Thursday, April 8, 2010

Difference between a Passport and a Visa

A passport is required for everybody who plan to travel from one country / nation to another country / nation. Everybody means everybody, no exceptions, young and old, professional, military personnel, athletes, business people, students, workers, entertainers, children, parents and anybody who has a plan to travel.

A passport is an identification of your nationality and states what country you are from.

A Passport bears your picture, your name, date of birth, sex, place of birth, where the passport was issued, issue date and expiration date of the passport. Different countries / nations have different rules on passport.

The holder of a passport will be allowed to travel internationally with or without a visa depending on the country of entry or port of entry. It is best to apply a new passport if your passport is expiring within 6 months before you travel as some countries / nations might deny you entry.

Passports can be confusing to new applicants as there are different kinds of passport issued by each country. Some of the types are - Non-citizen, Citizen of the said nation / country, diplomatic, travel document and other passport type. Passports are issued by the government of the country that you are a citizen of or if you are given a special privilege in that country to hold a passport through marriage, employment or residency reasons to name a few. The holder of a passport will be allowed to travel internationally with or without a visa depending on the country of entry or port of entry. Always keep your passport safe as it can be a hassle to apply a passport while away from your country of origin.

A visa is a documentation for you to be able to enter a certain country in a specific time. Visas are issued by the country you are planning to visit. Before planning a travel, it is best to inquire from the country of entry whether a visa is needed or unnecessary for your type of passport. Visas are sometimes attached to your passport, stamped, glued or a separate piece of documentation with the same information as your passport. Most important is to take note of the given dates on the visa document - time to travel, expiration and length of time allowed to stay. Doing so will save you trouble, you don't pay any penalty if you stayed too long and keep your visa safe. Visas varies and will be good for a number of days, months and years that allows a traveler to travel within the given date.

Some countries do not require visa for some passport holder depending on what type of passport you are holding. However, a few countries still requires a visa for any traveler to enter their country.

Few travel examples:

a.) U.S. passport holder can travel to mostly anywhere in the world but requires a visa to enter China.

b.) Philippine Passport holder do not need a visa to enter Hong Kong

c.) Taiwan passport holder need a visa to get in Hong Kong, Brazil, Autralia, U.S.

d.) Taiwan Passport holder do not need a visa to get in Singapore

e.)U.S. Passport holder do not need a visa to get in Philippines with allowed 21 days maximum stay.

f.) U.S. Passport holder do not need a visa to enter New Zealand and Australia.

Some countries do not require a visa if you are staying for a few days only - 14 days or less. This all depends on what country of entry, what passport you are holding and the relationship between the two countries - departing country / nation and arriving country / nation.

Visas also come in different forms from tourist visa, immigration visas, business visa, work visa, student visa and each type of visa has its own application process and different fees to pay.

It is also possible to apply for visas while in a foreign country. Let's say a Taiwan passport holder who travels to Australia and stayed for a few months to enjoy the beautiful Australia can apply a visa to be able to travel to Brazil. What is interesting in this situation is that you don't have to go back to your country of residence in order to travel to your next destination which is Brazil and it is a long way to go. It is like going around the globe in a matter of days. Lastly, remember to bring enough money to spend while visiting different places.

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