What are visas? When did visas appear? When visas were introduced

Are you planning a trip abroad? So that you don’t have any difficulties at customs, you should figure out in advance what a visa is, how to get it, how much you will have to pay for a document, and, finally, what subtleties exist when crossing the borders of a country. The information presented in the article will be useful not only to those who are planning their first visit abroad, but also to experienced travelers.

What is a visa?

At the moment, the concept of “visa” means a stamp or a seal: without such a mark, you will not be allowed to go abroad, no matter how you get to the hotel or home of relatives and friends in another state.

Getting this document involves a lot of difficulties - the traveler needs:

provide the necessary certificates, certificates, etc .;
notarize some of them;
to write an application;
submit an application, all certificates and a photograph to the consulate of the country that the person intends to visit;
in some cases - to be interviewed.

It seems to many that these requirements are too stringent. But really, if you think about it - why do you need an entry visa?

A visa is a stamp or a seal in a foreign passport giving permission to enter the country, leave or travel through it. As a rule, a visa is understood as the actual permission for an alien to enter the territory of another state.

It is curious that such strict rules for travelers were established relatively recently. Visas began to be issued at the end of World War II: this was due to national security considerations. But today, countries that do not allow tourists to travel, pursue several other goals - to arrest spies is not so important.

in the upper left corner - the emblem of the European Union - a globe surrounded by stars (in the Russian visa, for example, a two-headed eagle is located in this place);

in the lower left corner is a photograph of a traveler;

on the upper edge - the word "visa" in the language of the country of arrival;

along the bottom edge -;

in the center - basic information.

The following information shall be indicated in the visa:
name, surname and;

the period during which the visa is valid;

type of document (an explanation of this term can be found below);

the number of trips that you can make on one document, that is, the multiplicity;

the number of days you can spend abroad;

information about the consulate that issued the document and the name of the immigration officer.

Visa types

Which countries do Russian citizens do not need a visa to

A visa is a document that is necessary for visiting many foreign countries. Making it takes a lot of time and requires a lot of effort. Plus, you will need some financial costs. In general, the procedure is long and difficult, but real.

Quick reference

A visa is a document in which the embassy of a country marks the permission of a person who is a foreigner to enter the territory of a particular state. This is such a coupon, which is pasted into And sometimes it has the appearance of a seal.

For the first time, something like a visa appeared in Egypt. In the Middle Ages, a paper was invented in this state, in which even slaves were noted. Then, for many centuries, the visa remained a formality. Citizens received it at the entrance to a particular state. In fact, then the visa was a regular registration and had no restrictions. And only when the Second World War began, the visa regime began to spread. What was its essence? It is to limit migration and maintain the security of the country. Since then, there is a visa that is familiar to us today.

How to get a “pass” abroad?

A visa is a document that is not so easy to obtain. Countries have different requirements for citizens who wish to travel abroad, and to obtain permission to enter a particular state, a certain set of documents must be collected.

Many people decide to do it differently - to use the services of specialized agencies and companies that are involved in obtaining visas for Russians. In this case, you have to spend money and pay for the services provided. But this sometimes comes out really more profitable (in terms of saving time and nerves) than an independent resolution of issues. Specialists take care of everything related to a process such as obtaining a visa. This is the collection and preparation of documents, sending requests to consulates and embassies, issuing invitations, buying tickets and booking hotels, and much more.

About single entry visas

The most popular are perhaps single-entry visas. They are necessary in order to enter the country once. After its validity expires, a person will have to return to their homeland. A single entry visa can be issued for a period of three to 30 days. And if a person intends to go to the country with which the Russian Federation has signed an agreement on the so-called simplified departure, then he can stay there for about two months. The reason for the trip is usually known in advance, and the most common is tourism.

The “opposite” option of single stamps is a long-term visa. This is a document issued for a period of six months to life. They are usually issued to people leaving the country to study or work. Family reunification or permanent residence are also a good reason for issuing a long-term visa.

Multivisa

Now we should talk about such a document as a multiple entry visa. This is what removes a huge number of restrictions regarding the movement of countries. Multivisa can rightfully be considered the dream of every travel lover. It gives the right to enter any country, and it does not matter for how long. In other words, both entry and exit are limited solely by the desire of the traveler.

Multivisa can be of two types - unlimited and limited. The first case refers to the document, which, in fact, turns any state into a second house. A person has the opportunity to travel anywhere, at any time, for an unlimited period. Such a visa is a document that is harder to get than everyone else. And if this succeeds, you can consider yourself the happiest person in the world. Because few people managed to get such a paper.

Well, a limited visa means multiple visits to the state. The number of possible trips is strictly limited and is indicated directly in the document. So if you do not mind the time, effort and money - you should, nevertheless, issue an unlimited multivisa.

Visas for entry purposes

Talking about whether the Russians need a visa, and which one is best to get, a few words should be said about what categories they fall into. Well, everything is simple. There is a work visa, transit, tourist, guest, study visa, for moving to permanent residence or family reunion, etc. There are many types, and they differ in the time period for which they are issued, as well as for the purpose of the trip. The simplest document is It is short-term and does not give the right to stay in the country to apply for a job or to enter a university. A tourist is usually issued at an agency where a person booked vouchers. An invitation visa can be business or guest - to receive it you need to get an official document drawn up by the invitee at the consulate, which indicates the request to come for one reason or another (to visit or work). And finally, a student visa - it allows you to come to the state for several years to study at a university.

In general, one thing can be stated with confidence - to obtain such a document you need to spend a lot of time and effort, but it is worth it.

A visa is a document giving foreign citizens the right to cross the border of a country or stay on its territory for a certain period, depending on the purpose of the stay.

It can be a business trip, an employment contract, tourism, family reunion. Now we will understand what are the visas, their types and categories.

In the modern world, with its desire for globalization, a visa occupies a special place, since it allows you to regulate the flow of people arriving from abroad and, at the same time, prevent cases of illegal migration. Each state has its own criteria for the provision of a particular type and category of visas.

Is it possible to enter the territory of a foreign state without the permission of the authorities? Yes, for example, residents of countries participating in the signing of the Schengen agreement can count on visa-free crossing the border of any country participating in the agreement. Nationals of other states must necessarily submit applications to embassies to obtain the necessary type of visa.

Do not miss:

First, consider what visas are in terms of validity. They can be divided into 2 categories:

Short term - give the opportunity to stay for 1 - 90 days.
Long term - Designed to stay from 90 days to several years.

The group of short-term permits includes the following types of visas:

tourist;
guest room;
business;
transit.

guest room;
working;
student;
immigration;
diplomatic and official.

What are visas in terms of number of visits?

Certain types of them can give the right to a single entry, and can be used for a long period an unlimited number of times (the so-called multivisa).

Short-term visa types

Tourist visa It is the most common type of entry permit, as it is designed for people entering to visit local cultural and historical sites. Foreign citizens with a tourist visa do not have the right to work, study, or engage in research activities. In addition, their stay in the country is limited, as a rule, it is 15 - 90 days.

Each state has the right to impose restrictions on the import and export of currency, valuables, certain groups of goods. In the USA, such visas are marked with the B-2 index, in the Schengen countries - “C”. Please note that sponsorship letters are only accepted from close relatives for a tourist visa.

Read also:

Guest Visa gives the right to travel to relatives and friends on the basis of their official invitation. This type of visa provides greater freedom of action, for example, allows you to move around the country without restrictions and eliminates the need to follow the exact route or pre-book a hotel room.

Business visa issued to entrepreneurs entering for business meetings, visiting thematic exhibitions, conferences. This type of visa is issued exclusively to representatives of legal organizations. Invitations from foreign partners may also be required, as well as confirmation from the chamber of commerce about the legality of the firm. In the USA, a business visa is marked with the index B-1, in the Schengen countries - C and D.

Transit visa allows you to cross the borders of many states along the route to the most remote corners of the planet. This type of visa is required for citizens traveling by air or land through third countries. At the same time, some of its varieties allow tourists to visit the airport zone or duty-free. As a rule, a stop at transit points is arranged according to a simplified scheme and provides only for informing the authorities about the route. Documents are issued on the basis of an existing permit to enter the country of destination.

Do not miss:

Long Term Visas

Guest Visa It is associated with the long-term presence of foreign citizens in the territory of the host state. The basis for issuing such a category of visa is an invitation from relatives or loved ones who are residents of the country of destination. At the consulate, each such case is considered with special attention. Be prepared for the fact that you will be asked to prove the degree of closeness of relationship or to argue the expediency of your long stay in the country.

Work Visa is the main document stipulating the possibility of employment in the territory of a foreign state. As a rule, the validity of such a visa is limited by the terms of the employment agreement with the employer. The latter, by the way, is obliged to provide a notarized invitation to work at the consulate. If you go in search of a new place of work, then in this case you will have to prove your professional suitability and potential demand in the host country with your diplomas and documents from the chamber of commerce.

student visa issued to students of high schools and schoolchildren who go to study in a foreign country for the entire period of study. This type of visa allows you to cross the border many times and travel around the country. To obtain such a visa, you must provide an official letter from the institution.

Immigrant visa designed for citizens traveling for permanent residence or reuniting with their families. This type of visa gives you the opportunity to stay in the country for up to several years and eventually apply for citizenship.

Official and diplomatic visas issued to employees of individual organizations, as well as employees of foreign affairs agencies. For such cases, registration of travel permits is carried out at the level of government bodies and services.

Now that you know what visas are, there are only the nuances of their design. When applying for an entry permit, the purpose of the trip should be indicated and justified by appropriate documents. The category of visa issued to you will depend on how you describe the nature of the trip. Be sure to consider all the nuances related to the import and export of currency, souvenirs, medicines and food, because if you violate the visa regulations, you may be denied a second visit to the country.

The Schengen Agreement allows you to travel freely in Europe with just one visa. Life hacker prepared a guide for its design.

What is a Schengen visa?

Let's start from the very beginning. In 1985, representatives of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France and the Federal Republic of Germany signed an agreement on the gradual rejection of passport control when crossing borders between these countries. They did this on the Princess Marie-Astrid vessel, right in the middle of the Moselle River. The closest to the ship was the Schengen village, so the agreement was called Schengen.

In 1990, the same countries adopted the Convention on the Introduction and Application of the Schengen Agreement. In fact, the agreement worked in 1995 for seven countries: in the process, it was joined by Spain and Portugal. In 1999, the Amsterdam Treaty entered into force, which included the Schengen Agreement in the legislation of the European Union, so that all states joining the EU are obliged to accept its rules.

This is a document giving its holder the right to freely enter any of the Schengen countries and freely move between them. In addition to the EU member states, this zone includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

The three main rules of the Schengen area

Going to any country of the Schengen agreement, remember three important points:

A Schengen visa is issued through a consulate or a visa center of one of the Schengen countries. You must enter the Schengen area through the country whose consulate issued you a visa. Most of the time you should be in it, visiting other countries is allowed for up to five days and is considered as transit. Again, this applies only to the first trip.
If you want to visit several countries in one trip, you need to apply for a visa through the consulate of the country in which you will be the longest.
If you apply for a multi-visa, you can stay in the Schengen area for a total of no more than three months in six months.

Types of Schengen visas

By the number of visits, visas are divided into single, double and multiple (they are multi-visas). With a multiple entry visa, you can enter the Schengen area as many times as you like.

C1 - up to 30 days;
C2 - up to 90 days;
C3 - up to a year without restrictions on the number of trips;
C4 - multiple entry visa valid for five years.

5. FTD, FRTD - visas that are issued to Russians for transit travel to the Kaliningrad region.

6. LTV - a short-term visa giving the right to visit only the country whose consulate issued it.

What documents are needed for applying for a visa

Key Documents

1. Passport, where there are at least two blank pages. Please note that the document must be valid for three months after the planned completion of the trip. It is worth making copies of all pages of the passport.

2. An old (canceled) passport, if you have one, and photocopies of all its pages.

3. Internal passport and copies of all pages.

4. Help from work. It must indicate the details of the company, the position and salary of the applicant, full name and position of the responsible person signing the certificate. The validity of such a certificate is one month. For a visit to Belgium in this document you need to note the dates of vacation, in addition you will need a certificate in the form 2-NDFL and a copy of the work book.

5. Bank account statement (when applying for a visa to Belgium, Spain, Italy, Norway and Poland - statement for the last three months). The minimum amount on the account is 581 euros per person, a certificate is valid for one month.

6. Marriage and child birth certificates, if you have such documents.

7. Two color photographs of the applicant taken according to the OACI / ISO standard for six months before filing. The size of the pictures is 3.5 × 4.5 cm, the background is white or close to white, the photos should be without corners and ovals.

8. Medical insurance, the minimum amount of which is 35 thousand euros. Insurance is issued for the entire trip.

Additional documents

1. If you intend to arrive in the country of destination by plane, a confirmation of purchase or booking of air tickets is useful (for Iceland - only purchases).

2. For those who travel by car, you will need a route sheet with the dates of travel through the territory of each country through which the path to the destination passes. Still need a copy of the registration certificate, a copy of the driver’s license and the Green Card international insurance policy.

3. An electronic voucher that records the fact of booking or paying for a hotel room, or documents issued by a travel agency confirming that you will have a place to live. When applying for a visa to Poland, booking is not enough - you must pay at least half the cost of living. To obtain a visa to Slovakia, the voucher must be certified by the signature of the person in charge or the original confirmation of payment, if it was issued online.

Additional documents for entrepreneurs

1. For individual entrepreneurs - OGRNIP and its copy. For founders of limited liability companies - OGRUL and its copy.

2. TIN and its copy.

3. Current statement from the bank account of the enterprise. The certificate is valid for three months from the date of receipt.

4. Extract from the tax registry.

Additional documents for seniors

1. Pension certificate and its copy.

2. If a relative pays for the trip, a certificate from his bank account and a document confirming kinship are needed.

Additional documents for the unemployed

In the case when a relative pays for the trip, a certificate from his bank account and a document confirming kinship are required.

Additional documents for the disabled

Disability Confirmation Document and its copy.

Documents for minors

1. Birth certificate and its copy.

2. If the child travels with one of the parents, the second must give notarized consent.

3. A copy of the Schengen visa of the parent traveling with the child, if any.

4. A certificate from the educational institution confirming the place of study of the child.

5. Copies of internal passports of parents.

How to apply for a visa

Despite the differences in the requirements for the documents presented, the visa process is unified. If you travel to Austria, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Iceland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal or the Czech Republic, registration on the VFS Global website will be required. The resource has a separate page for each country: you select the country of arrival and country of residence in a special form, and the service finds a section with the necessary information.

For other countries of the Schengen zone, there are separate portals for registration:

Download the application form in English and consent to the processing of personal data, fill it out and print it out.

Austria: profile; You will find a consent form for data processing.
Belgium: the questionnaire will be sent to you by e-mail after registration; consent to data processing.
Hungary: application form, consent to data processing.
Germany: application and consent to the processing of data (paragraph 4).
Greece: application form, consent to data processing.
Denmark: application form, consent to data processing.
Iceland: application form, consent to data processing.
Spain: application form, consent to data processing.
Italy: application form, consent to data processing.
Latvia: application form, consent to data processing.
Lithuania: application form, consent to data processing.
Liechtenstein: application form, consent to data processing.
Luxembourg: profile.
Malta: application form, consent to data processing.
Norway: to fill out the questionnaire, you must register on the website of the visa center; consent to data processing.
Poland: application form, consent to data processing.
Slovakia: application form, consent to data processing.
Slovenia: application form, consent to data processing.
Finland:
Estonia: application form, consent to data processing.

The next step is to submit documents to the visa center. If you are traveling to Greece, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Iceland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Switzerland or Portugal, you will need to make an appointment in your personal account, print a confirmation letter, and then arrive at the appointed time. Documents for a visa to France, Hungary, Germany, Latvia, Malta, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, Czech Republic, Estonia and Sweden are submitted on a first come first served basis.

The visa center must pay the fees: the consular fee is 35 euros, the amount of the service for different countries differs from 18.5 to 30.5 euros.

Then you need to go through fingerprinting. Since September 14, 2015, it has become mandatory for anyone over 12 years old. If in the past five years you have already passed fingerprints to obtain a Schengen visa, you do not need to do this again. The only exception is Italy.

That's it, now expect approval or rejection of your request. In theory, you may be called for an additional interview at the consulate, but in practice this rarely happens.

What to do if you do not want to bother with applying for a visa

When there is neither time nor desire to go to the consulate, you should entrust everything to people who understand the intricacies of visa legislation. There are two main selection criteria. Firstly, the higher the percentage of successfully issued visas, the better. Secondly, you must be provided with guarantees, for example, to return money if a refusal comes from the visa center through the fault of an intermediary company.

Over the three years of operation, O'Key Visa issued more than 9,500 visas, of which 97% were approved at the consulates the first time.

All you need is a set of documents from you, the O'Key Visa specialists take care of the rest. They will make all copies, fill out questionnaires and applications, book a hotel, and, if necessary, prepare you for an interview at the consulate. If you don’t even have time to bring the documents, the courier will pick them up, leaving you a receipt.

The cost of preparing documents for a Schengen visa is from 1,900 rubles. O'Key Visa will help with both photos and photocopies, all of which are completely free. Documents will be submitted on time and in accordance with all the rules, so the probability of failure is somewhere around zero.

The issue of the appearance of access documents in the territory of various countries has been discussed for a long time. In the Bible, the first mention of a pass to Judea is described. But in the modern form, visa legislation began to take shape at the beginning of the 19th century. Then every person in a civilized country had to get a passport and register at a certain place of residence. It was this passport that was a pass to any country; there were no special restrictions on the movement of citizens with identity cards.

First modern visas: post-war times

The issue of when visas appeared is easiest to consider starting from the last century. In particular, the First World War (1914-1918) greatly changed the mood of many states, the fact of the importance of protecting its borders became obvious. Until that time, visa documents were issued or stamped at the borders when traveling by citizens. This could be called registration, but not a restriction of movement. After the war, the system began to take on a modern look:

the most developed countries actively began to close themselves from possible risks by introducing visas for all visitors;
embassies began to open, this process continues to this day, developing international relations;
a little later, individual states began to unite in unions and commonwealths, where visa issues were solved more easily;
it became increasingly difficult to get into large communities of citizens from other countries that are not members of the association; more demands were made.

The cooling of international relations by World War II significantly affected visas and their future fate. Only after the formation of the European Union in its current form did international visa legislation return to normal. Today, general rules apply for virtually all countries, but states can conclude unilateral and bilateral agreements on easing the visa regime.

The initial tasks of visas to enter the state

Over the past century, every country has sought to protect its borders, maintain integrity and avoid any problems with espionage. Information security is relevant today. It is visa restrictions that allow many states to stay away from conflicts and wars. Although there is another side to the coin: totalitarian states by visa regime were able to close for the entire civilized world.

The main tasks that modern visas carry out include:

complete security for the country and protection against the penetration of unwanted individuals, terrorists and criminals;
control of the influx of population from other states, reduction of migration flows of people;
population control, as well as closer monitoring of all migrants;
criminal goals - it is easier to find a person with data in the embassy on the territory of the state;
impact on international politics.

For the average person, all these theoretical questions remain on the sidelines. It is important for each citizen to know where to go and what documents to bring in order to obtain permission to enter a particular country. Many Russian citizens notice that it is easier to get permission to enter some countries, while others become harder every year. This process is influenced by many factors in the field of international relations. In order not to be denied embassies, citizens often use the services of specialists.

How to get a visa for a citizen of the Russian Federation?

The issue of migration legislation of the Russian Federation and other countries is becoming difficult for independent understanding. Refusals of permission to enter, coming from the consular departments, make you think how to submit documents correctly, how to fill them out. The easiest way is to use the services of the Visardo Visa Support Center.

We know everything about visas, we will always help you collect a package of documents, submit it correctly and get the right answer in a short time. Our experts will carry out all the preparatory work, hold the necessary consultations with you and help prepare for each stage of the entry documents. For all questions you can call us today.