Libya - Applying for a Transit Visa

ProcedureEdit

There are a lot of people who like travelling by car. They find it a very convenient and independent way of having a holiday, and you can also save quite a bit on the tickets. More and more families prefer travelling by car to going for a holiday by train or plane. If you decided to travel from the Libya to Tunisia, Niger or Egypt other west African countries by car, you need a transit visa . This type of visa allows you to cross Boarders of those countries on your way to the main destination and stay a maximum of ten days in the area.

When you are filling a visa application form for a transit visa, instead of the hotel name and address, you should put your relatives' or friends' address in the country where you are going to stay during your vacation.

You should be aware of the following visa supporting documents when you are going by car

If you are the owner of the car, you should provide:

log book for the car with your full name on it and car details,
your driving license,
and the car insurance.
If you are leasing the car, instead of the log book you need to submit the lease agreement.
If you have passengers in the car, and they also need a transit visa, their full names should be added to the list of booking.
If you fail to provide any of these documents, your visa application may be considered to be incomplete.

To apply for a Transit visa, you must have the following:

A completed visa application form
A passport that is valid for more than six months
Two color passport size photos with a white background
A fee of 300 LYD (payable in cash)
An invitation letter from from a relative/ friend and a recommendation letter from your employer describing your occupation, reasons for visiting and arrival and departure dates.

Single-entry visa: once the visa approval is secured from the Immigration Department in Tripoli, the approval will be used to obtain the Transit visa on arrival at the entry port. No contact with the embassy is needed, unless required. The process can be completed in one week, less than a week like 5 days , depending on 'nationality' and local circumstances. You will be sent a copy of the approval as a proof of Transit visa, which you will need to print and keep with you before crossing the border.

Multiple-entry visa cannot be obtained on arrival. Instead, the authorisation number or the approval will be sent to the embassy of your choice to secure the transit visa from the embassy, where you will also need to provide the above required documents.

The visa approval must be used within one month of issue, and if the stamp is obtained on arrival then a fee of 100 Libyan dinars needs to be paid to the immigration authority at the airport (only applies to one-month business visa). The fee for 6-month visa is paid to the embassy.

Single-entry visa cannot be extended to 3- or 6-months visa once in Libya, nor the latter can be obtained once in Libya. Exit from the country is required before securing a second entry visa. However, one-month visa can be extended by only one month while still in Libya.

The multiple visa usually takes around two weeks to process, but sometimes the approval or the transit visa number takes 5 days to be faxed to the appropriate embassy. This requires the need to apply 10 days in advance to allow for unexpected delays.

Required DocumentsEdit

To apply, please you need to provide the following:

A clear scanned copy of your passport's bio data page (the page with your photo).
Your profession.
Estimated dates of arrival and departure.

Passport: Please make sure your passport meets the following legal requirements:

The passport must be valid for at least six months when you leave Libya.
The passport does not have an Israeli stamp.
The passport must contain at least two blank pages.

Office Locations & ContactsEdit

Ministry of Tourism
Bab Albahr
Near Tripoli Seaport
Tripoli
Libya
Tel.: 021-3364621 (+218213364621)
Fax: 021-3364605 (+218213364605)
Website: http://www.tourism.gov.ly/

The Libyan Ministry of Tourism:
AlJala Road,
P.O. Box 82063 (and P.O. Box 71981),
Tripoli, Libya;
Tel: (+218) 21 3334673;
(+218) 21 503 041;
Fax: (+218) 21 4445336.

EligibilityEdit

Any visitor transiting or crossing Libya from border to border along the coast need a transit visa.

FeesEdit

The price of transit visa at the Libyan-Egyptian border depends on the number of visas required.
The individual cost drops considerably for groups of travellers arriving together.
No guide is required.
The price includes the high cost of the guide's travel to the Egyptian border to process the actual visa on arrival.
The guide is not required for the journey, but he must be present at the border to issue you with the visa stamp, which explains why the cost of libyan visa on arrival at Tripoli airport or the Tunisian border is much cheaper.

(Egyptian border fees for transit Visa)

One visa 195 dinar
Two visas 100 dinar
Three visas*** 85 dinar

Number of transit visas (Tunisian border)

One visa 85 dinar
Two visas 65 dinar
Three visas*** 50 dinar

ValidityEdit

Transit visa approval is usually valid for 30 days beginning from the date of issue, and therefore it is Okay if you get delayed a few days or more along the way, since you can enter at any day within the month of entry. But the duration of stay in Libya is only two weeks (14 days), starting from the date of entry.

Documents to UseEdit

http://www.temehu.com/transitvisa.htm

Sample DocumentsEdit

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing TimeEdit

5 working-days to process the visa.

InstructionsEdit

The passport must be valid for at least six months when you leave Libya.
The passport does not have an Israeli stamp.
The passport must contain at least two blank pages.

Required InformationEdit

Scanned copy of your passport's bio data page (the page with your photo).
Your profession.
Estimated date of arrival.
Payment.

Need for the DocumentEdit

The visa is granted for transiting or crossing Libya from border to border along the coast. When available, this kind of visa does not require a "guide", unless specifically requested. Usually it takes around 5 working-days to process the visa, but to guarantee arrival on the specified date it is best if you send your documents 10 days before arrival.

Transit visa cannot be used for tourism purposes, in the same way one is not allowed to work in the country without a work visa; but from experience we can confirm that transit travellers can stop at any point along the coast including archaeological sites, and can camp wherever there are suitable and safe places for camping.

Since the tour guide or the escort is no longer required (since 2012), it is best to apply for tourist visa instead. The other difference is that transit visa allows less time in Libya than the tourist visa.

Information which might helpEdit

Unlike what many visitors had wrote about the old visa law (of the ousted government), The guide was never required for transit visas issued by the old Libyan embassies; and the confusion seems to relate to the fact that Libyan operators then were not allowed to issue transit visas, and so travelers who sought visas from Libyan companies were granted tourist visas instead (which then required the guide). Libyan embassies under the new government still issue transit visas without the need for the guide.

External LinksEdit

http://www.temehu.com/transitvisa.htm
http://www.vfsglobal.com/Italy/Libya/Transit.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/opic-g293806-i9127-k2228702
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/libya/passport-visa

OthersEdit

More information which might help people.