What is a VISA? A travel Visa is a document issued by the Embassy of the country you are traveling to which allows a non-citizen of that country entry generally for a specific purpose and specific time frame. The document is generally a stamp that goes in your passport. Some countries also require an exit visa to leave the country. Some countries charge a fee to issue a visa. Some countries do not require visas for US citizens.

I recently had a friend travel to India. The day he showed up at the airport to go the agent at the airport asked for his Visa to which he replied, "Visa I am getting it over there." Well, they would not let him on the plane. Fortunately, he was only four hours from the Washington DC area home to most countries Embassies and also where I live. He was able to come and stay with me that night, go to DC the next morning for a 10 am appointment to get a Visa from the Indian Embassy. He waited in DC until 6 PM that night to get his Visa and made a flight the next day at 1 PM.

Do NOT let this happen to you! My friend even used a travel agent. The travel agent since he lives outside the US that he knew all about Visas.

So how do I find out if I need a Visa? The best source is the Embassy of the country you are going to visit. Remember, when visiting places like Europe where you may visit several countries to check on Visa requirements for each country you plan to visit. Some areas have "common" visas wherein you can enter several counties on one visa.