Uzbek Visa applying far in advance

[leela]

I understand that the 30 days stay has to be within three months of the application. As it can take a couple of weeks for the application to go through, does the three months start from the date the application is handed in, or from the date that the visa is picked up? We could be working in quite a tight time frame, so the extra week or two could make a difference.

[steven]

It's usually not a problem to apply more than 3 months in advance.

[leela]

Has that changed then? When I accidentally applied 3.5 months in advance, three or four years ago (London Embassy), my application was returned and I had to resend it a couple of weeks later.

[steven]

I see... It has not changed, actually. It's simply that most embassies don't make a big deal out of it. I remember my brother applying in Brussels 6 months in advance a few years back, and that was fine. I didn't know the London embassy makes such a big deal out of it.

In your case, if it's still the same guy manning the desk there, I believe it starts from the date the visa is picked up - but that's more of an educated guess rather than anything else.

[leela]

Thanks Steven. I might see if I can call them to check. I'll report back if I find out anything.

[leela]

First hurdle. When I filled in the online form as required, when I went to print it, it had been time stamped, and was only valid for three months from today. So even worse than I thought. It's not even three months from lodging the form and documents at the embassy.

I'll try to call the London embassy tomorrow. But I seem to remember it being very difficult to get through last time I tried to call.

[steven]

Thanks for the heads up, leela. I will add that to the visa article. Hopefully the e-visa system will alleviate such worries in the future. For now, I guess we are stuck with this issue.

[leela]

Well I finally got through to the embassy, where an exceptionally grumpy guy said that it should be okay to bring in last night's forms for a visa for entry on June 1st. But he didn't fill me with confidence.

I'll come back and report in a couple of weeks.

[leela]

Sorry for the late report. But there was no problem at all with getting the visa, despite the date on the top of the form being wrong.