Getting a Visa: Facts to Know - Study Abroad and Beyond

Getting a visa can be a stressful experience, even when you know that you're doing everything right! Here are the things you need to know about getting a visa. Quick quiz – what is a visa?

a. A sticker or stamp in your passport that indicates your ability to legally enter a country

b. Something that you need to research before you leave for any trip

c. A document that can indicate the economic relationship between two countries

d. Something that can be really frustrating to obtain

e. All of the above

The answer is e – all of the above.

When traveling abroad – and especially when you are planning to study abroad – it is important to research in advance if you will need a visa.

For students going on semester-long programs, participating in internships, or getting a work placement abroad, there is a good chance that you will need some sort of visa to remain in the country legally.

I mean, you could always go abroad illegally, but there are negative connotations, implications, and consequences to this.

Deportation being one.

Ten-year exile being another.

Again, visas are thinly veiled indications of the economic relationship between your home country and your host country. The margin for error is decidedly thin.

Here are some questions to research about what to do in order to obtain a visa.

Do I need a visa?

It is your job to figure this out before traveling to any country.

Some countries allow for just an entry stamp. The entry stamp indicates the amount of time you are allowed to legally remain in the country.

However, some countries require visitors to apply in advance for a visa for tourism, study, business, or any other reason for entry.

I’ve been to many countries that require U.S. citizens to purchase visas in advance, but even after many years of traveling I made a mistake in 2009.

When I was visiting Australia, it wasn’t until I got to the airport in Seoul that I realized that I needed to get a visa before being allowed to enter.

Whoops.

Thankfully, the Seoul airport had an Internet Cafe I could access to purchase the $20 online visa. Thanks, Korea!

The U.S. Department of State kindly has provided information for U.S. citizens to learn in advance what the entry requirements are for individual countries.

Visit that link prior to any international travel!

What will the process entail?

In order to obtain a visa to visit a country, you will likely need a combination of the following things (but every visa and every country has different requirements, so keep that in mind):

Your passport
Completed visa application
Proof of residency
Enrollment letter (for study) or letter of invitation (for pretty much everything else)
Proof of travel reservation
Address in the host country
Proof of sufficient funds
Parents’ information (if you are under the age of 18)
In-person appointment at the consulate in your jurisdiction
Submission of documents – including your passport – via Priority Mail
Some form of payment (cash, check, money order, credit card, your tears…)
Politeness and patience

One of the little joys of obtaining a visa is that different consulates for the same country can have different documents or fee structures.

For example, the New York City Italian Consulate and the Washington, D.C. Italian Consulate require most of the same documents (note that I said most), but they accept payment for the study visas in different ways.

It’s maddening, I know.

The moral of this story is that it is critical for you to check the requirements for the consulate in your jurisdiction as early as possible.

What will the visa look like?

Visas can range in size, shape (kind of), and color depending on where they are purchased and if they are actually affixed to your passport.

The Cambodian tourist visa for US citizens, for example, can either be purchased online in advance of your trip or at the border. If it is purchased in advance, it doesn’t go into your passport, whereas the one purchased on-arrival does.

Some are pretty, some are pretty boring, but they all serve a purpose.

Also, don’t lose your visa. (Obvious, I know, but I needed to say it.)

What will I have to pay?

Remember that time when I said that a visa is “a document that can indicate the economic relationship between two countries?”

Yeah… The fee is where this is very apparent.

At the time of this posting, a U.S. citizen entering China, for example, must pay $140 for a single-entry visa (actually, any Chinese visa), whereas non-U.S. citizens must pay $30 for a single-entry visa.

No, that is not a typo.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that this fee requirement is mutual.

Do I need to do anything else?

Once you apply for your visa – either in-person, online, or through the mail – you just have to sit back and relax until you hear from the consulate.

Some consulates will let you know the day on which you can return to pick up your documents. Others will just mail you everything (in a pre-paid envelope that you provide, of course).

You might be asked to provide further documentation.

Instead of panicking, just…

Just kidding.

Go ahead.

Panic a little.

Get it out of your system.

Now, just ask for clarification on what you need to provide and get it to the consulate as quickly as possible.

Am I guaranteed a visa if I get into a program?

Short answer: Nope.

Long answer: Not even a little bit.

Remember – your study abroad program (and even your fully-paid flight ticket) has no effect on the government of the country you are trying to visit.

Many visa applications are processed without any problem, but there is the chance that you could be rejected for any number of reasons (criminal history, name discrepancies, previous travel history, serving in the armed forces…)

If you are rejected, ask the consular official for clarification, and work to try to fix what went wrong. I have been rejected before on the basis that my signature on the application didn’t exactly match my passport.

Easy – stressful – fix.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Dealing with governments is stressful no matter which country – even your own government can be stressful, yes?

Understand that, even if you are having a bad day, you are very stressed out, or you think the world has the potential of ending, taking out your frustrations on the government official will be less than useless.

The DMV (or MVA depending on your state) is a great practice for your experience with your host country’s government.

Some instances will be easy.

Some will be mind-numbingly challenging.

All will ultimately end in results.

Remain aware of the dates during which you are eligible to apply for a visa, do your research, and prepare for quite the experience… before you even leave home!