If you’re doing Visa research to prepare for your upcoming travel to a foreign country, you may be wondering which Tourist Visa documents you will need to prepare.
Depending on which passport you hold, and which country you plan on visiting, the Tourist Visa documents that you will need may vary. The easiest way to check which documents are necessary is to visit a site like iVisa and enter your home country as well as your destination country. This website will display which documents are necessary to obtain a Tourist Visa.
How Many Visa Documents Are Required?
No Supporting Visa Documents Required
For Example: If you are a US Citizen traveling to Brazil as a tourist, a Visa is not required. Keep in mind that your Passport is required when you travel to a foreign country. But no additional paperwork must be filled out to visit Brazil.
Some Supporting Visa Documents Required
For Example: If you are a US citizen traveling to Algeria as a tourist, besides your Passport, only 1 Visa document is required. You will need photocopy proof that you have a debit/credit card or a PayPal account. It’s probably also a good idea to photocopy the amount of money in the PayPal / debit account. And if you have a credit card, photocopy your credit limit.
Many Supporting Visa Documents Required
For Example: If you are a US citizen traveling to Pakistan as a tourist, a lot of documents are required! Are you ready for this?
You will need:
- Valid Passport
- Headshots
- Detailed Travel Itinerary
- Arrival & Departure Tickets
- Photocopy of Passport
- Hotel Booking Confirmation
- An Invitation Letter (if applicable)
- Proof of Residence (if applicable)
- Pakistani’s Host ID/Residential Permit (if applicable)
- Copy of Previous Visa (if applicable)
- Bank Statement (if applicable)
If you are unsure whether or not a document is ‘applicable’, be sure to check with a Tourist Visa Agency, like iVisa, to help with these documents. Filling out mountains of paperwork can be overwhelming and quite frustrating. That’s why I list obtaining tourist visas as one of the CONS of Solo Traveling. Not to mention, if there are any mistakes, you may have to pay the local government fee twice! Make sure you get the proper help!
List of Common Tourist Visa Documents
Passport
A document that has been issued by the government of one’s native country, which verifies their nationality for the specific purpose of international travel. Generally speaking, a passport with at least 6 months of future validity is required to enter a country. Many countries also require at least 2 blank pages are available for use.
Bank Statement
This is usually a photocopy of your bank account funds or the last pay stub from your employer. This proves to the destination country that you have enough money in your bank account and you will not run out of funds and start living on the streets.
Return Flight Proof
Many countries require a return flight ticket before they will allow you to enter their country. Some countries require a photocopy and other countries require the actual ticket.
Also, some airlines will not allow you on the first flight if you have not purchased a return flight ticket. Some governments put pressure on the airlines to enforce certain rules. This helps to prevent people from landing in a foreign country and being denied access beyond the immigration department.
Travel Plans/Itinerary
A detailed document created by the traveler that indicates all of the following: which cities you will be visiting, which dates you will be visiting those cities, the transportation that you will be using to get there, the hotel reservation of the city that you will be staying in, what activities you will be doing while you are there, and possibly more – depending on the country.
This is usually the most frustrating and time-consuming document to create. Sometimes as Solo Travelers, we simply don’t know which cities we will visit until after we arrive. Our plans often change.
But for the Travelers who have simply purchased an Organized Tour, then creating this document will be rather simple.
Local Sponsor
Some countries require that you know someone in that country before they will allow you to enter. This could be a family member or even a friend. You will need their name, their address, and all of the relevant information about that person. The sponsor may be contacted by the government who will then ask many questions about the traveler. This is one method that local governments use to prevent dangerous people from entering their country. It’s kind of like an extra step beyond a basic background check.
List of Less Common Tourist Visa Documents
Proof of Travel Insurance
This can usually be a photocopy of the insurance card issued to you from the Insurance provider.
Some countries require that you have Travel Insurance before you enter their country. There are many countries in which healthcare is incredibly expensive.
Sometimes you can pay for common injuries by using cash in your bank account. But in other countries, you may drain your entire life savings for a basic injury treatment.
Be sure to learn more about How Travel Insurance Works.
Invitation Letter
This document can mean a couple of different things depending on the country. For example, an invitation letter from Vietnam is simply a document issued by the local government that allows you to stay in their country for a specific period of time.
This is quite strange because that is the point of the Visa. But for some reason in Vietnam they require an invitation letter before obtaining a Visa.
But an invitation letter required to travel to Russia is different. Here, the letter represents an actual invitation from a legal Russian citizen who ‘invited’ you to Russia for the purpose of Tourism, business, or something else.
Proof of Legal Residence
This is usually a photocopy of your utility bill in your home country, or other similar type of document that proves you are the legal owner/renter of a specific address.
Proof of Credit Card / PayPal Account
Any photocopy or supporting document that proves that you do in fact have a credit card or a PayPal account. This will most likely be your most recent credit card statement, or even a screenshot.
Health Declaration / Vaccination Records
Some countries require that you have certain vaccinations before you enter their country. You must prove that you have these vaccinations by presenting your immunization records or a photocopy.
Other countries may require a health declaration before entering. This is usually to prove that you do not have any contagious illnesses before you enter. This became increasingly popular during the 2020 Covid-19 outbreak.
There are many other potential documents that may be necessary to enter foreign country. It is always important to check with an up-to-date source, like in the links above, before traveling. This will help prevent any form of travel delay.
Arriving in a foreign country at the airport but being denied access because you do not have a specific document would not only be quite frustrating, but it may also have a domino-effect on the rest of your travel plans.
Alternative Way To Determine Which Tourist Visa Documents Are Needed
Depending on which country you live in, and which country you want to visit, you may be able to call the local Embassy / Consulate / High commissions stationed within your own country. They should be able to provide you with information that you can quickly write down or they may be able to send you an email with more information.
If for some reason you do not have one of these offices in your country, you may have to do a quick Google search to find the official Travel Visa Government website. They often have information there, but sometimes it is very difficult to decipher. You can always try emailing them to clarify, but that doesn’t always work (I know from experience).
If you are unable to contact them, then your best option is to simply use a Travel Visa Agency as mentioned above. After you’ve obtained a few travel visas like I have, you will soon realize that agencies are totally worth the small extra money. They save the traveler so much time and energy! Happy travels!