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Airline seats, hotels and transport on the ground may be arranged in seconds, but it could take days or even weeks to secure passport, health and visa documentation.

As the travel arranger, it’s important for you to ensure that the necessary documentation is to hand, or is at least being processed before any flight tickets or hotel rooms are booked.

With the travelling population becoming much more internationally diverse, it can’t be taken for granted that all travellers have British passports and enjoy relatively trouble free immigration formalities when entering foreign countries.

Check the nationality and passports of your travellers. Keep a record of their details and make a note of any visas already obtained.

Did you know…? Did you know…? Did you know…?

If a passport contains an Israeli stamp, you will have to make sure that the holder doesn’t need to travel to Syria, Saudi Arabia or any other country where reference to Israel prohibited. Similarly, many countries will not allow entry to Chinese residents of Taiwan even if they hold a visa.

Generally a visa, permits a person to travel to a country, however permission to enter is not granted until the passport, visa and other applicable documents have been cleared at immigration.

The rules for entry in to the United States have been stepped up and it is vital to check that the traveller’s passport is acceptable before they set off.

Many High Commissions, Embassies and Consulates will need to keep a passport for a number of days in order to issue a visa. The Embassy of the Russian Federation, for example, normally requires 7 working days to process a visa. For a trip at short notice the fee for a visa issued the same day is £90. This increases to £120 (single entry) or £150 (multiple entry) for visas issued within an hour.

On some occasions a visa may be issued on arrival at the destination, in these cases the airline may ask the passenger to sign a form of indemnity before they check in for the flight.

The efficient travel management company will hold the correct forms and will be able to arrange collection of visas but do expect the traveller’s passport to be unavailable for a few days.

Did you know…? Did you know…? Did you know…?

The embassy of Saudi Arabia will only accept forms that are completed in black ink, those written in any other colour may be returned.

Most European Union nationals will be able to travel within the EU using their identity cards. As these are not yet used in the United Kingdom, it’s sometimes necessary to apply for a second passport. This is usually a simple formality, as long as the employer is able to confirm that the passport holder is required to travel overseas regularly whilst their passport is held by embassies when issuing visas.

Columbus World Travel Guide (www.columbus-group.co.uk) provides a comprehensive breakdown of all passport, health and visa regulations along with a host of other useful travel information for almost every country in the world. This essential information is also available on a new website, gocoti.com

Ensure that visas can be obtained before booking flights and hotels. Remember most embassies close for their own, as well as their host country’s public holidays.

Every day, airlines are forced to carry deportees who have been denied entry to a country due to incorrect or non-existent visa or health documentation – don’t let this happen to your travellers.

Travel planning check list

• What is the traveller’s nationality?
• Do they have odd stamps in their passport?
• Do they need a visa, if so what type?
• How long will it take for the visa to be issued?
• Where is the embassy?
• Do they need a letter from the company?