Types of a Visa


Each country has a multitude of categories of visas and with various names. The most common types and names of visas include:
By purpose:
  • Transit visa, for passing through the country to a destination outside that country. Validity of transit visas are usually limited by short terms such as several hours to 10 days depending on the size of the country and/or the circumstances of a particular transit itinerary.
    • Airside transit visa, required by some countries for passing through their airports even without going through passport control.
    • Crew member, steward or driver visa, issued to persons employed or trained on aircraft, vessels, trains, trucks, buses and any other means of international transportation, or ships fishing in international waters.
  • Short-stay or visitor visa, for short visits to the host country. Many countries differentiate between different reasons for these visits, such as:
    • Private visa, for private visits by invitation of residents of the country.
    • Tourist visa, for a limited period of leisure travel, no business activities allowed.
    • Visa for medical reasons, for undertaking diagnostics or a course of treatment in the host country's hospitals.
    • Business visa, for engaging in commerce in the country. These visas generally preclude permanent employment, for which a work visa would be required.
    • Working holiday visa, for individuals traveling between nations offering a working holiday program, allowing young people to undertake temporary work while traveling.
    • Athletic or artistic visa, issued to athletes and performing artists (and their supporting staff) performing at competitions, concerts, shows and other events.
      • Cultural exchange visa, usually issued to athletes and performing artists participating in a cultural exchange program.
    • Refugee visa, issued to persons fleeing the dangers of persecution, a war or a natural disaster.
  • Long-stay visa, valid for longer but still finite stays:
    • Student visa, which allows its holder to study at an institution of higher learning in the issuing country.
    • Temporary worker visa, for approved employment in the host country. These are generally more difficult to obtain but valid for longer periods of time than a business visa. Examples of these are the United States' H-1B and L-1 visas. Depending on a particular country, the status of temporary worker may or may not evolve into the status of permanent resident or to naturalization.
      • Journalist visa, which some countries require of people in that occupation when traveling for their respective news organizations. Countries which insist on this include Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, the United States (I-visa) and Zimbabwe.
    • Residence visa, granted to people obtaining long-term residence in the host country. In some countries, long-term residence is a necessary step to obtain the status of a permanent resident.
    • Asylum visa, issued to people who have suffered or reasonably fear persecution in their own country due to their political activities or opinion, or features, or association with a social group.
  • Immigrant visa, granted for those intending to immigrate to the issuing country (obtain the status of a permanent resident with a prospect of possible naturalization in the future):
    • Spousal visa or partner visa, granted to the spouse, civil partner or de facto partner of a resident or citizen of a given country to enable the couple to settle in that country.
    • Marriage visa, granted for a limited period before intended marriage or civil partnership based on a proven relationship with a citizen of the destination country. For example, a German woman who wishes to marry an American man would obtain a Fiancee Visa (also known as a K-1 visa) to allow her to enter the United States. "A K1 Fiancee Visa is valid for four months from the date of its approval."
    • Pensioner visa (also known as retiree visa or retirement visa), issued by a limited number of countries (Australia, Argentina, Thailand, Panama, etc.), to those who can demonstrate a foreign source of income and who do not intend to work in the issuing country. Age limits apply in some cases.
  • Official visa is granted to officials doing job for their governments or otherwise representing their countries in the host country, such as the personnel of diplomatic missions.
    • Diplomatic visa is normally only available to bearers of diplomatic passports.
    • Courtesy visa issued to representatives of foreign governments or international organizations who do not qualify for diplomatic status but do merit expedited, courteous treatment - an example of this is Australia's Special purpose visa.
By method of issuance:
  • On-arrival visa (also known as Visa On Arrival, VOA), granted at a port of entry. This is distinct from not requiring a visa at all, as the visitor must still obtain the visa before they can even try to pass through immigration.
    • Nearly every country can issue a visa (or another document to the same effect) on arrival to a visitor arriving in unforeseen exceptional circumstances, for example:
    • Some countries issue visas on arrival to special categories of travelers, such as seafarers or air crew.
    • Some countries issue them to regular visitors; however, there often are restrictions, for example:
      • Belarus issues visas on arrival in Minsk international airport only to nationals of countries where there is no consular representation of Belarus.
      • Thailand only issues visas on arrival at certain border checkpoints. The most notable crossing where visas on arrival are not issued is the Padang Besar checkpoint for passenger trains between Malaysia and Thailand.
      • Russia issues visas on arrival for short visits to its Western exclave, Kaliningrad oblast.
  • Electronic visa. The visa is stored in a computer and is electronically tied to the passport number; no label, sticker or stamp is placed in the passport before travel.
    • Australia pioneered electronic visa issuance with the Electronic Travel Authority for tourists, and is also issuing the eVisitor for European tourists and businessmen. Recent changes in immigration law mean that almost all visas (including those for permanent residency) are issued electronically by default unless a label is required (for example to board an airplane).
    • New Zealand is now also issuing some visas electronically.
    • The United States has a similar internet system called Electronic System for Travel Authorization, but this is a security pre-screening only and does not technically qualify as a visa under US immigration law.
    • Turkey is issuing electronic visas as of April 2013 (certain African countries are eligible only if using Turkish Airlines) through the Republic of Turkey Electronic Visa Application System.
    • Cambodia is issuing electronic visas to most of the visitors through the eVisa system.
    • São Tomé and Príncipe is issuing electronic visas to all passengers through the eVisaST system.
    • Rwanda is issuing electronic visas.
    • Myanmar is issuing electronic visas.
    • Sri Lanka is issuing electronic visas through the Electronic Travel Authorization system.
    • Armenia is issuing electronic visas to certain eligible countries.
    • Singapore is issuing electronic visas to certain eligible countries.
    • Bahrain issues electronic visas to certain eligible countries.
This list is not exhaustive. Some countries may have more detailed classifications of some of these categories reflecting the nuances of their respective geographies, social conditions, economies, international treaties, etc. Others, on the contrary, may combine some types into broader categories.

 Common Visa's

Normally visas are valid for entry only into the country which issued the visa. Countries that are members of regional organizations or party to regional agreements may however issue visas valid for entry into some or all of the member states of the organization or agreement:
  • the Schengen Visa covers most of the European Economic Area, plus several other adjacent countries. The visa allows a tourist, family or business visitor access to the area covered by the agreement (known as the “Schengen Area” or “Schengenland”, currently consisting of 26 countries) for a maximum period of 90 days within a 180-day period (the issuing embassy will determine the actual length of time permitted to the visitor). Those who require a visa to enter the Schengen area, are simply required to get only the common Schengen Visa from the embassy or consulate of any of the Schengen countries. After that, they may visit any or all of the Schengen countries as tourists or for business. They are not required to get separate visas for all the Schengen countries they wish to visit. If an alien is visiting multiple countries in the Schengen zone, he typically applies in the embassy/consulate of his main destination country (i.e., in case of tourism, where he plans to stay the longest, or for multiple purposes where the main purpose of the visit will be carried out). A Schengen visa is typically not valid for long term stays nor for visits to overseas territories of Schengen states.
  • the Central American Single Visa (Visa Única Centroamericana) was implemented by the CA-4 agreement between Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. It is required for citizens of all other countries, eliminating the need for separate entry visas for each of the countries. Persons entering the region on Type "B" visas can enter the area through any Port of Entry. Persons entering on Type "C" visas (issued through prior consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) must enter through a Port of Entry in the country that issued the visa. Once a person has been admitted, they may travel onto any of the other countries and are allowed to stay through the date authorized at the original Port of Entry.
  • An East African Single Tourist Visa is under consideration by the relevant sectoral authorities under the East African Community (EAC) integration program. If approved the visa will be valid for all three partner states in the EAC (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi). Under the proposal for the visa, any new East African single visa can be issued by any partner state's embassy. The visa proposal followed an appeal by the tourist boards of the partner states for a common visa to accelerate promotion of the region as a single tourist destination and the EAC Secretariat wants it approved before November's World Travel Fair (or World Travel Market) in London. When approved by the East African council of ministers, tourists could apply for one country's entry visa which would then be applicable in all regional member states as a single entry requirement initiative. This is considered also by COMESA.
  • The SADC UNIVISA (or Univisa) has been in development since Southern African Development Community (SADA) members signed a Protocol on the Development of Tourism in 1998. The Protocol outlined the Univisa as an objective so as to enable the international and regional entry and travel of visitors to occur as smoothly as possible. It was expected to become operational by the end of 2002. Its introduction was delayed and a new implementation date, the end of 2006, was announced. However, the SADC now aims to have the univisa system in place by 2008, before the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The univisa was originally intended to only be available, initially, to visitors from selected “source markets” such as Australia, the Benelux countries, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and the USA. It is now expected that when the Univisa is implemented, that it will apply to non SADC international (long-haul) tourists traveling to and within the region and that it will encourage multi - destination travel within the region. It is also anticipated that the univisa will unlock the tourism potential of trans frontier parks by lowering the boundaries between neighboring countries in the parks. The visa is expected to be valid for all the countries with trans frontier parks (Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe) and some other SADC countries (Angola and Swaziland).
  • The ASEAN common visa scheme is considered when the labor union goes into effect in 2016 (being delayed a year); however, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar are opting in earlier. After talk about a CLMV common visa, with Thailand being left out, Thailand has initiated and begun implementation of a trial common visa with Cambodia, but cited security risks as the major hurdle; the trial run has been delayed. Thailand has implemented a single visa scheme with Cambodia beginning December 27, 2012 on a trial basis.
  • A Gulf Cooperation Council single visa has been recommended as a study submitted to the council.
  • The Pacific Alliance, that currently consists of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, offer a common visa for tourism purposes only in order to make it easier for countries out of the alliance to travel through this countries by not having to apply for multiple visas.
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