> -1. I think the IETF/IAOC job for planning locations was and > should include these considerations. I would expect that Argentina > was also selected based on the expecation that everybody could > get a visa and mot folks don't even need one. And i very much i am proven > wrong to worry that this might not be the case. > > But this is the second country where i can not find on their website an > authoritative statment whether i would need a visa or not. All i have is > one website in german that claims i need to. The recommendation > made by someone on this thread to not get a visa and then declare at > immigrations what i want to do (attend IETF conference) and then risk > the chance of a "oh, you'd needed a business visa for that" is IMHO not > sane business ravel planning. Neither is lying. I can do that all day > long on private travel, but not when i expect an employer to pay for the trip. > And when i do not want to ensure that i do not get a 24 hour roundtrip flight. > > [rant] > My data point why i worry is simple: I went to india last week to > meet colleagues. Now India has this new e-tourist visa process. Simple, > online, uncomplicated. As opposed to their normal visa process which > changes every year, and which last time had me standing in line in a consulate > forever just to be then sent back with "oh, as a non US-citizen you can not > come in person to deliver your paperwork" (2014) And finally i had to give > up on a planned 2014 trip because i couldn't find the time to give up my > passport for three weeks. So this year, i called up the consulate phone line > and got no precise answer about e-Tourist visa for a "business" trip, but > rather something like "oh, well, if you want, get a visa". So i asked around > in my company whether i could/should use that e-visa process and everybody i > asked said that it is a risk to do that because they might turn you around at > immigrations in Bangalore. As opposed to the real visa where thats never (from > their memory) happened. > > And alas, i know someone who arrived 2AM in bangalore from a 9 hour trip and got > turned around (no visa) into the 4AM machine flying back. Fun trip (not). > The airlines are even forced to always keep a seat empty to accomodate for > that situation. And if there are two folks, and the plane is otherwise full, > you go to detention until the next plane. > [/rant] as a typical american, i never travel, fear trains, and have a generally hard time dealing with these things. so i bow to your clearly superior expertise. randy