A visa is an official document (usually a stamp or sticker) generally affixed to a blank page inside a traveler’s passport. Visas provide permission by the issuing authority to enter the visa country for the stated purpose.
Visas are stamped or placed directly into your passport book and require one full blank visa page. Additionally, many countries require that the page facing the intended visa page be blank also. Nearly every country requires that you provide your actual passport book to complete visa processing.
No, each visa application is considered a new process every single time. However, if you’ve had a previous visa in the past you may be eligible for a longer validity visa depending on the country and diplomatic office (i.e. Embassy or consulate).
NOTE: The number of previously granted visas has no impact on the likelihood of current or future visa issuance. Every application is processed based on its own assessment by the issuing authority.
Typically most visa-issuing authorities want passports to be valid for six months AFTER your planned departure date from their country, but it’s safer to say one year for longer visa validities (such as a 10 year China visa).
It depends on the country. Russia and Vietnam visas are tied to your passport number and CANNOT be used once your passport is expired or canceled. Other visas such as those issued by China, India, and Saudi Arabia remain valid and should be honored as long as the traveler’s stated purpose for entry matches the type of visa they have (i.e. tourism) and their critical data has not changed (name, nationality, gender, etc.)*. The standard rule of thumb is to travel on your currently valid passport and bring your previous passport with the valid visa to enter/exit the destination country.
*While this is a common rule for many countries, it is also possible that you could be denied entry upon arrival. ItsEasy is not responsible in any way if you are denied entry by a border agent or other entity.
In general, no. Most visas are linked to your passport number and cannot be transferred. The two most common options, in this case, are to travel with both your new and old passports to use the visa (see above for details) or to apply for a new visa altogether. The notable exception here is Saudi Arabia; they will transfer your visa upon arrival if you enter using a valid visa in an old passport along with your new passport.
Honestly, it depends on the severity of the issue. You may be able to enter if all the critical information is still legible, such as your name, nationality, passport number, etc. However, there’s no guarantee that you will be granted entry either. For the most part, it’s best to apply for a new visa and avoid any delays or fines for having an unreadable or damaged visa.
No! While a visa is a sort of pre-approval process, it does not guarantee entry into the destination country. Customs and border agents can still deny entry to travelers whom they deem unfit.
Visa validity is up to the diplomatic office (i.e. Embassy or consulate) processing your visa application. Every sovereign nation has the right to issue a visa of any length/number of entries to an individual traveler as they see fit, or no visa at all.
Additionally, we typically aren’t informed by an Embassy or consulate why any particular application yielded a shorter validity visa than requested. If we are told the reasoning behind this we will always pass this information along to our customers.
Unfortunately, your options in such a scenario are extremely limited. You CAN apply for a new visa, but you must start the process all over from scratch including all new paperwork, photos, and government and service fees (if you utilize our services).
Since we do not receive refunds from Embassies/consulates in such instances, we do not issue refunds on government fees either. We will also not issue a refund on service fees for decisions made at the Embassy/consulate level.
If you are a US citizen applying for a visa in the US, the issuing country will require you to apply on your US passport.
If you are not a US citizen, then you will be required to apply with the passport that is tied to your proof of status (Green Card or US visa).
Many consulates are jurisdictional which means that each diplomatic office covers a specific area of the United States. As such, we need to know where you live in order to ensure that we submit your documents to the correct visa location.
In virtually all cases, a visa has either an expiration date or an “enter by” date. If the visa has an expiration date, then you typically have to EXIT the country on or before the date of expiration. If the visa has an enter by date, then you must enter the country by (i.e. no later than) the date listed but can remain in-country for the entirety of your entry period (typically 30-60 days for US citizens).
These consulates all require visa applicants to make a personal appearance or provide additional information that you must provide directly, such as fingerprints.
