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"Transit visa" redirects here. For the novel, see Transit Visa (novel). For other uses,
see Visa (disambiguation).
A United States travel visa[1] issued in 2014
A visa (lat. 'something seen',[1] pl. visas from Latin charta visa 'papers that have been
seen')[2] is a conditional authorization granted by a polity to a foreigner that allows them
to enter, remain within, or leave its territory. Visas typically include limits on the duration
of the foreigner's stay, areas within the country they may enter, the dates they may
enter, the number of permitted visits, or if the individual can work in the country in
question. Visas are associated with the request for permission to enter a territory and
thus are, in most countries, distinct from actual formal permission for an alien to enter
and remain in the country. In each instance, a visa is subject to entry permission by an
immigration official at the time of actual entry and can be revoked at any time. Visa
evidence most commonly takes the form of a sticker endorsed in the
applicant's passport or other travel document but may also exist electronically. Some
countries no longer issue physical visa evidence, instead recording details only
in immigration databases.
Some countries, such as Turkey, require that their citizens, and sometimes foreign
travelers, obtain an exit visa in order to be allowed to leave the country. Until 2004,
foreign students in Russia were issued only an entry visa on being accepted to
University there, and had to obtain
changed, and foreign students are now issued multiple entry (and exit) visas.
Historically, immigration officials were empowered to permit or reject entry of visitors on
arrival at the frontiers. If permitted entry, the official would issue a visa, when required,
which would be a stamp in a passport. Today, travellers wishing to enter another
country must often apply in advance for what is also called a visa, sometimes in person
at a consular office, by post, or over the Internet. The modern visa may be a sticker or a
stamp in the passport, an electronic record of the authorization, or a separate document
which the applicant can print before entering and produce on entry to the visited polity.
Some countries do not require visitors to apply for a visa in advance for short visits.
Visa applications in advance of arrival give countries a chance to consider the
applicant's circumstances, such as financial security, reason for travel, and details of
previous visits to the country. Visitors may also be required to undergo and pass
security or health checks upon arrival at the port of entry.
Some polities which restrict emigration require individuals to possess
