No diplomatic things involved I guess. Simply the damned security people who rule the whole country basically and decide on everything. The MOFA is just a bunch of puppets.

I have some ideas why they act like this - we left a significant trace in the Algerian bureaucracy back in Jan 2010 (when we were there) and then tried again in March... but this doesn't mean they should behave like this (not even answering to visa applications).

Ah, a group of Polish were involved too, so that might be the problem for you guys... sorry...


g.

Gagarin: What do you mean by saying:

?

Regards,
T.

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www.globerider.pl

Hi,

What I mean - we organized a rally over there and till the last minute all the authorities (7 ministries were involved) gave us green light. We did the scouting in Jan 2010 being escorted all the way by Gendarmerie and sometimes Army. (We didn't ask for this, but we had no choice.) Sometimes 15 vehicles and some trucks, 60 people e.g. from In Salah to Amguid and beyond). For 4 of us Big fuss about the whole thing.

Then the last minute when we were waiting for the visa - it just never arrived. Got a fax a week after the event should have been officially started, that they don't think it's a good idea. That's it.
That's the story really in a nutshell.
2 years of work and tens of thousands of Euros down the drain.
Lots of Hungarians and Polish were involved... hence my guess guys with these passports have problems with those idiots.

Another rally (way more professional and bigger scale) also get screwed by those bastards this year.

Unless they do some serious changes over there I'm not going to even think about that region...


g.

Seems to be a person-specific issue, we received our visas at the Budapest embassy in two weeks as promised, no hassles. Other members of our party in Prague/Brussels had same experience.

Hopefully will be able to report on situation in the Djanet / Tassili N'Ajjer area in three weeks.

About visa applications, I'm sure that it depends where (country) you're from (ie. it depends from your country's Algerian general consulate).
For exemple, in France you don't need to give the "original" form from the agency you've chosen, a copy is OK.

Other topic: I've received a reply fromTanezrouft Voyages telling me that, to go to Beni Abbes and Timmimoun, I need to be escorted with "gendarmes".
I'm very surprised about that, may be it's only if I left the tarmac betwen these two towns.

What is you opinion?

RR.

I believe the 'original invite' requirement in the UK (as well as a longer issuing time and much higher price) was a response to the Brits turning the screws on Algerian visa apps. In Europe the old fax method is still used.

Rally organisers should have got the message by now: your events are not welcome/treated suspiciously in Algeria, I suspect because the army (who calls the shots) doesn't want the bother. A few years ago Hubert Auriol (ex Dakar racer and TSO chief) tried to organise a mini rally/raid in Alg. You'd think he'd have some clout/connections, but same thing: last minute the Algies dumped on him.

The good news seems to be that that confrontation between agencies and the tourism ministry has come to nothing so far. If tourist invites were handed over to be issued by the ministry, I suspect the space-time continuum would have collapsed.

As for Beni Abbes area, I believe that is a special case for the wilaya or Adrar, possibly as a result of a skirmish there two years back (AQIM types coming up from the south), or similar activity. My group got caught up with the green & whites in February coming down along the road from Oran ('pour votre securite'), at times crawling along at 40kph or waiting hours for the next patrol to turn up and take over. If I was to try and get to Timimoun, I would come down the TSH and turn after El Golea. Shame, as that corner is a nice area.

Anywhere else in Alg, it's just agency escorts required, AFAIK.

Ch

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Morocco Overland 4 pre-order for Xmas • Trans Morocco Trail

So, if I understand well, If I come from El Golea (coming from In Salah, after a Immidir/Ahnet loop), I can go to Timmimoun only with our guide?
And I want to continue till Beni Abbes (by road) ? ... I've never get there.
RR.

You'll have to ask Tanezrouft, roro, I am just speculating as usual.
And actually Beni Abbes is in Bechar wilaya according to this map so maybe the Moroccan border is the issue with the gendarmerie (who are a national guard and not regional?, so wilaya borders may be irrelevant, anyway).

Ch

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Morocco Overland 4 pre-order for Xmas • Trans Morocco Trail

Thanks Chris,
I've asked to Tanezrouft and Fouad told me that stuff about gendarmerie for Timm and B.Abbes but I prefered have other advices...
RR.

Hi All,

Just in case this is some help to you we have gotten our Algerian visas but we will only be travelling in the centre and North of Algeria.

We applied on the 12th September in Switzerland (now we are actually on the road) and we both received our tourist visas by the 29th Sept, just 2 days before leaving on our trip.

So Algeria HERE WE COME!!!
We applied as Swiss and Norwegian because the Algerian consulate and Embassy in Switzerland requires you to prove you are living working in the country before you can apply. Essentially following all the process duely and using Tanzerouft we were able to get our tourist visas for 30 day single entry. We even never actually went in person the the consulate or embassy just sent the cash in the registered mail post with our passports and applications and all the supporting docs, photocopy of the passport. Of course it was a little work to coordinate this with Tanzerouft but it all worked out well.


We will enter from Taleb Labri border by motorcycle from Tunisia and leave from Ghazaouet by ferry to Spain. We are riding two-up (Riding2up) and we are using Tanzerouft as guides for the whole trip taking 9 days to cross Algeria.

Tanzerouft faxed a letter to the consulat/embassy for us and it was relatively quick given other reports. So I don't know what the fuss is all about, were we just lucky. I don't know. But the true test will be when we arrive at the border with our beast of a bike and the two of us...

Anyway it's back to uploading photos...

You can follow our trip reports and photos from our website Home - Riding 2Up

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TurboCharger + Francois (our BMW R1200gs) '07
www.riding2up.net, blog.riding2up.net