• A VISA is a stamp on a traveler’s passport.
• This stamp is issued by a foreign consulate or embassy as a permission, or acceptance, of the traveler’s request to board a flight to their country.
• A VISA is not a right and does NOT guarantee that the traveler will be allowed in to a foreign country. It is meant as permission to fly and request entry into the country. If granted, it is only the green light to board a flight. The entry permission should be confirmed and the duration of stay will be determined only by the immigration officer, or authority, at the port of entry. A traveler who has obtained a proper visa to fly to a country may still have access into the country denied or questioned at the port of entry by the local immigration authorities. It is rare, but it does occur from time-to-time. It is advisable to cooperate as much as possible and conduct yourself with as much integrity at the interview process as possible to avoid subjective reasons to deny you entry.
• There are many different types of visas, each with their own restrictions. Our Orange County and Los Angeles based offices are staffed with top-tier visa experts who can help you over the phone, in person, via email, or even on the web.

• One word: reciprocity. This reciprocity, or retaliation, is dictated by diplomatic agreements between countries.
• For example: A Russian citizen wants to visit the USA as a tourist. The USA requires citizens of Russia to submit an entry VISA (permission to enter) application at a local US consulate in Russia. Therefore, if a US citizen wants to visit Russia, the Russian government will require the US citizen to submit an entry VISA application at a local Russian consulate in the US.
• A VISA is not a right, it is a request for permission to go visit a certain country. If granted, it is only the green light to board a flight to that country. The entry permission will be confirmed by the immigration officer, or authority, at the port of entry.
• To find out if you need a Visa please see the complete list of countries to which we can help you apply.
• If you want more information, the U.S. Department of State has a searchable map with information such as passport and visa requirements, embassy and consular locations, and more pertaining to individual countries around the world.

WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MISREPRESENT THE NATURE OF YOUR TRIP! IF YOUR TRIP IS WORK RELATED, APPLY FOR A BUSINESS VISA TO AVOID DELAYS AND/OR HAVING YOUR VISA DENIED BY THE CONSULATE.

• The TYPE OF VISA TO BE GRANTED will ultimately be determined by the consulate. Their decision to grant or deny a visa is based on your activities in their country. You may choose to apply for a TOURIST visa, for example, to get started with your process, but the consulate will determine if they need to apply a different category of visa to you and to request additional processing steps and documents not listed on their website. The Passport Pros can help you determine if you should apply for a TOURIST or skip the delay and advise you how to apply for a different category that will most likely be applied to your situation, such as a BUSINESS, STUDENT or WORK visa. Usually, consulates and embassies have displayed some information and the respective requirements on their websites. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us or the consulate directly for clarification.
• “BUT I JUST WANT A TOURIST VISA, I’M ONLY GOING FOR A DAY OR TWO AND I’M NOT GETTING PAID BY ANYONE WHILE I’M THERE TO PERFORM ON STAGE, PROMOTE MY MOVIE, TEACH ENGLISH OR STUDY THEIR LANGUAGE” – Do NOT expect to receive any specific type of visa. The consulate will determine what type of visa is the proper type for you. Foreign authorities typically do not accept demands and are very sensitive to demanding attitude and what they may perceive as an attempt to break their immigration laws for convenience. If they catch this intention and attitude, you will experience a push back and your application may be rejected, delayed or worst case of all, DENIED. You cannot board a flight to a country that requires you to obtain a visa if the consulate barres you from obtaining your visa. A DENIED visa decision means that the traveler is ineligible to apply for another visa from anywhere between 6 months to 10 years, depending on the country. The consulate is the authority. Without their consent and granted VISA stamp, your trip will simply not happen. You will have to work around them, and typically, consulates will NOT go out of their way to accommodate a traveler’s needs.
• The information on consulate websites is usually up-to-date. If you are not able to fit yourself and your activities in a particular foreign country to their list of VISA types and requirements, please do not hesitate to contact us or the consulate directly for clarification.
• Remember: you are asking for permission to visit their homeland. Be PATIENT, truthful and thorough in the VISA application process and you’ll be on your way.