Visa (document)

A visa (short for the Latin carta visa, lit. "the document has been seen") is a document issued by a country giving a certain individual permission to formally request to enter the country over a given period of time and for certain purposes (but see below for caveats and exceptions). Most countries require possession of a valid visa as a condition of entry for foreigners, though there exist exemption schemes (see passport for examples of such schemes). Visas are typically stamped or attached into the recipient's passport. A visa should be distinguished from documents such as the U.S.A. I-94 which are formal permission for an alien to enter and remain in the country in the status given. The common phrase "he has to leave because his visa has expired" is a common error: the status has expired, the visa may or may not have. Visas are associated with seeking merely the permission to enter (or exit) and is not the same as the actual formal granting, at the entry point of the country, of the necessary legal status to enter and remain there for a prescribed period (usually evidenced by a white form stapled to a passport like an American I-94 form, or a stamp in the passport given at the entry-place).

Conditions of issuance

Some visas can be granted on arrival, usually only to citizens of countries enjoying good relations with the issuing country, or by prior application at the country's embassy or consulate. The need or absence of need of a visa generally depends on the citizenship of the applicant, the intended duration of the stay, and the activities that the applicant may wish to undertake in the country he visits; these may delineate different formal categories of visas, with different issuance conditions.

Related Topics:
Embassy - Consulate

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A fee may be charged for issuing a visa; these are typically reciprocal, so if country A charges country B's citizens 50 USD for a visa, country B will often also charge the same amount for country A's visitors. The fee charged may also be at the discretion of each embassy and could be hiked to discourage unserious applicants. A similar reciprocity often applies to the duration of the visa (the period in which one is permitted to request entry of the country) and the amount of entries one can attempt with the visa. Expedited processing of the visa application will also generally incur additional charges.

Related Topics:
Reciprocal - USD

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The issuing authority, usually a branch of the country's foreign ministry or department (e.g. U.S. State Department), and typically consular officers, may request appropriate documentation from the applicant. This may include proof that the applicant is able to support himself in the host country (lodging, food), proof that the person hosting the applicant in his or her home really exists and has sufficient room for hosting the applicant, proof that the applicant has obtained health and evacuation insurance, etc. Some countries ask for proof of health status, especially for long-term visas; some countries deny such visas to sufferers of certain illnesses, such as AIDS. The exact conditions depend on the country and the category of visas. Developed countries frequently demand strong evidence of the intent to return to the home country, if the visa is for a temporary stay.

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The issuing authority may also require applicants to attest that they have had no criminal convictions, or that they do not partake in certain businesses (like prostitution or drug trafficking). Some countries requested information as to the ideological leanings of the applicant; this used to be the case of the United States, which inquired whether visa applicants were Communist sympathizers (and denied visas to known or suspected sympathizers.)

Related Topics:
Criminal - Prostitution - Drug trafficking - United States - Communist

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Bearers of official, and especially diplomatic, passports are generally subject to supplemental checks (diplomatic personnel must be formally recognized as such by the host country to benefit from diplomatic immunity.)

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