A travel document known as an exit visa gives you authorization to leave a certain nation. Nowadays, most nations no longer enforce exit visas since they are seen as an antiquated practice that potentially violates human rights.

The following nations have exit visa requirements in some shape or form:

• Belarus
• Iraq
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• North Korea
• Oman
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• Singapore
• The People’s Republic of China
• United Arab of Emirates

Because of your nationality, you can occasionally need an exit visa, so be sure to confirm the requirements with an embassy or consulate before you leave.

Most frequently, one of the following methods is used to apply for a visa:

• at the embassy or consulate of the nation you are traveling to.
• (Electronic visa) online.
• the border crossing (visa on arrival)

Application procedures vary depending on the nation and your nationality. Never leave home without knowing your visa needs.

Online visa applications are also available. Visas obtained electronically (online) are often printed out and not adhered to your passport. If a nation grants electronic visas, there will be a dedicated webpage for applications where you can:

1. Fill out a visa application online.
2. Include digital copies of your documents.
3. Remit the visa cost. Verify that the website you are using to apply is the official one before submitting your application because you could be required to pay a charge and/or disclose personal information.

The time it takes to learn the outcome of your visa application can range from a few minutes to a few days.

At the airport or another entrance point into the nation you are visiting, you can apply for a visa. A visa on arrival (VOA) is what this is known as. There will be visa counters at the point of entry in certain circumstances, where you must apply, pay a fee, and then wait for a decision before you may pass through. It could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the nation.

Remember:

• Visas on arrival are not available in all nations.
• Even nations that issue VOAs typically only provide them to ethnicities.

Visas on arrival are typically only offered at airports or points of entry.

Some nations that belong to regional organizations provide a single visa for all the group’s members. The most popular types of common visas include:

• The Schengen Visa – The Schengen visa is a common entry permit that permits you to travel to any of the 27 current member states of the European Union that make up the Schengen Area.
• The Central American Single Visa – Together, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua have agreed to these visa terms. These nationals are eligible for visa-free travel among the union’s members. Tourists can also travel to all the members with a single visa.
• Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – A few Middle Eastern nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, have agreed to this. Visa-free travel is possible for citizens of these nations within their own borders; however, it is not always possible owing to political tension.
• The Pacific Alliance – Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru are members of the Pacific Alliance, which exempts its residents from visa requirements. Each member state is accessible to tourists with a single visa.
• The KAZA Univisa – You are permitted to travel between Zambia and Zimbabwe for 30 days under the KAZA Univisa agreement.
• The CARICOM Visa – 15 Caribbean nations that are members of the CARICOM Agreement permit visa-free travel for its residents. Additionally, the agreement grants each nation’s citizens a shared CARICOM passport that may be used for both domestic and foreign travel.
• Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) – 15 West African member states are included in this pact, and their residents are allowed to travel between them.
• Mercosur Agreement – The Mercosur Agreement, which is made up of four full member states (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay), as well as several additional associate nations, grants its people visa-free travel. Each nation, however, has regulations governing its foreign visitor visa procedures.
• The British-Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS Visa) – The BIVS is a visa program that allows foreign nationals to travel between the United Kingdom and Ireland with just one visa. For instance, you can enter Ireland with the same permit if your British visa is still valid.

In addition to cooperative visa programs, a single visa issued by another nation enables visa-free travel to numerous nations. If you have a valid US visa, for instance, you can also travel to places like Costa Rica, Mexico, the British Virgin Islands, and several other nations.

• Short-stay: The length of a short-stay visa might range from a few days to several months. This kind of visa is typically provided for travellers, businesspeople, or other transient purposes like visiting relatives or obtaining medical assistance.
• Single-entry:A single-entry visa, as the name implies, only allows you to go to that region or country once. Even if you still have days left after leaving, you are unable to come back.
• Multiple entry:If the visa is still in effect, you are permitted numerous entries into a nation or region.

Most of the time, you can apply for a visa at the country’s embassy or consulate. You’ll need to:

1. Schedule a meeting.
2. Gather a group of papers.
3. Pay the processing fee for the visa.
4. Attend a visa interview (sometimes).

Your application will be examined by the consular officials, who will then decide whether to grant you a visa. Your application may take a few days to many months to process, depending on the type of visa.

Remember:

Occasionally, embassies or consulates will contract out the submission of visas to independent travel companies. As a result, the embassy or consulate receives your documents from the agency and decides what to do with them.

To travel, not everyone needs a visa. Due to reciprocal visa waiver agreements, several nations now grant visa-free entry to nationals of a small number of other nations for short stays. Most areas do not require a visa for travellers with passports from Western nations, like the U.S., Australia, Canada, and the EU States.The time frame for visa-free visits is brief; it can be anywhere from a few days to a few months. Regardless of your country, you should research the prerequisites for obtaining a visa before leaving.

Remember Without a visa, you are not permitted to engage in employment or the sale of any products or services while abroad.

While both a passport and a visa are travel documents, the key difference between the two is that while a passport is provided by your home country, a visa is issued by the country you wish to visit. Additional differences include:

• A visa is affixed to your passport and serves as proof that you are authorized to enter a particular nation, whereas a passport serves as an identifying travel document.
• A passport is valid for ten years or so, whereas a visa is typically valid for only a few months.

• Validity of passport. Most nations will demand that you have a passport that is at least three or six months old and still valid. But depending on where you’re going, this period may start when you arrive or when you leave.
• Blank pages for passports. Depending on the country, there may be two to four blank pages in your passport, however this need varies. There must be blank pages so that your passport and visa may be stamped.
• Requirements for vaccinations. If you don’t have an international vaccination certificate, you won’t be able to get a visa to several African nations.
• A criminal history. With a criminal background, getting a visa is practically impossible; the US and Canada are the only two nations that will waive this requirement when you need a visa.
• Ban on travel. Every government has the authority to designate someone as “persona non grata.” As a result, both diplomats and non-diplomats will be prohibited from entering a particular nation.
• Insufficient health insurance protection. All travellers must have travel health insurance coverage in several countries.

Entry requirements for individuals who do not need a visa for a particular country include electronic travel authorizations. They are widely accessible online, have lengthy validity, and are simple to obtain. Examples of electronic travel authorizations include the following:

• (Canada) eTA. The Canadian eTA costs CAD 7 and takes only a few minutes to be approved. You may stay for up to five years with this document, which permits stays of six months each.
• Australia’s ETA. The Australian ETA costs AUC 20 and takes a few minutes to be authorized. It is good for a year and entitles you to several trips to Australia during that time.
• The United States’ ESTA. The American ESTA costs USD 14 and takes a few minutes to get approved. You can enter the US several times with a maximum stay of three months per trip, and it is valid for up to two years.
• The European Union’s ETIAS. ETIAS for the European Union will be required starting in November 2023. It will be seven euros and good for three years. Throughout the time of its validity, it will permit several travels totalling up to three months.

Electronic travel authorizations serve as a simple way to track who enters and exits a country; they are not real visas. It is therefore improbable that an application will be turned down.

The terms “visa” and “residence permit” are sometimes used synonymously. But there is a clear distinction between the two:

• To travel to and enter a foreign nation, whether for leisure, business, employment, study, or other purposes, you often require a visa.
• To reside in a foreign country for an extended period, you need a residency permission. Sometimes you first get a visa, which you then change into a residence permit once you get to your destination. Sometimes, when you apply for a long-stay visa (for job, studies, a family reunion, etc.), you automatically receive a resident permit.