be closed Feb 6th, 7th, 8th and in some cases 11th. MORE

31 Dec 07 - Taiwan - The visa fee charged charged by the Taiwanese government, to U.S. citizens, will increase by $30 on January 2, 2008.

29 Dec 07 - Authentications and Legalizations - For our clients that get documents authenticated or legalized, the fee for the Seal of the U.S. Department of Sate will go up to $8. We have updated our instructions to show this.

29 Dec 07 - U.S. to raise visa fees to $131 on Jan 1, 2008 - We expect many countries to reciprocate and raise their fees.

18 Dec 07 - Dec 24th, a Federal Holiday - President Bush made Dec 24th a Federal Holiday and the U.S. Passport Offices will be closed. Most embassies and consulates will be closed. Perry International will also be closed.

16 Dec 07 - Calendar - We have added a Calendar to our website which will contain information on when various offices are closed. We have also modified our menu to help focus on primary areas of the site. The secondary menu now contains links to additional content found on our site. MORE

16 Dec 07 - Moslem Holiday - Because the Moslem holiday of Eid Al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) is Dec 20th. The Embassies and Consulates of most Moslem Countries will be closed from Dec 19th through Dec 25th.

14 Dec 07 - Enhanced Drivers Licenses - State-issued enhanced drivers licenses provide proof of identity and U.S. citizenship. MORE

13 Dec 07 - United Kingdom - A new student-visitor category has been introduced for short term students who wish to study in the UK for six months or less but who do not wish to take part-time employment or seek an extension of stay. U.S. passport holders, traveling to study short term, must declare themselves student-visitors or they will not be allowed to study.

07 Dec 07 - Russia - The Russian Embassy and Consulates will be closed from Dec 30th through January 8th. No visas will be isued during that time and there will probably be a significant delay when they reopen.

06 Dec 07 - New Document Requirements Beginning January 31, 2008 - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of State (DOS) remind the traveling public that as of Jan. 31, 2008, all adult travelers will be required to present proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, and proof of identity, such as a drivers license, when entering the United States through land and sea ports of entry. MORE

03 Dec 07 - Bolivia - The Bolivian Embassy has a new visa application and they are requiring 2 of them along with 2 photos.

03 Dec 07 - Brazil - The Brazilian Consulates are now requiring a copy of a state ID with all visa applications.

28 Nov 07 - United Kingdom - From December 3, 2007, all visa applicants, irrespective of nationality, will be required to provide their biometric data when they apply for a visa for the United Kingdom. This WILL NOT affect U.S. citizens who are staying less than 6 months as no visa is required for them. MORE

05 Nov 07 - Veterans Day Holiday - The U.S. Passport Office, most consulates and embassies and Perry International will be closed Monday, November 12th for Veterans Day.

02 Nov 07 - Schengen Agreement - Schengen Agreement - Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia will join the current Schengen countries. They will begin to implement the agreement on 21 December 2007 for overland borders and seaports, and on 29 March 2008 for airports. For U.S. passport holders, the total stay allowed in the Schengen Area is 90 days. Those nationalities that require a short term visa can get one visa valid for all countries. The entry requirements page for each country participating in the Schengen agreement does contain this information. MORE

01 Nov 07 - Brazil - Brazil has started insisting that an itinerary be submitted with business visa applications. We have always asked for this in our instructions. It was just not mandatory, in the past.

30 Oct 07 - Japan - Effective November 23, 2007, Japan will implement new immigration procedures which require fingerprints and a facial photograph be taken upon arrival.

26 Oct 07 - Emailing Invoices - More and more clients are asking for invoices to be emailed to their accounting department. If you are not currently getting invoices emailed and would like to, let us know.

19 Oct 07 - Money Orders - More and more countries are requiring postal money orders to pay consular fees. Perry International will be charging $5 for each money order that we get. Clients may send in a postal money order with their visa application and avoid the $5 charge. We have included new instructions regarding money orders in our visa packets for the following countries: Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, India, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kyrgyz, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Sweden, Thailand, Togo, United Arab Emirates, and Zambia.

19 Oct 07 - India - Indian visas, on average, are taking 7 business days.

04 Oct 07 - Angola - The Angolan Embassy advises that some applications require prior permission from Angola before they can issue the visa. Since March, we have not seen the embassy issue a visa and the fees are nonrefundable.

01 Oct 07 - Columbus Day Holiday - The U.S. Passport Office, most consulates and embassies and Perry International will be closed Monday, October 8th for Columbus Day.

27 Sep 07 - Bolivia - Bolivia has a new visa application.

27 Sep 07 - Nigeria - Nigeria is now requiring the visa application be completed and the consular fee be paid online. In addition they are requiring applicants have their photo scanned into a file and uploaded while completing the application online. The embassy is charging a $20 or $65, depending on turn around time, processing fee in addition to the consular fee paid online.

25 Sep 07 - Chinese Holiday - The Chinese consulate in Chicago will be closed Oct. 1st. through 3rd, next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The embassy in Washington DC will only be closed Oct 1st, so we can process emergencies through the embassy.

25 Sep 07 - Website - We have modified our website to offer the visa packets for Work visas. We have also made some modifications that we hope will improve the functionality of the visa section.

24 Sep 07 - India - The Indian government has announced the outsourcing of Indian visas will begin Oct. 1st. The biggest change will be that all applications must be completed online. We have added the link to this application in the visa section of our website. The fee for Indian visas will increase by $13. In addition all applications will need to be submitted with an individual postal money order. Clients may get their own money orders or Perry International will get them for an additional $5 service charge per money order. A copy of a driver license or state ID will now be required with all applications. Visas not requiring special approval will take 3 days at the outsourcing company.

21 Sep 07 - Tanzania - Tanzania has increased their consular fee for U.S. citizens

05 Sep 07 - U.S. Passports - The temporary accommodation, allowing U.S. citizens to travel by air within the Western Hemisphere using a receipt of passport application, will end as scheduled at midnight on September 30, 2007. MORE

03 Sep 07 - India - We are raising our service charge to assist with Indian visas. For U.S. passports our service charge will be $55 and for Non-U.S., it will be $65.

29 Aug 07 - India - The Indian government is in the early stages of having its entire visa application process outsourced. The consulates and embassy will stop accepting applications and everything will go through a private company. No dates have been set for this transition. While all of the consulates are backed up, Chicago has completely fallen apart. There are, literally, thousands of passports and applications stacked up along the walls. The consulate has no idea how long visas will take. We are still waiting on applications submitted Aug 2nd. Visas are processed based on an applicants state of residence. The embassy in Washington DC even requires a copy of a State ID proving residence. The other 3 consulates in New York, Houston and San Fransisco, currently, only use what is listed on the application for determining residence. If clients use the visa packets for processing in these other locations, they must have an address in that consulates jurisdiction. This may change at any time.

28 Aug 07 - China - The Chinese Government has a new 2 sided application. They have advised that the application must be the front and back of a single sheet of paper. This form WILL BE REQUIRED STARTING SEP. 4TH. They have also advised us that, an invitation is only required for multiple entry visas. Single entry visas will be issued without one. A multiple entry visa may also be requested if the applicant has a previous Chinese visa in their passport.

24 Aug 07 - Brazilian Holiday - The Brazilian Consulates and Embassy will also be closed Friday September 7th.

24 Aug 07 - Labor Day Holiday - The U.S. Passport Office, most consulates and embassies and Perry International will be closed Monday, September 3rd for Labor Day.

24 Aug 07 - China - In response to U.S. policy, the Chinese Government is going back to the issuance of single entry visas. The visas will be valid for 1 year, but only for a single entry. Also, for a business visa, an invitation from the host company in China is again required. Tourists may apply for a double entry visa, if they have an itinerary showing the need for two entries. Business travelers may apply for a multiple entry visa with an official invitation from an authorized Chinese unit.

23 Aug 07 - India - Indian visas are now taking from 3 to 4 weeks. The Chicago Consulate is in complete chaos. We have seen at least 1 other visa service decide to no longer work with this consulate. While we will continue to submit applications on behalf of our clients, we have no control over if and when a visa is finished.

06 Jul 07 - Thailand - Thailand has raised their fees for visas.

05 Jul 07 - China - Beginning August 1st, the basic Chinese visa, for U.S. citizens, will be a 1 year multiple entry visa. They will charge $100 for this visa. There will no longer be single or double entry, short term visas.