Consular visa application - any experience?

So there seems to be literally no one who has actually written about applying for consular visas to Papua New Guinea as far as I can find on here. So, if anyone has any experience doing so, please drop me a line! I'm asking on behalf of my Russian husband. I am fully aware the nearest embassies are Brussels and London but London is simply a no go and Brussels isn't the most convenient either. Although London confirmed that applying elsewhere like Manila and Jakarta (two places we would be going to beforehand) would be possible.

What really bothers me, however, is that London INSISTS on financial proof, Manila is "if required" and Jakarta says nothing at all. Although processing times could be an issue as we would try and do this around the holidays too.

Wikitravel says the following (don't know if it will be of use to you):

If you live in a country that does not have a Papua New Guinean embassy or consulate, you may be able to apply for a PNG visa in advance at an Australian or British embassy, high commission or consulate. For example, the Australian Embassy in Copenhagen [2] accepts applications for PNG visas from residents of Denmark, Iceland and Norway; the Australian Embassies in Budapest [3] and Warsaw [4] also issue PNG visas. The British Embassy in Minsk [5] and Riyadh and the British Consulates in Al Khobar and Jeddah [6] accept applications for PNG visas (this list is not exhaustive). British diplomatic posts charge £50 to process a PNG visa application and an extra £70 if the PNG Department of Immigration and Citizenship requires the visa application to be referred to them. The PNG Department of Immigration and Citizenship can also decide to charge an additional fee if they correspond with you directly.

Not that it will be of much use to you, as I guess you will be flying into PNG, but there is a report on the consulate in Jayapura/Port Numbay here:

https://www.theodysseyexpedition.com/2010/days-715-721-my-papua-visa-hell

It doesn't give much details (no mentioning of financial proof) and it's not really a positive report either, and there's a very long rant right in the middle of it. Wikitravel confirms this processing time:

As of August 2014, 60 day tourist visas are issued by the PNG consulate in Jayapura free of charge. Processing time is five business days.

Oh @Matman3 that's fabulous, thanks so much! Not sure how I missed the Wikitravel quote! Although Jayapura is indeed an option due to being in Indonesia at the same time of intending to go to PNG!

Guess I'll be giving the UK embassy here in Moscow a call.

Funnily enough I received my PNG visa today at the Australian Embassy in Moscow. Sent the following documents to entries at immigration.gov.pg : application form, passport copy, air tickets, hotel booking, bank statement and covering letter explaining my travel plans and that I need to collect the visa at the Australian Embassy in Moscow as I live in Russia, where there is no PNG embassy. The visa was ready for collection exactly one week later, although I did phone them a number of times (using the number on the PNG Immigration website) to make sure they had received my application, printed it off, processed it, etc, which I felt definitely speeded up the process.

Jayapura is probably only convenient if you plan on arriving in PNG via the nearby land border (unless you plan on visiting Indonesian Papua, then leaving the island, and then going to PNG via Bali or a third country).

Alternatively, you can also obtain the free visa with no hassle (and very quickly - turnaround of one business day is possible if you demonstrate that you need to leave quickly!) at the PNG consulate in Cairns, Australia, which is well-connected to the rest of the region has decently-priced daily direct flights to Port Moresby (cheaper than going via Bali/Singapore/Manila whenever I looked).

@eddyv interesting, so you live in Moscow? sounds fairly easy but the bank statement and letter...ugh!

@knowah Cairns is, as it currently stands now, completely unrealistic as a place to get the visa for my husband - it'd be easier and quicker to go to somewhere like Jakarta or Manila! But that is useful to know all the same :)

Yes, I live in Moscow. For the bank statement I literally just printed off the statement from the internet banking site of my Russian bank account. It was all in Russian language and I did not even bother to get it translated into English. The letter took me about 5 minutes to write - I just wrote a very polite letter explaining my travel plans in a few sentences and why I needed to get the visa in Moscow and not on arrival at the airport in Jakarta (I live in Moscow and will be entering overland from Indonesia).

The main thing, based on my own experience and that of Russians who have applied this way, is that even when your visa is ready they will not inform you that our visa is ready unless you chase them up yourself by phoning the number on the website.

Jayapura used to do visas for Russians but do not any more. Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur are good places

Now I'm intrigued about where you're from :) you're the 2nd person I've spotted on here in Moscow now!

It's probably not too helpful for you but I got my visa at the consulate in Brisbane, and all they asked for was:
- Completed application form
- Passport with six months validity
- 1x passport/biometric photo
- Letter with rough itinerary (later deviations are possible)
- Return flight reservation

So, no financial proof needed. They said it'll take seven working days but they ended up posting my passport after three days! One expects requirements to be all the same, but then again countries like PNG are everything but organised. I reckon you should be able to get a visa for your husband in SEA with no issues.

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