Are you taking an international trip? One of the most important things to do is take a look at your passport and travel documents. You will see that some Expat Explore tours state that people from certain countries may need a visa. Let’s have a look at what this document is, and how you can find out if you need one for your tour.
The first important thing to know is that a visa is different from a passport. Everyone needs a passport when they travel, so they can show where they come from. Each country issues passports for their own citizens. It shows your photo, full name, birthday and gender. This is used to identify you at airports and borders between different countries.
A visa, however, is something different. It is an official note placed in your passport that shows that you have permission to enter, leave or stay in a certain country. It normally also says how long you are allowed to stay and what you are allowed to do (i.e. work or travel). You also get different kinds of visas. The most common types are: tourist/holiday, student, work/long stay and transit visas.
Sometimes a visa can be used for more than one visit. Certain visas need to be obtained before you go to the country, others you can get on arrival. Certain countries may ask for medical tests or an interview before they allow a visa.
You might. It depends on where you are from and where you are going. Different countries have different rules for people from other countries. You can find out by:
The process is a little different for every country. The first thing you can do is to find the website for the embassy or consulate of the country you are visiting. Not sure what a consulate or embassy is? An embassy is the representative of a country’s government in another country. The consulate is the administration office in a foreign city. There can be more than one consulate in a country. They can mainly be found in capital cities. The consulate will normally have visa application forms available online that you can print and fill in at home. You will then have to post the original copies or take it to the consulate office in person.
Need more help? Remember, we are always here to help you with anything you need to know about your tour. Just email or call us, so we can speak with you directly and help where possible.
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