Okay, so I’ve been meaning to take a trip to the Cayman Islands for a while now. I live in the UK, and, I finally decided to get the ball rolling and figure out this whole visa situation. Let me tell you, it wasn’t as straightforward as I thought it would be.
First things first, I started by doing a bunch of Google searches. I mean, where else would you start, right? I typed in stuff like “Cayman Islands visa for UK residents” and “how to apply for a Cayman Islands visa” and a whole lot of other similar things. I even tried searching for “Do I need a visa for Cayman Islands?” Just to make sure that I need one or not.
I stumbled upon a bunch of websites, and most of them were just visa agency sites which I am not a fan of. I finally found the official government website, but even that was a bit confusing. There wasn’t a super clear step-by-step guide that I could just click on and follow. I got some general idea that I might need to contact the Overseas Territories Visa Section at the British Passport Office to figure out the cost and process, or so it seemed.
Then I found another website saying that I could apply online through a company called Atlys. I’ve never heard about them, but hey, if it meant I could do it all online, I was willing to give it a shot. They had some information on their site about the process, but it still felt a bit vague.
What I really wanted was to hear from someone who had actually gone through the process themselves. I started looking for forums or blogs where people might have shared their experiences. I found a couple of threads where people were asking the same questions, but no one had really posted a detailed account of how they got their visa.
I also read that processing usually takes about 7 to 10 working days, which is good to know. I also saw something about a DS-160 form, but I think that’s for US visas, not the Cayman Islands, so I just ignored that part. I also tried to find out how much it will cost me, but the websites are not really clear on that.
And guess what? I just found out that I don’t need a visa, because I am 14. I feel so stupid right now. I mean I could’ve just booked my flight. But, hey at least I learned something new, right? I will write another blog about the actual process once I’m there. It was a long and messy process, but I finally got it sorted. Hopefully, this will help some of you who are planning to go through the same thing.
So, that’s my visa saga for now. I’ll keep you guys posted on how the actual application goes. Wish me luck!