Everything You Need To Know About Visas

What Is a Visa?

A visa is an official document that allows the bearer to legally enter a foreign country. The visa is unremarkably stamped or glued into the bearer'south passport. In that location are several dissimilar types of visas, each of which afford the bearer dissimilar rights in the host country.

Check out How Do I Apply for a Visa? for more data.

What Is a Travel/Tourist Visa?

Travel visas let the bearer to enter a strange country for touristic and leisure purposes only and stay for a predetermined amount of time. These visas practise non entitle the holder to work or engage in any business organization activities in the host country.

What Is a Work Visa?

Piece of work visas are required for individuals who wish to take on employment or appoint in business activities in the host state. At that place are several types of work visas that depend on the nature of the work and length of stay. For example, working vacation visas allow individuals to temporarily take on employment while travelling through the country.

What Is a Business Visa?

A business organization visa allows the bearer to enter the host country and engage in concern activities without joining that country'due south labour market. For case, an individual may crave a business visa if they are travelling to a country to do business concern with another company or if they are attending a business organization briefing. The visitor typically must testify that they are not receiving income from the land.

What Is a Student Visa?

A student visa is a blazon of nonimmigrant visa that allows the bearer to enrol at a postsecondary educational establishment in the host country. Loftier schoolhouse foreign substitution students must typically obtain a visa for temporary residence.

What Is a Refugee/Asylum Visa?

Refugee visas and aviary visas tin can exist granted to individuals fleeing persecution, state of war, natural disasters and other situations in which their life is at chance.

What Is a Working Holiday Visa?

Working holiday visas allow the bearer to undertake temporary employment in a country through which they are travelling. Not every state offers a working holiday program. Australia has the most popular such program.

What Is a Spousal Visa?

Spousal visas let partners to visit each other when the couple does not hail from the aforementioned country.

What Is a Transit Visa?

Travellers may sometimes crave transit visas in order to pass through a country that is not their destination country. Transit visas are typically required if y'all have a layover in a country of more than a few hours.

What Is an eVisa?

An eVisa, or electronic visa, is a digital visa that is stored in a database rather than stamped or glued into the bearer's passport. The eVisa is linked to the individual's passport number. Applications for eVisas are typically done over the Cyberspace and the applicant volition receive a paper document to present while travelling.

Immigrant Vs. Nonimmigrant Visas

Travel visas can exist separated into two categories: immigrant and nonimmigrant. Immigrant visas allow the bearer to reside permanently in the host state, whereas nonimmigrant visas allow the bearer entry into the host state on a temporary basis.

What Does a Visa Await Like?

Traditional visas tin can either exist stamped or glued into your passport. If your visa is glued into your passport, it is usually a pocket-sized document that includes your proper name, passport number, place of birth, reason for travel and expiration appointment. Stamped visas typically have less information on them. They normally merely have the destination and appointment from which the visa is valid and official instructions stating how many days the visa is valid for.

Why Do I Need a Visa to Travel?

Visas are necessary if you'd similar to travel to a land that does not have a visa policy in identify with your dwelling country.

Many countries take visa policies and agreements that allow their citizens to travel freely betwixt them without the need for a visa. For example, Canadians and Americans do not demand visas in society to travel to each other's countries, only valid travel documents. However, Canadians do need visas to travel to Bhutan, for case, since no visa agreement exists between the two nations.

Bank check on Passport Index to encounter if you need a visa to travel to your next destination.

What Is a Visa Policy?

A country's visa policy is a rule that states who may or may non enter the land. The policy may allow passport holders of one country to enter visa-gratuitous but not the passport holders of another land. Well-nigh visa policies are bilateral, meaning that two countries will permit visa-free travel to each other'southward citizens, simply this is not always the case. For example, Canadian passport holders may travel to Grenada visa-complimentary, just Grenadians must apply for a visa in order to travel to Canada.

There are no hard and fast rules for countries when determining visa policies. However, some typical considerations include diplomatic relations with the other country, the history, if any, of illegal immigration from the country, toll and tourism factors, and more.

Why Do Certain Countries Have Visa Restrictions?

Countries accept visa restrictions in society to bank check and command the flow of visitors in and out of the land and to prevent illegal immigration and other criminal activities. Forcing travellers to apply for a visa allows the authorities to vet potential visitors. For example, individuals may try to travel to a country with amend economic opportunities in guild to piece of work illegally there.

When Do I Need a Visa?

When you need a visa depends on where you'd like to go. If your dwelling land has a visa understanding with the country to which you intend to travel, then you likely will not demand to apply for a visa beforehand. However, if your home country does not have a visa agreement with your intended destination, then you must apply for a visa before travelling.

Run across our Passport Index to notice out where you can travel visa-free with your passport.

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Applying for a Visa

How Do I Apply for a Visa?

Using your preferred search engine, detect the official regime immigration website of the country you intend to visit. In one case you've constitute and read all the information, including the visa application requirements, fill out the required travel visa application form. You may be able to send in the form electronically or you may be required to send information technology by mail. If your destination requires visa on arrival, and then you don't demand to worry about applying for a travel visa beforehand. In this case, once yous become to your destination you may be required to fill out a visa form and pay whatever applicable fees. Double bank check the requirements with the relevant website or consulate as you may demand to bring a passport-sized photo equally well.

What Are the Requirements for a Visa?

Each state has its ain visa awarding requirements. Make sure to bank check with your destination country's advisable government website to find out. Requirements typically include filling out the visa application form, providing your passport for stamping if required, a photograph, and boosted documents such as your flying itinerary, hotel booking or letter of invitation.

Many countries also have inadmissibility guidelines when it comes to issuing visas. Potential visitors may be deemed inadmissible if, for example, they have a criminal history, are a security risk, have a serious health problem, have serious financial problems and more.

If you exercise non meet the visa requirements for the country you intend to visit it is highly probable that your visa awarding will exist denied and you will not exist allowed entry into the country.

What Are the Supporting Documents Required for Visitor Visas?

When filing your visa awarding with the embassy of the country you intend to visit, you lot will be asked to include supporting documents with the main visa application. The post-obit is a list of commonly requested supporting documents:

  • Letter of invitation.
  • A photocopy of the information folio of your passport.
  • 1 or two photographs of a specific size determined past the visa office.
  • Proof of fiscal support during the trip.
  • Travel insurance.
  • Aeroplane tickets.
  • Proof of purpose of travel.
  • Visa application fees.

What Is an Invitation Alphabetic character for a Visa?

Some countries, such as Canada and the United States, may require the visitor to include a letter of invitation with their travel visa application. A letter of invitation is a formal alphabetic character from the person you intend to visit stating that they are inviting yous to visit them in that country. Invitation letters aid travel authorities vet potential visitors by making sure that a temporary visit is indeed the true nature of the visa asking. Check with your intended destination's government website for details on what needs to be included in a such a letter.

What to Look During a Visa Interview?

Once you have filed your visa awarding, you lot may be requested to submit to a visa interview by the land yous intend to visit. Most visa applications are approved or denied without the need for an interview, simply the visa officeholder may asking one. The following are common questions y'all may be asked during a visa interview:

  • Why practice you want to travel to X country?
  • Why do you want to visit at this specific time?
  • Do yous have a criminal record?
  • Are you travelling with someone else?
  • Who will yous be visiting?
  • How long will yous stay?
  • Where will you lot stay?
  • Have you lot booked airline tickets?
  • Do you have health insurance for this trip?
  • If you are currently employed, exercise yous have proper leave from your workplace for the duration of the trip?
  • Volition you return to your dwelling house country after your visit?

What Are the Fees for Obtaining a Visa?

Each land has different fees for obtaining a visa. Check with your intended destination's government immigration website to notice out the costs. For example, visa application fees for visas to the U.S. start at Us$160.

What Are Visa Processing Times?

Every country processes visa applications at a different charge per unit. Make sure to check the government website of the state y'all intend to visit to find out how fast they procedure visa applications. For example, visa applications from Russia to visit Canada take approximately 8 days to process, while Canadians looking to travel to India are brash to submit visa applications at least fifteen days in accelerate.

What Visa Services Does an Embassy Offer?

Embassies typically offer visa application services, assistance and upwardly-to-date data regarding visa and travel requirements. It'due south always a good thought to check the diplomatic mission of your destination country to larn nearly travelling there.

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Other Questions

What Can I Acquire From the Visa Restrictions Alphabetize?

Passport Index focuses not on the visa restrictions but rather on the possibilities and freedom that passports offer. The Passport Compare tool allows users to come across which countries they can visit visa-free and compare their passport against others.

Which Countries Can I Travel to Visa-Gratuitous?

Cheque out Passport Index to find out where you tin can travel visa-free with your current passport. Currently UAE has the most visa-free access with 175 countries, while Transitional islamic state of afghanistan has the least access with visa-costless travel to merely 30 countries.

What Are the US Visa Restrictions?

The U.s. has several visa restrictions that affect whether a potential visitor is granted a tourist visa. Visa applications may be denied on the grounds of health, a criminal record or other security reasons. For example, anyone with a significant communicable disease or a physical or mental health disorder that poses a safety threat will not be immune entry into the US.

Come across the United States government'due south total list of restrictions.

Visa-Free Vs. Visa on Inflow Vs. Visa Required

Visa-free refers to the power to travel to a strange state without the need for a travel visa. In such a case only a valid passport is required for entry and exit purposes.

Visa on arrival ways that travellers must obtain a visa in gild to enter the destination country, just it can be obtained upon arrival. Visitors do not need to employ for a travel visa beforehand.

Visa required means that travellers must utilize for a visa to the country before actually travelling in that location.

Encounter our Passport Alphabetize to find out where you can travel visa-complimentary with your passport.

Which Countries Can I Visit Visa-Free With the United states Passport?

The U.S. passport has a mobility score of 166, meaning holders can visit 156 countries without the need for a travel visa. See our Passport Index for the complete list.

How Many Visitor Visas Does the US Accept and Refuse Each Yr?

Which Countries Can I Visit With a Schengen Visa?

The Schengen zone comprises 26 countries in Europe. A Schengen visa allows the bearer to enter one Schengen country and so travel freely throughout the rest of the zone. The following is the list of all Schengen member states:

Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Kingdom of belgium, Greece, Malta, Kingdom of spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Netherlands, Sweden, Kingdom of denmark, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Estonia, Italy, Poland, Liechtenstein, Finland, Latvia, Portugal, France, Lithuania, Slovakia.

When Was the Commencement Visa Ever Issued?

The start mention of what nosotros would think of as a visa is in the Bible'due south book of Nehemiah from approximately 450 BC. A prophet was given a "prophylactic behave" alphabetic character from the Persian king Artaxerxes request that he be granted safe passage to Judah.

Global Visa Issuance Over Time

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