A visa is an official permission stamp or document that allows a person to enter, stay in, or travel through a foreign country. When your family plans a trip to another country, you might need to apply for a visa before you go. The visa shows that the country has reviewed your information and approved your visit.

Getting a visa usually means filling out forms, providing a passport photo, and explaining why you want to visit, maybe for tourism, to study, to work, or to visit family. Different countries have different visa requirements. Some countries allow visitors from certain places to enter without a visa for short trips, while others require one for any visit at all. Some visas allow only a brief stay, while others, like student visas or work visas, permit longer periods.

When someone's visa expires, their legal permission to stay in that country ends, and they need to leave or apply for a new visa. Countries use visas to control who enters and to keep track of foreign visitors, similar to how a school might require visitors to sign in at the office before walking through the halls.