What is the Difference Between a Passport and a Visa?

A passport is a document which is used for personal identification during abroad travels. It is used to verify one’s country of citizenship. If traveling outside your country, it is used to regain entry into your country of citizenship. Passport is an official document issued by a national government. A passport contains the following personal data : name, sex, date of birth, and place of birth.

Visa is an official permission that allows us into a specific country. This permission is granted by a government official  of the country we wish to visit. The visa can be a separate document but usually it is a stamp in the passport of the traveler.

Types of passport:

• Ordinary passport ‘“ the ordinary passport is also called tourist passport and it is issued to the citizens who are planning to travel abroad.
• Official passport ‘“ official passport is also called service passports and it is issued to the government employees. The official passports are used for work related travels of the government employees.
• Diplomatic passport ‘“ the diplomatic passports are issued for the consuls or diplomats for their work related travels. It is important to point out that diplomatic passports do not mean automatic diplomatic immunity. Also the owners of diplomatic passports have to obtain visas like every other citizens.
• Temporary passport ‘“ temporary passports are also known as emergency passports and they are issued to the people who lost their passports during their visit in a foreign country. This temporary passports are only valid for a short period of time which is needed for the return of the tourists to their country.
• Family passport ‘“ the family passports are issued to the whole family. Not every member of the family gets separate passports.There is only one passport holder.
• Fantasy passport ‘“ fantasy passports are recent creations and they are not official documents. They only appear to be regular passports but they are representing countries that do not exist anymore or never existed in the first place.

Types of visa:

• Tourist visa ‘“ the tourist visa is issued for the purpose of touristic travels.
• Transit visa ‘“ transit visa is valid only for 5 days and sometimes less and it is issued for passing through a certain country to reach a third destination.
• Business visa ‘“ business visa is issued for businessmen who travel to a certain country to engage in commercial activities.
• Temporary worker visa ‘“ this visa is issued to temporary workers in a foreign country.
• Student visa ‘“ student visa is issued to students who are studying in a foreign country.