Explore the different types of visas: learn about visa types, validity periods and the application process

1. There are three types of visas: diplomatic, official and ordinary.visa application hong kong That is, diplomatic visas are issued to holders of diplomatic passports; official visas are issued to holders of official passports; and ordinary visas are issued for ordinary passports.

2. according to immigration control can be divided into

Exit visa, entry visa, exit visa and return visa. Exit visa, only allows the holder to leave the country, if you need to enter the country, you must apply for a return visa.apec card hk Entry visa: only the holder of the permit can enter the country) If you need to leave the country, you must apply for an exit visa. With an exit visa, the holder can leave the country and re-enter. Multiple Entry Visa: Visa holders can enter and exit the country within the validity period.

3. Categorized by reasons for entry and exit

Immigrant visa, non-immigrant visa, study visa, tourist visa, work visa, business visa and family visa.

4. According to the length of time,chinese visa they are categorized into long-term visas and short-term visas.

The concept of a long-term visa is to stay in the country of travel for more than 3 months. It is necessary to apply for a long-term visa for a long period of time, regardless of the purpose of the visit. A visa for a stay of less than 3 months in the country of travel is called a short-term visa, and the cost of the study time required to apply for a short-term visa is relatively short.

Our visas are mainly diplomatic visas, courtesy visas, official visas and ordinary visas, which are issued to foreigners applying for entry.

5. The number of times a visa is valid

In addition to the validity period and the period of stay, the visa also specifies the number of times it is valid. It is generally divided into one valid visa, two valid visas and multiple valid visas. The number of times a visa is valid means that the visa will expire once it is used within the validity period. A twice-valid visa means that the visa can be used twice within the validity period of the visa.

Multiple entry visa means that the visa holder can enter and exit the country multiple times during the validity period. For example, tourist visas for Australia and India allow multiple entries and exits within a period of 3 or 6 months. In some countries, work visas are also valid for multiple entries. Of course, what kind of visa is issued, how long it is valid for and how many times it is valid, the visa authority decides according to the specific situation of the applicant.

Visa validity and stay

There is a certain standard format for visas, which generally includes the type of visa, the purpose of entry, the duration of stay, the effective date, the issuing organization, the issuing official, the date and the cost of the visa, and so on.

Validity of Visa

It means that from the date of issuance of the visa can be up to a period of time after their own permission to enter the country, more than we have this working period, the visa issue is an invalid visa. Generally, the country will issue an entry visa that is valid for 3 months, and some countries will issue an entry visa that is valid for 1 month. Some Chinese countries have very strict restrictions on the validity of visas, such as Germany, which only issues visas according to the date of application. The validity of transit visas is generally shorter. Period of Stay

Period of Stay of Visa

The period of stay allowed for the holder after entering the country. It is different from the visa validity period because the visa validity period is the period of time for which the visa is to be used, i.e., the holder is allowed to enter or pass through the country for a specified period of time.

If a country's entry/exit visa is valid for 3 months and the period of stay is 15 days, the visa can be used to enter or exit the country on any day within 3 months from the date of issue, but the holder can only stay in the country for 15 days from the date of entry to the date of exit. Some countries must enter the country within 3 months after issuance, and the period of stay after entry is:3 months; some countries have the same visa entry period and period of stay.

If the U.S. tourist visa is valid for 3 months, the duration of stay is 3 months, that is, within 3 months of entry into the party concerned is valid, after entry can only stay for 3 months. Visas are valid for: months or 3 months; the longest visas are generally 6 months or more, such as work and study visas; the shortest visas are 3 days or 7 days, such as transit visas.

Transit Visa

Transit refers to traveling to a third country via that country. Citizens of one country traveling internationally can arrive directly at their destination, but when traveling to other countries, they often need to pass through one or two countries before finally entering the destination country. This is when it is necessary to obtain not only an entry permit from that country, but also a transit permit from that country, generally referred to as a transit visa.

On the development of transit visa regulations, countries are not the same, there are wide and strict, some companies require to carry out the work of the visa, some exempted from the visa. Some require a visa for a specified period of time and within a specified scope, but if the time limit and scope are exceeded, a visa must be obtained.

Many countries require foreigners entering a third country through that country to apply for a visa, regardless of the length of their stay. In accordance with international practice, a transit visa should be issued to the transit country provided that its citizens are in possession of a valid passport, an entry visa to the country of destination or a transit ticket, without any special restrictions being imposed. If you travel to a visa-exempt country or a port of entry country via the visa-issuing country, you must be in possession of a letter of invitation or a document authorizing a visa at the port of entry from the country of destination in order to apply for a transit visa from that country. One transit, two transit and multiple transit may also be requested as required.

Generally, transit visas are issued based on the requirements of the application. In some cases, transit visas may not be issued or may not be issued as required. In such cases, we can take transit to another country or transit without leaving the airport.

Mutual Visa Exemptions

With the development of international relations and tourism, visa regimes in many countries are becoming more streamlined to facilitate friendly exchanges between citizens. Citizens of some other countries do not have to apply for visas to enter or leave their territories, as many countries have signed rabbit visa agreements with each other. Even among the countries of the European Community, citizens of one country can move freely between countries with identity cards and without passports or visas.

Mutual visa exemptions are based on agreements signed by the foreign ministries of both countries. Each side can freely enter and leave the territory of the other side with a valid national passport, and the mutual visa exemption includes full and partial visa exemptions. For details of visa-free exit for Chinese citizens, please refer to the list of visa-free agreements between China and foreign countries on this website.

At present, China has only signed agreements with more than 30 different countries, including DPRK, Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Bangladesh, Russia, other CIS countries, Czech Republic, Albania, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Poland, Hungary, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, Benin, and so on. Agreements on visa exemptions for citizens traveling abroad on official business. The agreements and signatory countries only provide preferential treatment of exempting Chinese citizens from applying for entry visas for a period of up to three months for those who go abroad on official business, but not for Chinese citizens who go abroad for private purposes.

Re-entry Visa

Before leaving the country, a foreigner who has entered the country legally must properly settle his/her debts and pay taxes to the citizens and relevant organizations of the country of residence, and leave the country after serving his/her sentence. In some cases, long-term foreigners must obtain an exit permit to prove compliance with the relevant obligations. Aliens who enter the country for a short period of time are free to leave the country during the validity of their visa.

Foreigners who have been granted permanent residence or long-term residence in a particular country often have the problem of re-entry after a temporary departure. Foreign nationals and international students returning to their home countries for family visits, sightseeing or business are required to apply for re-entry permits in advance. The procedures are not consistent due to different countries. Some apply for a re-entry visa; others apply for a re-entry permit, such as Japan and the United States. Re-entry permits are also valid for one or two years.

Port of Entry Visa

Refers to the port of entry where you apply for a visa in your country (commonly known as visa on arrival). Many countries do not issue port visas to our citizens. The countries that do issue port visas to foreign nationals are mainly in West Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and some countries in Oceania. Although the requirements for a port visa vary from country to country, generally, an application for a port visa is made by the inviting party to the immigration or emigration authorities of the host country, and the inviting party sends the certificate or a copy of the certificate to the inviting party, who may travel with the certificate, prior to obtaining authorization) to travel to the port of entry of that country to apply for a visa, upon the approval of that country to travel to the port of entry.

Counter visa

The so-called counter-visa is a certificate of visa approval that the inviter fills out for the visitor at the immigration office of the country of visit, and then submits it to the embassy of the country of visit along with the applicant's passport, application form, and photo. The embassy or consulate in China issues the visa on the applicant's passport only on the basis of the approval documents, and does not need to apply to its domestic immigration department. Although the specifications and forms of counter visas vary from country to country, generally as long as you get a counter visa, it means that the entry is approved, and it does not take a long time to get a visa after the passport is sent to the country's embassy in China. Some people can enter the country with a counter visa. Most of the countries currently implementing counter visas are in Asia, mainly Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.