The Visa. Permission asked before you arrive.
Front
The Visa
Permission asked before you arrive
A country's advance decision about whether you may enter, and why.
Back
A visa is a separate permission from the country you are visiting, granted before you travel and tied to a stated purpose: tourism, study, work, transit. Even holding one, entry is decided at the border by an officer who can refuse. The visa buys you the right to ask. It does not settle the answer.
- Categories matter more than they look. Studying on a tourist visa or working on a student visa is a breach that can bar you from returning for years.
- Most refusals come from an unclear purpose, thin funds, or missing documents rather than anything personal. These applications are judged on paper.
Bureau of Immigration, Government of India
Keep exploring
Because you read The Visa.
The Passport
A request from your country to another
The document that asks other states to let you pass, and take you back.
Studying Abroad
The paperwork starts two years early
The sequence a student has to finish to study in another country.
The Voter Roll
The vote is not automatic at eighteen
The list you have to be on before anyone will let you vote.