Do I need a visa?

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October 31, 2009

By Sid Kaplan        
Travel Writer
Troy Media

Sid Kaplan

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Oct. 31, 2009/ Troy Media/ — The more adventurous you get in your travels, the more you need to know about documentation. You’re getting ready for some adventure, you’ve got your passport . . . then someone tells you you might need a visa.

Well a visa is just one more little piece of the travel puzzle, and nothing to worry about.

But what exactly is a visa?

A visa or travel visa is a document from the country you are going to visit giving you permission for you to enter the country. The country collects information about you. They want to make sure you’re one of the good guys. If you are, then they’ll issue a visa to visit for a limited amount of time.

Visas come in different forms. There are tourist visas, student visas, business visas, work visas and immigrations visas, among others. We’ll deal just with tourist visas here, but even tourist visas may be single or multiple entry.

Here are a few simple question and answers to try to take the mystery out of visas.

Where do you get a visa?

You may get one at the airport on your arrival in the country, or you may need to visit the country’s Embassy or Consulate before you leave home. You may also have to mail your passport with your application to an Embassy or Consulate if you don’t live close to either.

Once you have it, where do put it?

Visas in all their different forms go in those blank pages in your passport. In some instances they may be issued separately, and you will have to carry these documents with you.

Do you always need a visa?

Many countries do not require a visa for entry if you are only going for a visit, or vacation, for less than 30 or 90 days depending on your nationality.

Some counties require a visa, but it can be obtained upon entry. This means you will have to fill out paperwork on arrival in the country. It may require passport-size photos and a fee payable right there on the spot, and it may need to be in cash. Check ahead to see if you will need local currency or US dollars or Euros. It may surprise you. When we visited Cambodia, everyone had to pay for their visas in US dollars.

Some counties require you to obtain a visa in you passport before your departure. It may be just an official stamp or it may be a specially glued in page in your passport.

A visa does not absolutely guarantee you will get into a country. It is always subject to the permission of an immigration official when you enter, and visas can be revoked at anytime if you do something illegal or offensive.

However, if you’re an honest traveler, you shouldn’t have to worry about getting a visa or getting into the country you’d like to visit.