Hardest Countries to Get a Visa to Visit in 2022

There are currently 195 countries all over the world, and many people want to have the opportunity to visit and travel across all of these countries. However, because of visa requirements, not everyone can move freely when they travel.

Some countries have a more lenient visa policy, while others have made it harder to obtain a tourist visa. Several countries do not issue tourist visas due to safety and political reasons. Some countries are under a totalitarian regime and are closed off to the rest of the world.

Here is a list of the hardest countries to visit:

Russia

One thing that makes the visa application process to Russia challenging is the many questions in the application form- especially if you are an American citizen since you have to answer double the number of questions. To get your Russian visa approved, you must also list every single trip you took in the last ten years, with details where you went, when, and how long you stayed. If you’ve traveled often, this part may be the most difficult for you. However, if you fill in the visa application correctly and provide all the required information you can get a visa to visit Russia.

Cuba

This country is particularly difficult to visit for American citizens. If you are American, you cannot enter the country for tourist purposes, you must belong to one of the 11 categories of authorized travel. If you do get permission to enter the country, you will receive a pink Tourist Card– different from the Green Tourist Card that is issued to other nationalities.

Iran 

Visas to Iran are hard to get mostly because you need to have a verification code before you apply for a visa. This authorization code is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Iran, but an official Iranian travel agency has to apply for the code on your behalf. However, due to the usage of eVisas, the process for a tourist visa for Iran has become much easier. Additionally, several countries can now apply for a visa on arrival (with pre-approval).

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is one of the least visited countries in the world due to having a rigid visa policy. It’s particularly difficult to get a visa mostly because it requires everyone to apply for a visa, the only exception includes visitors from some specific parts of Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan and some visitors with diplomatic passports.

Chad

Only 14 countries have visa-free access to Chad, the rest of the world has to apply for a visa to enter the country. However, getting a visa can be challenging. One of the most complicated parts of the visa process is getting an invitation letter- to get the letter you need to have a sponsor or a hotel in the country’s capital, N’Djamena, who will write it for you. To secure this invitation letter, you have to book a room at a hotel (if you have no other sponsor), and for the reservation, you have to pay the full fee which is non-refundable. This means that if your visa application is rejected your money is lost.