Russia Holiday Update

By Summer Jenkins, Communications Director, G3 Visas

With Christmas and New Year’s fast approaching, please be aware that Russia will close its consulates and the Foreign Ministry in Moscow for an extended period. We can expect the Russian Foreign Ministry to be closed as early as the 30th of December and possibly staying closed to the 16th of January, which is the first Monday after the celebration of Old New Year’s on the Julian calendar.  This means that there will no business invitations issued during this period. The embassy will most likely be closed for 7-10 business days as well, with a short week schedule in the second week of  January.

We recommend that any travelers planning a business trip to Russia in January or early February should contact G3 now to initiate visa processing, as business invitation processing will come to a virtual halt for about three weeks during the holiday.  For more information, please contact G3′s Country Information Coordinator for Russia, Jonathan Phillips, at Russia@g3visas.com.

Visa Updates
India: The updated visa application which was scheduled for release in early November is currently on hold. Our sources do not know when the new application will be released. As the new application is expected to be more difficult than the current one, we recommend that travelers planning trips to India get their applications in now, before the application changes. As all India visas are valid for at least six months after the date of issue, visas can be applied for well ahead of the departure date.

Cameroon: Gun permit applicants must also now provide original proof of their legal ownership of the guns. Photocopies of gun registrations or permits are no longer accepted.

Republic of Congo: A new version of the visa application has been released. Additionally, tourist visa applicants must now submit either a copy of hotel reservations or a confirmation letter from their Congolese tour operator.

Southern Sudan: A new visa application has been released.

Embassy and Consulate Closures for December
December 1: Central African Republic, Chad, and Myanmar Closed
December 2: Laos Closed
December 5: Thailand Closed. Ashura – many embassies closed, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
December 6: Ashura – many embassies closed, including Bangladesh and India.
December 8: Paraguay and Uzbekistan Closed
December 9: Cambodia, Tanzania and Thailand Closed
December 12: Kenya and Thailand Closed
December 16: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Kenya and South Africa Closed
December 19: Qatar Closed
December 22: Zimbabwe Closed
December 23: India Closed
December 26: Christmas/Boxing Day – all US Passport Offices and embassies closed. All G3 Offices Closed.

Further embassy closures are possible; not all embassies announce their closure schedules in advance. For updated embassy closures calendars, please see www.g3visas.com or our Facebook page.

Questions? Ask Us!
Do you have any questions about visas or passports that you’d like us to answer? Email them to newsletter@g3visas.com, and we’ll make sure your question is answered, and you may see your question featured in a future edition of G3 Global Insight!

After the heavy stench of ozone started to clear, ioSafe officially took the wraps off the Solo G3 -- the latest in its line of fire and waterproof storage solutions. Unlike previous models this one actually manages to ditch the fan, and therefore runs almost completely silent in operation. The G3 isn't for those looking for an inconspicuous device. This external data safe sports a unique design with a perforated exterior and weighs in at a staggering 15 pounds. Around back you'll find the powerjack and switch as well as a USB 3.0 port for high-speed data transfers. The G3 is available starting at $299 for 1TB of storage. Check out the pair of galleries below.