6 places your Aussie passport won’t take you
We’ve got the sixth most powerful passport in the world, but that doesn’t mean we can travel anywhere our hearts desire, unfortunately. Escape have sussed out six destinations you’ll find it hard to travel to, and we think you’ll be surprised by one of them in particular.
1. Eritrea
Located in the Horn of Africa and bordered by Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti, Eritrea isn’t exactly a hotspot for Aussie tourists, but nevertheless, you’ll find it hard to travel there. While attaining a permit to enter the country is hard enough, it’s even more difficult to obtain permission to LEAVE. “Obtaining these permits can be time consuming and permits may be denied,” Smartraveller advises. “The Australian Government cannot influence the Eritrean Immigration Department to issue exit permits.”
2. Nauru
As the hub of the Australian Government’s controversial refugee policy, the former smallest country in the world is impossible to enter without a visa, thanks to restrictions imposed in February 2016. In fact, Smartraveller doesn’t even have an advice page for the tiny island nation. Best to stay away.
3. North Korea
While most Aussies love to visit South Korea, a fair few are keen on experiencing life over the border in ultra-strict North Korea – purely out of curiosity, in most cases. Smartraveller urges Aussie tourists to “reconsider your need to travel to the DPRK due to restrictions placed on foreigners and very different laws and regulations applying to behaviour, as well as intermittent DPRK threats against international interests.” There’s also the risk of being randomly arrested and detained, so if you want to avoid being behind, give it a miss.
4. Turkmenistan
Good luck getting into this Central Asian country – you’ll need a written invitation and an approved guide. The dictatorship has the honour of being ranked third-last in the globe for media freedom.
5. Saudi Arabia
Despite sharing its borders with the United Arab Emirates, a popular tourist destination, it’s almost impossible to enter Saudi Arabia. You’ll need a business visa, and even if you do get in, Smartraveller warns of the high terror threat in the nation.
6. Brazil
We were surprised by this one, too. While it’s obviously not impossible to visit Brazil, it is harder and more time consuming for Aussies than Kiwis, who can enter without the hassle of a visa. It takes up to 15 days to process a tourist visa, meaning you can’t just add the 2016 Olympics host country to your South American journey at the last minute.
Have you visited any of these countries before? Share your experience with us in the comments below.