What does a visa mean?

Visa is a kind of permission certificate for a sovereign country to allow foreign citizens or their own citizens to enter, leave or transit. In other words, the procedure of affixing an endorsement on a traveler's passport or other valid travel documents is to allow him to enter, leave or pass through the territory of the country.

If a citizen wants to travel abroad, emigrate or study abroad, get married, etc. In addition to his passport, he must also hold the corresponding visa. Passport is the holder's nationality and identity certificate, and visa is the permission certificate of a sovereign country to allow foreign citizens or their own citizens to enter, exit or transit.

Visas are generally endorsed on passports, some on other travel documents, and some are issued separately. For example, the immigration visa in the United States is an application form, and Singapore also issues visas to foreigners separately, but it must be used at the same time as the passport to be effective.

Generally speaking, foreigners are granted different entry visas according to the identity of the applicant and the purpose of entry, such as visas for traveling, visiting relatives, emigrating, studying abroad and working, and the residence time after entry is limited. Due to the different types of visas, the relevant materials needed are also different. Generally, short-term residence applications have fewer restrictions and shorter waiting time for approval. For the purpose of job hunting and long-term residence, it has become a common practice in all countries to apply for more restrictions and wait for a long time. A country has no obligation to allow foreigners to enter the country unconditionally (unless there is a treaty), and a foreigner has no right to ask a government to allow him to enter the country. The entry of foreigners is conditional.

legal ground

Regulations of the people's Republic of China on passports and visas

Article 2 The People's Republic of China (PRC) visa is a permit for China citizens and foreigners to leave, enter and transit.

Visa is divided into: diplomatic visa, official visa and ordinary visa.

Article 3 Passports and visas are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security in China. Abroad, it is China's diplomatic representative offices, consular offices and organs authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Passports of persons going abroad on business shall be handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the organs authorized by the Ministry. Passports and visas for people going abroad on private business shall be handled by organs authorized by the Ministry of Public Security.

Passports and visas for China citizens who travel or reside abroad shall be handled by China's diplomatic missions, consular offices or agencies authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreigners applying for Chinese visas abroad shall be handled by China's diplomatic representative offices, consular offices or agencies authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At home, visa applications from foreign diplomatic missions, consular offices, consular officials and civil servants in China are accepted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and foreign affairs agencies authorized by the Ministry. Other foreigners holding diplomatic or official passports applying for visas shall be accepted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and foreign affairs agencies authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or public security organs authorized by the Ministry of Public Security. Visa applications from people who hold ordinary passports or come to China for personal reasons shall be accepted by public security organs authorized by the Ministry of Public Security.

Article 4 The organ that issues passports and visas has the right to refuse to issue passports and visas; Have the right to announce the cancellation of issued passports and visas.