Do I Need A Visa?

Visa Information Requirements Tourist Business

Do I need a visa for (fill in country name here) is one of the most common questions travelers ask. Most of the time it's one of the trickiest to answer: Often, the fast answer is, It Depends.

And it depends on you, not your travel agent or tour company to check to see if you need a visa before you travel, or if one will be issued upon arrival.

If you need a travel visa and when you need a travel visa depends on your answer to preliminary questions:

• Where are you going? And here you want the country name, not the city name. Visas are issued by the country, not the municipality.
• Where are you from? This  usually refers to the country and your citizenship.
• Are you traveling on holiday? If yes, then you likely need a tourist visa.
• Are you traveling on business? Any commerical or business activities usually require a business visa, and may have different valid  time periods than tourist visas.
• How long do you plan to stay? Some tourist visas are valid for 30 days from issue, some for 90 days, and some as long as 6 months.

If you do need a visa then you need to find out if you need it before you travel. Each country has its own requirements, and if you are not close to an offical visa issuing office (consulate or embassy for the country you are traveling TO), then allow enough time to get together passport photos, fill in the visa application, and courier along with your passport to the visa issuing office. Also allow enough time for the visa to be processed and returned to you.

Travel to mainland China from Canada and you need to obtain a visa before you travel, and pay a processing fee. Yet Canadians traveling to Hong Kong are issued a tourist visa upon arrival.

I found this handy visa search box that lets me search for fast yes, no or maybe answers, so I've added it to this page

Find out fast if you need a tourist or business visa using search box this page:

Select the country you are from (your citizenship/passport issuer) and then select the country you are traveling to. It's fast, it's free and it's kind of fun!

Visa HQ can apply for a travel visa on your behalf. Yes, there's a fee, but for busy people that's a minor detail :-)  The company also offers passport services for citizens of the USA and Canada. Check rates for travel visa services here.

I've listed visa information on every Snapshot Journeys country travel page, with additional notes and / or links to the appropriate embassy or consulate if there are other requirments. For example, Chile charges Canadians a reciprocity tax due to issues Chile has with the Government of Canada.

If you're planning a trip, then be sure to get your travel documents (see tips page).

Have a great trip!