Travel visa

For passing through the country of issue to a destination outside that country. Validity of transit visas are usually limited by short terms such as several hours to ten days depending on the size of the country or the circumstances of a particular transit itinerary.

• Airside transit visa, required by some countries for passing through their airports even without going through passport control.
• Crew member, steward, or driver visa, issued to persons employed or trained on aircraft, vessels, trains, trucks, buses, and any other means of international transportation, or ships fishing in international waters.

For short visits to the visited country. Many countries differentiate between different reasons for these visits, such as:

• Private visa, for private visits by invitation from residents of the visited country.
• Tourist visa, for a limited period of leisure travel, no business activities allowed.
• Medical visa, for undertaking diagnostics or a course of treatment in the visited country's hospitals or other medical facilities.
• Business visa, for engaging in commerce in the country. These visas generally preclude permanent employment, for which a work visa would be required.
• Working holiday visa, for individuals travelling between nations offering a working holiday program, allowing young people to undertake temporary work while travelling.
• Athletic or artistic visa, issued to athletes and performing artists (and their supporting staff) performing at competitions, concerts, shows, and other events.
  • Cultural exchange visa, usually issued to athletes and performing artists participating in a cultural exchange program.
• Refugee visa, issued to persons fleeing the dangers of persecution, a war or a natural disaster.
• Pilgrimage visa: this type of visa is mainly issued to those intending to visit religious destinations and/or to take part in particular religious ceremonies. Such visas can usually be obtained relatively quickly and at a low cost; those using them are usually permitted to travel only as a group, however. The most well-known example is Saudi Arabia's Hajj visa.[9]
• Digital nomad visa, for digital nomads who want to temporarily reside in a country while performing remote work. Thailand launched its SMART Visa, targeted at high expertise foreigners and entrepreneurs to stay a longer time in Thailand, with online applications for the visa being planned for late 2018.[10] Estonia has also announced plans for a digital nomad visa, after the launch of its e-Residency program.[11]

Visas valid for long term stays of a specific duration include:

• Student visa (F-1 in the United States), which allows its holder to study at an institution of higher learning in the issuing country. The F-2 visa allows the student's dependents to accompany them in the United States.
  • Research visa, for students doing fieldwork in the host country.
• Temporary worker visa, for approved employment in the host country. These are generally more difficult to obtain but valid for longer periods of time than a business visa. Examples of these are the United States' H-1B and L-1 visas. Depending on a particular country, the status of temporary worker may or may not evolve into the status of permanent resident or to naturalization.
  • Journalist visa, which some countries require of people in that occupation when travelling for their respective news organizations. Countries that insist on this include Cuba, China, Iran, Japan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, the United States (I-visa), and Zimbabwe.
• Residence visa, granted to people obtaining long-term residence in the host country. In some countries, such as New Zealand, long-term residence is a necessary step to obtain the status of a permanent resident.
• Asylum visa, issued to people who have suffered or reasonably fear persecution in their own country due to their political activities or opinion, or features, or association with a social group; or were exiled from their own country.
• Dependent visa, issued to certain family members of holder of a long-stay visa of certain other types (e. g., to spouse and children of a qualified employee holding a temporary worker visa).

see also visa policy of the United States#Immigrant visas for specific letters/codes

Granted for those intending to settle permanently in the issuing country (obtain the status of a permanent resident with a prospect of possible naturalization in the future):

• Spouse visa or partner visa, granted to the spouse, civil partner or de facto partner of a resident or citizen of a given country to enable the couple to settle in that country.
• Family member visa, for other members of the family of a resident or citizen of a given country. Usually, only the closest ones are covered:
  • Parents, often restricted to helpless ones, i. e. those who, due to their elderly age or state of health, need supervision and care;
  • Children (including adopted ones), often restricted to those who haven't reached the age of maturity or helpless ones;
  • Often also extended to grandchildren or grandparents, where their immediate parents or children, respectively, are for whichever reason unable to take care of them;
  • Often also extended to helpless siblings.
• Marriage visa, granted for a limited period before intended marriage or conclusion of a civil partnership based on a proven relationship with a citizen of the destination country. For example, a German woman wishing to marry an American man would obtain a Fiancée Visa (also known as a K-1 visa) to allow her to enter the United States. A K1 Fiancée Visa is valid for four months from the date of its approval.[12]
• Pensioner visa (also known as retiree visa or retirement visa), issued by a limited number of countries (Australia, Argentina, Thailand, Panama, etc.), to those who can demonstrate a foreign source of income and who do not intend to work in the issuing country. Age limits apply in some cases.

These are granted to officials doing jobs for their governments, or otherwise representing their countries in the host country, such as the personnel of diplomatic missions.

• A diplomatic visa in combination with a regular or diplomatic passport.[13]
• Courtesy visas are issued to representatives of foreign governments or international organizations who do not qualify for diplomatic status but do merit expedited, courteous treatment – an example of this is Australia's special purpose visa.

Normally visa applications are made at and collected from a consulate, embassy, or other diplomatic mission.

  Countries that issue visas or permits on arrival as a general rule for all arriving visitors

  Countries that issue visas or permits on arrival to a selected group of nationalities (more than 10)

Also known as visas on arrival (VOA), they are granted at a port of entry. This is distinct from visa-free entry, where no visa is required, as the visitor must still obtain the visa on arrival before proceeding to immigration control.

• Almost all countries will consider issuing a visa (or another document to the same effect) on arrival to a visitor arriving in unforeseen exceptional circumstances, for example:
  • Under provisions of article 35 of the Schengen Visa Code,[14] a visa may be issued at a border in situations such as the diversion of a flight causing air passengers in transit to pass through two or more airports instead of one. In 2010, Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted, causing significant disruption of air travel throughout Europe, and the EU responded by announcing that it would issue visas at land borders to stranded travellers.
  • Under section 212(d)(4) of the Immigration and Naturalization Act,[15] visa waivers can be issued to travellers arriving at American ports of entry in emergency situations or under other conditions.
  • Certain international airports in Russia have consuls on-duty, who have the power to issue visas on the spot.
• Some countries issue visas on arrival to special categories of travellers, such as seafarers or air crew.
• Some countries issue them to regular visitors; there often are restrictions, for example:
  •  Belarus issues visas on arrival in Minsk international airport only to nationals of countries where there is no consular representation of Belarus.
  •  Thailand only issues visas on arrival at certain border checkpoints. The most notable crossing where visas on arrival are not issued is the Padang Besar checkpoint for passenger trains between Malaysia and Thailand.

Country	Universal eligibility	Electronic visa alternative	Limited ports of entry	Ref.
Armenia	X	✓	X
Azerbaijan	X	✓	✓
Bahrain	X	✓	X
Bangladesh	✓	X	✓
Bolivia	X	X	X
Brunei	X	X	X
Burkina Faso	X	X	X
Cambodia	X	✓	X
Cape Verde	✓	X	X
Chad	X	X	X
Comoros	✓	X	X
Congo	X	X	X
DR Congo	X	X	X
Djibouti	✓	✓	X
Egypt	X	✓	✓
Eritrea	X	X	X
Ethiopia	X	✓	✓
Gabon	X	✓	✓
Gambia	X	X	X
Ghana	X	X	X
Grenada	X	X	X
Guinea-Bissau	✓	✓	X
India	X	✓	✓
Indonesia	X	X	✓	[16]
Iran	X	✓	✓
Iraq	X	X	✓
Jamaica	X	X	X
Jordan	X	X	X
Kenya	X	✓	X
Kuwait	X	✓	X
Kyrgyzstan	X	X	✓
Laos	X	✓	✓
Lebanon	X	X	X
Macau	X	X	X
Madagascar	✓	✓	X
Malawi	X	X	X
Maldives	✓	X	X
Marshall Islands	X	X	X
Mauritania	✓	X	✓
Mauritius	X	X	X
Mongolia	X	X	✓
Mozambique	✓	X	X
Namibia	X	X	✓
Nauru	X	X	X
Nepal	✓	X	X
Nicaragua	✓	X	X
Nigeria	X	X	X
Oman	X	✓	X
Palau	✓	X	X
Papua New Guinea	X	✓	✓
Paraguay	X	X	✓
Rwanda	✓	✓	X
Saint Lucia	X	X	X
São Tomé and Príncipe	✓	✓	X
Saudi Arabia	X	✓	X
Seychelles	✓	X	X
Sierra Leone	X	X	X
Somalia	X	X	X
Sri Lanka	X	✓	X
Sudan	X	X	X
Taiwan	X	✓	✓
Tanzania	X	✓	X
Thailand	X	X	✓
East Timor	✓	X	✓
Togo	✓	X	X
Tonga	X	X	X
Trinidad and Tobago	X	X	X
Tuvalu	✓	X	X
Uganda	✓	✓	X
Ukraine	X	✓	✓
United Arab Emirates	X	X	X
Yemen	X	X	X
Zambia	X	✓	X
Zimbabwe	X	✓	X

Electronic visas

  Countries granting electronic visas universally

  Countries granting electronic visas to select nationalities

  Countries requiring electronic registration from most visa exempt visitors (excluding Australian eVisitor)

An electronic visa (e-Visa or eVisa) is stored in a computer and is linked to the passport number so no label, sticker, or stamp is placed in the passport before travel. The application is done over the internet, and the receipt acts as a visa, which can be printed or stored on a mobile device.

Country	Mode	Universal eligibility	VoA alternative	Ref.
Angola	Pre-approval	X	X	[17]
Antigua and Barbuda	eVisa	✓	X	[18]
Armenia	eVisa	X	✓	[19]
Ascension Island	eVisa	✓	X	[20]
Australia	ETA	X	X	[21]
Azerbaijan	eVisa	X	partial	[22]
Bahrain	eVisa	X	partial	[23]
Benin	eVisa	✓	X	[24]
Cambodia	eVisa	X	✓	[25]
Djibouti	eVisa	✓	✓	[26]
Egypt	eVisa	X	partial	[27]
Ethiopia	eVisa	✓	partial	[28]
Gabon	eVisa	✓	partial	[29]
Georgia	eVisa	X	X	[30]
Guinea	eVisa	✓	X	[31]
Guinea-Bissau	Pre-approval	✓	✓	[32]
Hong Kong	ETA	X	X	[33]
India	eVisa	X	partial	[34]
Iran	eVisa	X	✓	[35]
Ivory Coast	eVisa	✓	X	[36]
Kenya	eVisa	X	✓	[37]
Kuwait	eVisa	X	✓	[38]
Kyrgyzstan	eVisa	✓	partial	[39]
Laos	eVisa	X	✓	[40]
Lesotho	eVisa	✓	X	[41]
Madagascar	eVisa	✓	✓	[42]
Malawi	eVisa	✓	✓	[43]
Malaysia	eVisa	X	X	[44]
Mexico	ETA	X	X	[45]
Mongolia	Pre-approval	X	partial	[46]
Montserrat	eVisa	✓	X	[47]
Morocco	ETA	X	X	[48]
Myanmar	eVisa	X	partial	[49]
New Zealand	ETA	X	X	[50]
Nigeria	eVisa	X	partial	[51]
Oman	eVisa	X	✓	[52]
Pakistan	ETA	X	X	[53]
Papua New Guinea	eVisa	X	✓	[54]
Qatar	eVisa	✓	✓	[55]
Russia	eVisa	X	X	[56]
Rwanda	eVisa	✓	✓	[57]
Saint Helena	eVisa	✓	X	[58]
Saint Kitts and Nevis	eVisa	✓	X	[59]
São Tomé and Príncipe	eVisa	✓	X	[60]
Saudi Arabia	eVisa	X	✓	[61]
Singapore	eVisa	X	X	[62]
South Sudan	eVisa	✓	X	[63]
Sri Lanka	ETA	X	✓	[64]
Suriname	eVisa	✓	X	[65]
Taiwan	eVisa	X	partial	[66]
Tajikistan	eVisa	X	X	[67]
Tanzania	eVisa	✓	✓	[68]
Thailand	Pre-approval	X	✓	[69]
Turkey	eVisa	X	X	[70]
Uganda	eVisa	X	✓	[71]
Ukraine	eVisa	X	X	[72]
United Kingdom	EVW	X	X	[73]
Uzbekistan	eVisa	X	X	[74]
Vietnam	eVisa	X	X	[75]
Zambia	eVisa	✓	partial	[76]
Zimbabwe	eVisa	✓	partial	[77]

Russia maintains an eVisa program for visitors from certain countries arriving to Russian Far East, Saint Petersburg, Leningrad Region and Kaliningrad Region.[78] And will introduce a single electronic visa from 1 January 2021.[79]

Authorities of Belarus,[80] Chad,[81] Republic of the Congo,[82] Democratic Republic of the Congo,[83] Equatorial Guinea,[84] Ghana,[85] Japan,[86] Kazakhstan,[87] Liberia,[88] South Africa,[89] and Tunisia[90] have announced plans to introduce electronic visas in the future.

These lists are not exhaustive. Some countries may have more detailed classifications of some of these categories reflecting the nuances of their respective geographies, social conditions, economies, international treaties, etc.

In some countries that exempt visitors of certain nationalities from visa requirements, it is still necessary to receive prior authorization before arriving by air. These travel authorizations typically last for several years, and can be used multiple times. Airlines are required to verify that all passengers without a visa have obtained authorization before departure, or risk fines and the cost of a returning a passenger to their country of origin.

• Australia requires visitors from certain countries to obtain an eVisitor or Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) before travel, and offers electronic visas to all others.
• Canada requires all international visitors arriving by air who do not require a visa, except for United States nationals, to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (or eTA) before arrival.
• New Zealand requires all international visitors from Visa waiver countries to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority and pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy before arrival.
• The United States has an internet system called Electronic System for Travel Authorization (or ESTA), but this is a security pre-screening only and does not technically qualify as a visa under US immigration law.
• The European Union is planning to adopt a system known as the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) for all non-EU citizens who are currently visa-exempt prior to their travel, to be implemented in the end of 2022.[91]

Visa run example

Some foreign visitors sometimes engage in what is known as a visa run: leaving a country—usually to a neighbouring country—for a short period just before the permitted length of stay expires, then returning to the first country to get a new entry stamp in order to extend their stay ("reset the clock"). Despite the name, a visa run is usually done with a passport that can be used for entry without a visa.

Visa runs are frowned upon by immigration authorities as such acts may signify that the foreigner wishes to reside permanently and might also work in that country; purposes that visitors are prohibited from engaging in and usually require an immigrant visa or a work visa. Immigration officers may deny re-entry to visitors suspected of engaging in prohibited activities, especially when they have done repeated visa runs and have no evidence of spending reasonable time in their home countries or countries where they have the right to reside and work.

To combat visa runs, some countries have limits on how long visitors can spend in the country without a visa, as well as how much time they have to stay out before "resetting the clock". For example, Schengen countries impose a maximum limit for visitors of 90 days in any 180-day period. Some countries do not "reset the clock" when a visitor comes back after visiting a neighbouring country. For example, the United States does not give visitors a new period of stay when they come back from visiting Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean; instead they are readmitted to the United States for the remaining days granted on their initial entry.[92] Some other countries, e.g. Thailand, allow visitors who arrive by land from neighbouring countries a shorter length of stay than those who arrive by air.

In some cases, a visa run is necessary to activate new visas or change the immigration status of a person. An example would be leaving a country and then returning immediately to activate a newly issued work visa before a person can legally work.

Potentially, there are new common visa schemes:

• An ASEAN common visa scheme has been considered with Thailand and the "CLMV" countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam opting in earlier. After talk arose of a CLMV common visa,[107] with Thailand being omitted, Thailand initiated and began implementation of a trial common visa with Cambodia, but cited security risks as the major hurdle. The trial run was delayed,[108] but Thailand implemented a single visa scheme with Cambodia beginning on December 27, 2012, on a trial basis.[109]
• A Gulf Cooperation Council single visa has been recommended as a study submitted to the council.[110]
• The Pacific Alliance, which currently consists of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, offer a common visa for tourism purposes only in order to make it easier for nationals from countries outside of the alliance to travel through these countries by not having to apply for multiple visas.[111]
• An East African Single Tourist Visa is under consideration by the relevant sectoral authorities under the East African Community (EAC) integration program. If approved the visa will be valid for all five partner states in the EAC (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi). Under the proposal for the visa, any new East African single visa can be issued by any partner state's embassy. The visa proposal followed an appeal by the tourist boards of the partner states for a common visa to accelerate promotion of the region as a single tourist destination and the EAC Secretariat wants it approved before November's World Travel Fair (or World Travel Market) in London.[112] When approved by the East African council of ministers, tourists could apply for one country's entry visa, which would then be applicable in all regional member states as a single entry requirement initiative.[113] This is considered also by COMESA.
• The SADC UNIVISA (or Univisa) has been in development since Southern African Development Community (SADC) members signed a Protocol on the Development of Tourism in 1998. The Protocol outlined the Univisa as an objective so as to enable the international and regional entry and travel of visitors to occur as smoothly as possible. It was expected to become operational by the end of 2002.[114] Its introduction was delayed and a new implementation date, the end of 2006, was announced. The univisa was originally intended to only be available, initially, to visitors from selected "source markets" including Australia, the Benelux countries, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[114] It is now expected that when the Univisa is implemented, it will apply to non-SADC international (long-haul) tourists travelling to and within the region and that it will encourage multi - destination travel within the region. It is also anticipated that the Univisa will enlarge tourist market for transfrontier parks by lowering the boundaries between neighbouring countries in the parks. The visa is expected to be valid for all the countries with trans frontier parks (Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe) and some other SADC countries (Angola and Swaziland).[115] As of 2017, universal visa is implemented by Zambia and Zimbabwe. Nationals of 65 countries and territories are eligible for visa on arrival that is valid for both countries. This visa is branded KAZA Uni-visa programme after Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA). It is expected that other SADC countries will join the programme in the future.[116]

These schemes no longer operate.

• The CARICOM Visa was introduced in late 2006 and allowed visitors to travel between 10 CARICOM member states (Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago). These ten member countries had agreed to form a "Single Domestic Space" in which travellers would only have their passport stamped and have to submit completed, standardized entry and departure forms at the first port and country of entry. The CARICOM Visa was applicable to the nationals of all countries except CARICOM member states (other than Haiti) and associate member states, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the overseas countries, territories, or departments of these countries. The CARICOM Visa could be obtained from the Embassies/Consulates of Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago and in countries that have no CARICOM representatives, the applications forms could be obtained from the embassies and consulates of the United Kingdom. The common visa was only intended for the duration of the 2007 Cricket World Cup and was discontinued on May 15, 2007. Discussions are ongoing into instituting a revised CARICOM visa on a permanent basis in the future.
• A predecessor of the Schengen common visa was the Benelux visa. Visas issued by Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg were valid for all the three countries.

Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates all have an exit visa requirement for alien foreign workers. This is part of their kafala work visa sponsorship system. Consequently, at the end of a foreign worker's employment period, the worker must secure clearance from their employer stating that the worker has satisfactorily fulfilled the terms of their employment contract or that the worker's services are no longer needed. The exit visa can also be withheld if there are pending court charges that need to be settled or penalties that have to be meted out. In September 2018, Qatar lifted the exit visa requirement for most workers.[117]

Nepal requires its citizens emigrating to the United States on an H-1B visa to present an exit permit issued by the Nepali Ministry of Labour. This document is called a work permit and needs to be presented to Nepali immigration to leave Nepal.[118]

Uzbekistan was the last remaining country of the former USSR that required an exit visa, which was valid for a two-year period. The practice was abolished in 2019.[119] There had been explicit United Nations complaint about this practice.[120]

North Korea requires that its citizens obtain an exit visa stating the traveller's destination country and time to be spent abroad before leaving the country. Additionally, North Korean authorities also require North Korean citizens obtain a re-entry visa from a North Korean embassy or North Korean mission abroad before being allowed back into North Korea.

The government of the People's Republic of China requires its citizens to obtain a two-way permit, issued by the People's Republic of China's authorities, prior to visiting to Hong Kong or Macau. The two-way permit is a de facto exit visa for Hong Kong- or Macau-bound trips for citizens of the People's Republic of China.

Singapore operates an Exit Permit scheme in order to enforce the national service obligations of its male citizens and permanent residents.[121] Requirements vary according to age and status:[122]

Taiwan[124] and South Korea also require male citizens who are older than a certain age but have not fulfill their military duties to register with local Military Manpower Administration office before they pursue international travels, studies, business trips, and/or performances. Failure to do so is a felony in those countries and violators would face less then 3 years of imprisonment.

During the Fascist period in Italy, an exit visa was required from 1922 to 1943. Nazi Germany required exit visas from 1933 to 1945.[125]

The Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies required exit visas both for emigration and for those who wanted to leave the Soviet Union for a shorter period.

Some countries, including the Czech Republic,[126] require that an alien who needs a visa on entry be in possession of a valid visa upon exit. To satisfy this formal requirement, exit visas sometimes need to be issued. Russia requires an exit visa if a visitor stays past the expiration date of their visa. They must then extend their visa or apply for an exit visa and are not allowed to leave the country until they show a valid visa or have a permissible excuse for overstaying their visa (e.g., a note from a doctor or a hospital explaining an illness, missed flight, lost or stolen visa). In some cases, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can issue a return-Home certificate that is valid for ten days from the embassy of the visitor's native country, thus eliminating the need for an exit visa.

A foreign citizen granted a temporary residence permit in Russia needs a temporary resident visa to take a trip abroad (valid for both exit and return). It is also colloquially called an exit visa. Not all foreign citizens are subject to that requirement. Citizens of Germany, for example, do not require this exit visa.

The government of Cuba announced in October 2012 its plans to remove exit visa requirements to be effective January 14, 2013, albeit with some exceptions.[127]

Guatemala requires any foreigner who is a permanent resident to apply for a multiple 5-year exit visa.

The United States of America does not require exit visas. Since October 1, 2007, however, the U.S. government requires all foreign and U.S. nationals departing the United States by air to hold a valid passport (or certain specific passport-replacing documents). Even though travellers might not require a passport to enter a certain country, they will require a valid passport booklet (booklet only, U.S. Passport Card not accepted) to depart the United States in order to satisfy the U.S. immigration authorities.[128] Exemptions to this requirement to hold a valid passport include:

• U.S. Permanent Resident/Resident Alien Card (Form I-551);
• U.S. Military ID Cards when travelling on official orders;
• U.S. Merchant Mariner Card;
• NEXUS Card;
• U.S. travel document:
  • Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571); or
  • Permit to Re-Enter (Form I-327)
• Emergency Travel Document (e.g. Consular Letter) issued by a foreign embassy or consulate specifically for the purpose of travel to the bearer's home country.
• Nationals of Mexico holding one of the following documents:
  • (expired) "Matricula Consular"; or
  • Birth certificate with consular registration; or
  • Certificate of Nationality issued by a Mexican consulate abroad; or
  • Certificate of Military Duty (Cartilla Militar); or
  • Voter's Certificate (Credencial IFE or Credencial para Votar).

In addition, green card holders and certain other aliens must obtain a certificate of compliance (also known as a "sailing permit" or "departure permit") from the Internal Revenue Service proving that they are up-to-date with their US income tax obligations before they may leave the country.[129] While the requirement has been in effect since 1921, it has not been stringently enforced, but in 2014 the House Ways and Means Committee has considered beginning to enforce the requirement as a way to increase tax revenues.[130]

Henley & Partners annually compiles their Passport Index, which ranks passports according to the lack of visas required of their bearers. The index is based on the International Air Transport Association database.[131] The HPI ranks passports according to how many destinations can be reached without requiring a visa ('visa-free'). All distinct destination countries and territories in the IATA database are considered. However, since not all territories issue passports, there are far fewer passports ranked than destinations against which queries are made.[132]

The World Tourism Organization in its Visa Openness Report concluded that the countries whose citizens were least affected by visa restrictions in 2020 were (based on the data compiled by the UNWTO, based on information from national official institutions):[133]

Least restricted citizens

Rank	Country	Mobility index (out of 215 with no visa weighted by 1, visa on arrival weighted by 0.7, eVisa by 0.5 and traditional visa weighted by 0)
1	United Arab Emirates	178
2	Finland,  Germany,  Luxembourg,  Spain	171
3	Austria,  Denmark,  Ireland,  Netherlands,  Portugal,  South Korea,  Switzerland,  United States	170
4	Belgium,  France,  Greece,  Italy,  Japan,  Malta,  Norway,  Singapore,  Sweden	169
5	Canada,  Czech Republic,  Hungary,  Lithuania,  New Zealand,  Poland,  Slovakia,  United Kingdom	168

Many countries require a minimum number of blank pages to be available in the passport being presented, typically one or two pages.[134] Endorsement pages, which often appear after the visa pages, are not counted as being available.

An International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis is required to prove that someone has been vaccinated against yellow fever

Many African countries, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia, require all incoming passengers to have a current International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, as does the South American territory of French Guiana.[135]

Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area or has visited one recently.[136]

In the absence of specific bilateral agreements, countries requiring passports to be valid for at least 6 more months on arrival include Afghanistan, Algeria, Anguilla, Bahrain,[137] Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Curaçao, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel,[138] Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.[139]

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 4 months on arrival include Micronesia and Zambia.

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 3 months on arrival include Albania, Honduras, North Macedonia, Panama, and Senegal.

Countries requiring passports with a validity of at least 3 months beyond the date of intended departure include Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Nauru, Moldova, and New Zealand. Similarly, the EEA countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, all European Union countries (except the Republic of Ireland) together with Switzerland and the United Kingdom also require 3 months validity beyond the date of the bearer's intended departure unless the bearer is an EEA or Swiss national.

Bermuda requires passports to be valid for at least 45 days upon entry.

Countries that require a passport validity of at least one month beyond the date of intended departure include Eritrea, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, the Maldives[140] and South Africa.

Other countries require either a passport valid on arrival or a passport valid throughout the period of the intended stay. Some countries have bilateral agreements with other countries to shorten the period of passport validity required for each other's citizens[141][142] or even accept passports that have already expired (but not been cancelled).[143]

Some countries, including Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand and the United States,[144] routinely deny entry to non-citizens who have a criminal record.

The government of a country can declare a diplomat persona non grata, banning their entry into that country. In non-diplomatic use, the authorities of a country may also declare a foreigner persona non grata permanently or temporarily, usually because of unlawful activity.[145]

Israeli border control Entry Permit (issued as a stand-alone document rather than a stamp affixed in a passport)

Kuwait,[146] Lebanon,[147] Libya,[148] Sudan,[149] Syria,[150] and Yemen[151] do not allow entry to people with passport stamps from Israel or whose passports have either a used or an unused Israeli visa, or where there is evidence of previous travel to Israel such as entry or exit stamps from neighbouring border posts in transit countries such as Jordan and Egypt.

To circumvent this Arab League boycott of Israel, the Israeli immigration services have now mostly ceased to stamp foreign nationals' passports on either entry to or exit from Israel (unless the entry is for some work-related purposes). Since 15 January 2013, Israel no longer stamps foreign passports at Ben Gurion Airport. Passports are still (as of 22 June 2017) stamped at Erez when passing into and out of Gaza.

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage claims that having an Israeli stamp does not disqualify someone from visiting Saudi Arabia.[152]

Iran refuses admission to holders of passports containing an Israeli visa or stamp that is less than 12 months old.

Entry Permit to Nagorno-Karabakh issued in Yerevan as a stand-alone document rather than a visa affixed in a passport

Due to a state of war existing between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the government of Azerbaijan not only bars entry of Armenian citizens, but also all citizens and nationals of any other country who are of Armenian descent, into the Republic of Azerbaijan.[153][154]

Azerbaijan also strictly bans any visit by foreign citizens to the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh[155] (the de facto independent Republic of Artsakh), its surrounding territories, and the Azerbaijani exclaves of Karki, Yuxarı Əskipara, Barxudarlı, and Sofulu which are de jure part of Azerbaijan but under the control of Armenia, without the prior consent of the government of Azerbaijan. Foreign citizens who enter these territories will be permanently banned from entering the Republic of Azerbaijan[156] and will be included in their "list of personae non gratae".[157] As of 2 September 2019, the list mentioned 852 people.

Upon request, the authorities of the largely unrecognised Republic of Artsakh may attach their visa and/or stamps to a separate piece of paper in order to avoid detection of travel to their territory.

A fingerprint scanner at Dulles International Airport collects biometric data on visitors, which can be used for confirming identities.

Several countries mandate that all travellers, or all foreign travellers, be fingerprinted on arrival and will refuse admission to or even arrest travellers who refuse to comply. In some countries, such as the United States, this may apply even to transit passengers who merely wish to quickly change planes rather than go landside.[158]

Fingerprinting countries include Afghanistan,[159][160] Argentina,[161] Brunei, Cambodia,[162] China,[163] Ethiopia,[164] Ghana, Guinea,[165] India, Japan,[166][167] Kenya (both fingerprints and a photo are taken),[168] Malaysia upon entry and departure,[169] Paraguay, Saudi Arabia,[170] Singapore, South Korea,[171] Taiwan, Thailand,[172] Uganda[173] and the United States.

Many countries also require a photo be taken of people entering the country. The United States, which does not fully implement exit control formalities at its land frontiers (although long mandated by its legislature),[174] [175] [176] intends to implement facial recognition for passengers departing from international airports to identify people who overstay their visa.[177]

Together with fingerprint and face recognition, iris scanning is one of three biometric identification technologies internationally standardised since 2006 by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for use in e-passports[178] and the United Arab Emirates conducts iris scanning on visitors who need to apply for a visa.[179][180] The United States Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to greatly increase the biometric data it collects at US borders.[181] In 2018, Singapore began trials of iris scanning at three land and maritime immigration checkpoints.[182][183]