Meaning & use
visa
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
An official mark or document in a passport allowing you to enter, leave, or stay in a country.
Grammar: Countable; used with 'a' or 'the' and can be plural.
Patterns
- apply for a visa
- get a visa
- a visa for a country
- a visa to do something
I need to apply for a visa before I travel to China.
She was granted a student visa for three years.
The visa in his passport had expired.
verbtransitive
To officially mark or stamp a passport to allow entry.
Grammar: Takes an object: visa a passport.
Patterns
- visa a passport
- visa someone's documents
The consulate visaed her passport quickly.
All passengers must have their passports visaed before boarding.
Word forms
| plural | visas |
|---|---|
| third person singular | visas |
| past tense | visaed |
| past participle | visaed |
| -ing form | visaing |
Common combinations
- apply for a visa
- You should apply for a visa at least a month before your trip.
- grant a visa
- The embassy granted him a tourist visa.
- visa requirements
- Check the visa requirements for your destination.
- visa application
- Her visa application was denied due to incomplete documents.
- entry visa
- He obtained a single-entry visa for business.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- visa-free adjective
- Not requiring a visa for entry.
Commonly confused: visa or passport?
visa vs passport
A passport is the identity document issued by your country; a visa is a separate endorsement placed in it by the destination country.
Practice
Before traveling abroad, you often need to ______ a visa.
Choose one answer.
The correct phrase is 'apply for a visa' meaning to request one officially. 'Make a visa' and 'do a visa' are not used; 'take a visa' is not natural in this context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “visa”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.