Passports and Visas

Turkmenistan – one of the most repressive and isolated countries in the world – is also one of the least visited nations for travelers from Boston.  However, cautious, adventurous travelers who are not deterred by the difficult process for obtaining a Turkmen visa can enjoy historic, cultural and religious sites, as well as ancient Silk Road trading posts, rare desert wildlife, and resorts on the Caspian Sea.

More than 6.5 million people live in the former Soviet republic, making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in Asia.  Turkmenistan is bordered by Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, and Uzbekistan.  For centuries, Turkmenistan has been a trade thoroughfare, as the ancient Silk Road spans the country.  In recent years, its major international trade activities have revolved around its large oil and natural gas reserves.

Chicago area tourists have been allowed to visit Saudi Arabia ever since the kingdom finally opened the door to leisure travelers in 2019, following decades when most visitors were businesspeople, government officials, Islamic pilgrims, and/or expatriates visiting family members.  The largest nation on the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia’s natural treasures range from the beaches of the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf to its hot dry deserts, mountain ranges, grasslands, and forests (located in the Asir Mountains).

The Republic of Angola – a former Portuguese colony that endured decades of civil strife during the Twentieth Century – has experienced a renaissance over the past 20 years. “Safe and welcoming, this friendly nation transports that laid-back, community-oriented lifestyle of southern Portugal to continental Africa – and travelers are once again discovering its charm,” the World Travel Guide noted (https://www.worldtravelguide.net/guides/africa/angola).

With 1,000 miles of Atlantic coastline, the southwest African nation beckons Nashville area travelers with tropical beaches, virgin rainforests, vast plains, savannahs, wetlands, and hardwood forests.  The gleaming skyscrapers of the capital city, Luanda, provide a dramatic counterpoint to the traditional villages that dominate a sprawling country that is over eleven times the size of Tennessee.

Editor's Note: U.S. passports are currently taking up to seven weeks to process using the government's expedited service.  It is possible to get a passport in less time by scheduling an appointment with the Passport Agency by calling 877-487-2778 and appearing in person at their office.

More residents of Augusta are obtaining U.S. passports as international travel grows, especially for large companies like EZGO Textron and other manufacturers that export their products all over the world.  Augusta is also home to Fort Gordon, a U.S. Army base providing steady paychecks to over 30,000 service members and civilian employees, some of whom may choose to travel internationally for leisure purposes.   

Algeria remains a mysterious and unexplored country for most Salt Lake City tourists, as well as for business leaders across the state of Utah seeking commercial opportunities overseas.

Bordered by the Mediterranean Sea and several other North African countries, Algeria’s tropical and subtropical climates encompass fertile land in its northern region and the Sahara Desert to the south.  The second largest country in Africa, Algeria is the continent’s fourth largest tourist destination.  The country also offers numerous business opportunities, particularly in the oil and gas, power, infrastructure, IT, and defense sectors (https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/algeria-market-opportunities).

Editor's Note: U.S. passports are currently taking up to seven weeks to process using the government's expedited service.  It is possible to get a passport in less time by scheduling an appointment with the Passport Agency by calling 877-487-2778 and appearing in person at their office.

More residents of Fort Lauderdale are obtaining U.S. passports as international travel grows, especially for students and faculty at the numerous colleges and universities throughout the region participating in study abroad programs.  Broward County is also home to over 600,000 foreign-born residents, many of whom become naturalized U.S. citizens and require Americans passports to travel back to their country of origin to visit family.

Singapore, the modern city-state located just off the Malaysian peninsula, draws leisure and business travelers from Orlando and across the globe with its modern amenities and spectacular natural beauty.  The island nation offers travelers amazing beaches, state-of-the-art accommodations, exciting nightlife, and unique culinary experiences.   

Now known as the Republic of Singapore, the tropical archipelago was known for centuries for the marine trading post Temasek.  In the early 1800s, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles of Great Britain established a port of call in Singapore, eventually transforming the island into a major trading center and a British colony.  Occupied by Japan during the World War II, Singapore separated from Britain in 1959 and became a sovereign nation in 1965.  Today the “Switzerland of Asia” is a global financial and corporate center that ranks among the most prosperous nations around the globe.  Despite being one of the most densely populated countries in the world, Singapore boasts clean modern streets, low crime rates, futuristic skyscrapers, and one of the world’s busiest ports.

The Republic of Mali -- a landlocked former French colony in West Africa -- is better known today for its continued civil strife than as a tourist destination.  The U.S., British, and other governments recommend citizens do not travel to Mali because the risks of crime, kidnapping, and terrorism remain high.  While civil unrest has closed some popular tourist destinations to the general public, many other attractions remain open for cautious, adventurous travelers from the Minneapolis-Sain Paul area.

Mali is one of the most remote countries in the world and one of the hottest.  Covering 480,000 square miles, the country stretches from the middle of the Sahara Desert in the north to the more heavily populated Sudanian Savanna to the south.  Drained by the Niger and Senegal rivers, the remote country offers travelers cultural treasures, desert sand dunes, rolling plains, tropical savannahs, and woodlands.  Mali’s largest metropolitan area, the capital city of Bamako, offers a more Westernized alternative to the traditional villages found across the country.  

Tourists have begun returning to the African nation of Gabon as the country once again welcomes visitors following the COVID pandemic.  Located on the equator bordering Central Africa’s Atlantic coast, Gabon allows travelers to explore the broad savannahs, dense rainforests, mountain ranges, thundering waterfalls, and coastal plains of the Congo basin.  The nation is home to some of the most diverse flora and fauna in the world, including gorillas, chimpanzees, hippos, elephants, humpback whales, and more than 400 species of trees.   

While Gabon is not a common destination for the average American tourists, the country has been of interest recently among those in Washington, D.C.’s political circles who deal in international affairs.  Gabon is the first country in Africa to get paid by international organizations for protecting its forests.  90% of Gabon is covered in dense forests, creating an excellent opportunity for the exportation of timber to industrialized countries that require this commodity to manufacture building materials, furniture, paper products and other consumer goods.  However, Gabon also has an opportunity to protect these forests and use the unharvested land as a product that can be sold as “carbon credits” to wealthier nations (these forests help absorb carbon and therefore have value in the marketplace for those countries needing to offset their “carbon footprint” by purchasing carbon credits).

Editor's Note: U.S. passports are currently taking up to seven weeks to process using the government's expedited service.  It is possible to get a passport in less time by scheduling an appointment with the Passport Agency by calling 877-487-2778 and appearing in person at their office.

More residents of Savannah are obtaining U.S. passports as international travel grows, especially for large companies like Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation that export their products all over the world, and local schools such as Savannah State University and The Savannah College of Art and Design that have expanded their international programs in recent years. 

The state of Georgia’s strong economy and growing population are also contributing factors to the increased demand for new passports.  Metro Atlanta and other Georgia cities like Savannah make up one of the fastest growing regions in the United States.  Of Georgia’s 10.8 million residents in 2021, nearly 150,000 live in the city of Savannah and there are over 400,000 people living in the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham counties.  In 2022 the U.S. Passport Agency issued 545,735 passports to residents of Georgia; in 2018 there were 481,331 passports issued to residents of the Peach State, marking a 13.4% increase.