Traveling internationally can be difficult at the best of times. Each country requires a different set of forms, you have to have proper identifying documents from your own country, and that’s not even to mention the specific regulations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is where iVisa comes in.
iVisa is a travel document congregation service designed to make traveling internationally easier. Alongside current information about travel restrictions and regulations, they offer an Expedited Visa Service which allows you to receive an eVisa in less time than it would take to apply independently. It’s trusted and used by hundreds of frequent travelers around the world every day.
Here’s what you need to know about iVisa’s expedited Visa service.
Who is iVisa?
iVisa is a travel document coordination service. It was started in 2013 by David and Sergio after a long and arduous application process for a visa to visit India. Their mission, according to their website, is to “[provide] customers with a simple, fast, and reliable way to get travel documentation for their journey.”
They offer services for letters of invitation, health declarations, passport photos and renewals, and several other travel documentation services. They also offer helpful listings on their website of embassies around the world. Of course, their most popular tool is the Expedited Visa Service, which covers
- Transit Visas for short pass-through visits
- Tourist Visas, the most popular kind for vacation travelers
- Business Visas, for those spending an extended amount of time in a country for work without moving there permanently
- Student Visas, for students attending school in a different country
- Immigrant Visas, for those planning to move permanently to their destination country
- Journalist Visas, for those working with news organizations in foreign countries
- Diplomatic Visas, for those carrying diplomatic passports
They also offer a few other kinds of Visa processing including those for fiancées and spouses. The site collects all of the information you need for a Visa application in one place and fills out the form for you, submitting it to the appropriate government agency for approval.
The iVisa website is simply laid out with a convenient search bar at the top of their home page to take you directly to the documentation you need to travel, including any fees that may be included. They also have easy-to-understand tabs for American passport renewal and photos.
Is iVisa Legit?
iVisa is, in fact, a legitimate business. It’s highly recommended by its customers, with an average Trustpilot rating of 4.5. Most of the reviews there commend the service on their quick work and excellent customer service, which lines up well with the information offered on the company website. They offer refunds for rejected visas and 24/7 customer support for ease of use.
There are some negative reviews of the company to contend with, but they are very few and far between. Most of them deal in slow processing times, which is often because of governmental red tape rather than to do with the actual service. There have also been some mild complaints about their passport photo service, saying that the process is overly complicated. Still these comments have been widely outnumbered by positive reviews.
There have also been some issues with refunds. Though it’s difficult to say how accurate these reviews are, it is possible to say that many of the complaints seem to stem from logistical errors with applicants putting information in incorrectly and it not being caught soon enough to resolve the issue. So, while there is some genuine concern about the service being slower than advertised, they are generally well-liked and deliver on time.
Another vote of confidence for iVisa is that the company will let you know whether or not you actually need a Visa at all. They don’t automatically recommend getting a Visa for every visit, and will instead only point you in the direction of the documents you really need.
Finally, iVisa’s staff is made up of people from around the world, who are familiar with international travel and the stresses that come with it. The team is dedicated to making this process as easy as possible for everyone involved.
Is iVisa Safe to Use?
To put it shortly, yes, iVisa is a safe site to use. As mentioned, they are a legitimate business with appropriate credentials to be dealing with the kind of sensitive information needed to obtain a Visa, and so they understand the risks associated with doing so online and have taken steps to ensure that the process is as smooth and safe as possible.
In their dedication to keeping your personal information secure, iVisa’s Expedited Visa Service uses end-to-end encryption to hide it during every step of the process. The site does not store payment information on your profile, meaning that the transactions are one-time and secure. Additionally, their site itself is listed as secure, meaning that whatever you enter there will not be accessible to outside sources.
On top of that, they work directly with information from national governments’ own websites rather than relying on third-party outlets. This means that the information you give them is only ever going from you to iVisa and then straight to the government office it needs to go through.
Why Choose iVisa?
Though it is possible, and, in fact, quite usual to do your own travel documentation independently, it can also be remarkably confusing. Especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, every country has their own travel restrictions, regulations, requirements, and forms that need to be filled and approved before international travel can occur.
Though these documents are listed on each country’s government website or available through your local embassy, it can still be incredibly time consuming to not only find all of the forms, but fill them all out by hand. The more documents you have, the higher the risk there is that something will be filled out incorrectly, meaning unnecessary delays and denials.
Using a site like iVisa can cut down the paperwork processing time significantly, saving you hours or even days of annoying legwork. Though there are many competitor sites to choose from, iVisa comes so highly recommended because of their proven record of success – they have hundreds of testimonials from pleased clients for you to reference.
Not only that, but, as mentioned, they have stellar customer service that is ready and able to streamline their application process even further and deal with any issues that may arise as quickly and efficiently as possible.
How Does the iVisa Expedited Visa Service Work?
The iVisa application process starts by figuring out whether or not you need a Visa at all.
Type your departure and arrival countries into their search function and review the requirements presented. iVisa gives you information about how much any necessary Visa will cost (including government fees and the fees for the service itself), the number of entries you’ll be allowed, and how far in advance you should apply.
If you do need a Visa, then you would pick the appropriate form to fill out for your needs as recommended by iVisa. You fill in the application with all of the information it requests, then pay – iVisa accepts debit and credit cards as payment, as well as PayPal in some countries – and wait for an approval email.
In the approval email, you will be able to download and print your digital Visa. According to iVisa, the document should be printed on a blank sheet of A4, white paper using one side only per sheet. This can take as little as ten minutes after your application is submitted. You would then present this eVisa to the immigration officer just as you would a normal Visa.
You can also apply for a paper Visa through much the same process. The normal processing time for this is roughly 3-5 business days. iVisa offers rush processing that will have your documents to you in one business day, and super rush processing which can have them to you in eight hours (on weekdays only). Understandably, there are extra fees associated with opting for rush or super rush processing.
One of the most impressive things about the site is that, once you’ve completed one Visa, your information is saved to a personal profile, which means that your next application can be auto filled in seconds. You can also apply for multiple travelers at once, making family travel significantly easier.
How Do I Get Started with iVisa?
To fill out your Visa application, you’ll need access to your personal information, including any identifying documents you have (passports and driver’s licenses are the most common forms, but military IDs are also frequently used), as well as the details of your trip (where exactly you’ll be staying, how long, and why).
You can begin their one-form application online by searching your home country and destination country and selecting the appropriate application. You can also call their customer service line or live chat with an agent for more detailed advice.
Here are some additional tips for using iVisa’s Expedited Visa Service.
- Be absolutely certain that the information you’re entering is correct, and make any final changes before submitting it. iVisa processes the information you give them verbatim, so if you make an error, your Visa may be rejected.
- If you do notice an error on your application after you’ve submitted it, contact iVisa’s support immediately – they recommend doing so through chat. The faster you can inform them about the error, the more likely it is they will be able to correct it without having to restart the process.
- Understand that there may be long processing times for your Visa depending on the government you’re dealing with and when you’re traveling (expect longer delays during the holidays especially). Apply for your Visa well in advance of your trip.
- If you want to avoid unnecessary fees and potential delays, reach out to an iVisa agent and ask for clarification before submitting your Visa application. Some fees are imposed by the government and not iVisa themselves, so may not be visible in the initial charge.
Conclusion
If you’re ready to dive back into the world of international travel but unenthusiastic about the sheer amount of paperwork and regulation reading you’re going to have to do, iVisa might be exactly the service you need. With easy-to-fill applications and constantly-updating regulation information, they can help you be out the door and on a flight as quickly as possible, all from the comfort of your own home. If you are not friendly with Visa or passport here is guide explaiing difference between a passport and a visa.