How long does a tourist visa take to process?

A tourist visa typically takes 5–15 calendar days for Schengen visas, 2–8 weeks for US visitor visas, and 1–5 business days for eVisas. Processing times vary by consulate, application volume, and your nationality. Apply at least 15 days before your travel date, and don't book non-refundable flights before your visa is approved.

Can I work on a tourist visa?

No. A tourist visa allows leisure travel, sightseeing, and family visits only — no employment, no business activities, and no long-term study. Working on a tourist visa can result in deportation and future visa bans. If you plan to work or study, apply for the appropriate work or student visa.

What documents do I need for a visa application?

Most visa applications require a valid passport with 6+ months validity and 2+ blank pages, a completed application form, recent passport photographs, proof of travel itinerary, proof of accommodation, travel medical insurance, and proof of financial means. Some destinations require additional documents such as invitation letters or employment certificates. Check your specific country guide for the full checklist.

What happens if my visa application is refused?

You'll receive a refusal letter stating the reason. Common reasons are insufficient financial proof, weak ties to your home country, incomplete documentation, or inconsistencies in your application. You can usually reapply with additional supporting documents, and a refusal does not prevent future applications — but address the reason before reapplying. If Expedify handled your application, our processing fee covers one re-submission when the refusal was due to a document error we should have caught.

Do I need a visa if I'm just transiting through a country?

It depends. Some countries offer visa-free transit for layovers under 24–48 hours. Others require a transit visa regardless of layover length. Check the transit rules of your layover country before booking connecting flights — your airline may deny boarding if you don't have the correct transit documents.

Can someone else submit my visa application for me?

Most consulates require the applicant to submit documents in person for biometric collection — fingerprints and a photograph. Some destinations allow a representative or authorised travel agent to submit on your behalf for non-biometric applications. Check your specific consulate's rules before sending a representative.

What is the difference between a visa and an ETA?

A visa is a full authorisation document issued by a consulate or online portal. An Electronic Travel Authorization is a lighter pre-screening for travellers who are already visa-exempt for that destination — faster, cheaper, and easier to obtain. Examples include the US ESTA, Canada eTA, and Australia ETA.

How much does Expedify charge for visa processing?

Every visa has two costs: our processing fee, which is fixed and shown upfront, and the government fee, which is set by the authority and passed through at cost with no markup. You see both before you enter any details. The price you see is the price you pay.

190+ destinations covered

Travel visas

Q: Is an eVisa the same as a visa on arrival?

No. An eVisa is obtained online before you travel — you apply, pay, and receive the visa electronically. A visa on arrival is issued at the destination airport or border crossing. eVisas are faster and more predictable; visa on arrival can involve long queues and is not available to all nationalities.

You're assigned a dedicated expert who confirms the right visa for your route and files it for you — no embassy guesswork. Whether you need one depends on your passport, your destination, and the purpose and length of your stay. Start with the destination guide below, and we'll work out the rest.

Start your application Not sure what you need? Read your destination's guide first.

You're assigned a dedicated expert — one person to refer to.
Two-line pricing — our fee plus the government fee, at cost.
A real person reviews your file before it is submitted.

Visa required

Filipino passport holders need a Schengen short-stay visa for Spain.

Visa type: Schengen short-stay
Max stay: 90 days in 180
Processing: ~15 calendar days

From the Spain visa guide.

Destinations: 190+ covered
Visa types: Tourist · eVisa · VoA · ETA
Pricing: Our fee + government fee
Support: A dedicated expert reviews it

Why trust Expedify

Checked by people who do this every day

By Expedify Editorial Team · Fact-checked by Expedify Compliance Review on August 6, 2026. Verified against destination embassies, consulates, and visa application centres.

20+ years combined experience across travel document services
190+ destinations covered
9 document types handled
A dedicated expert reviews your application before it goes in
Verified against official consular and visa-authority sources
Governed by Expedify editorial and compliance review

Key takeaways

Whether you need a visa depends on your passport, your destination, and the length and purpose of your stay.
190+ destinations covered, across every visa type.
Two-line pricing: our processing fee plus the government fee, passed through at cost.
A visa does not guarantee entry — border officials decide at the port of entry.

Start your application

Methodology: Visa requirements, fees, and processing times were verified on August 6, 2026 against destination embassy, consulate, and visa application centre sources.

Visa types

Which type do you need?

Different trips need different visas. The category has to match your real purpose and length of stay — applying under the wrong one is a refusal, not a technicality.

Tourist visa

Leisure, sightseeing, or visiting family. No work, no study, no long-term stay. The most common type, and usually the one that needs an in-person application.

Typical stay: 30–90 days
How you apply: Consulate or visa centre
Biometrics: Usually required

eVisa

Issued through an online application, with no embassy visit. You apply, pay, and receive the visa digitally before you travel.

Processing: 1–5 business days
How you apply: Online
Available for: India, Turkey, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Vietnam

Visa on arrival

Issued at the destination airport or border crossing — you pay the fee and submit documents on the spot. Not all nationalities are eligible, and queues can be long.

Processing: At the border
How you apply: On arrival
Check first: Eligibility by nationality

Electronic Travel Authorization

A pre-travel authorisation rather than a full visa, required by some countries for travellers who are already visa-exempt. US ESTA, Canada eTA, Australia ETA, South Korea K-ETA.

Processing: Minutes to 72 hours
How you apply: Online
Validity: 1–2 years, multiple entries

Schengen short-stay visa

Travel across the 29-country Schengen Area on one visa. You apply at the consulate of your main destination, under the EU Visa Code's common fees and timelines.

Typical stay: 90 days in any 180
Processing: ~15 calendar days
Where you apply: Main destination's consulate

Transit visa

Lets you pass through a country's airport en route to a third destination. Some countries waive it for short layovers; others require it regardless of layover length.

Typical stay: 24–48 hour layovers
How you apply: Consulate, before you fly
Check first: Before booking connections

What to expect

What happens after you apply

The decision rests with the destination authority, not with us. Here's what's a fact, and what we actually do.

Official processing time

A Schengen short-stay visa takes about 15 calendar days, a US B1/B2 two to eight weeks, and most eVisas one to five business days — per the authority, stated as a fact rather than a delivery promise.

We track every step

Live status on your dashboard, plus email and SMS updates from submission until a decision is made.

Reviewed by a dedicated expert

A real person checks your documents before anything is filed. If a refusal comes from a document error we should have caught, our processing fee covers one re-submission.

Start your application

Where are you going?

Visa guides by destination

Every destination below has a full guide: whether you need a visa, the type, the document checklist, fees, processing time, and how to apply.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

Oman

P

Q

Qatar

R

T

U

V

Y

Yemen

Z

Pricing

What it costs

Every visa has two costs. Both are shown in full before you enter any details.

Our processing fee

Fixed, shown upfront

Checking your documents, confirming the right visa category for your route, preparing the application, filing it, and tracking it to a decision.

From$29

The government fee

The official fee charged by the embassy, consulate, or immigration authority. It varies by destination and visa type — €90 for a Schengen short-stay, $185 for a US B1/B2, $14 for an ESTA.

Set by the authorityAt cost

Where the money goes

Processing fee: Document review, category check, preparation, filing, and tracking. Fixed and shown before you start.
Government fee: Set by the destination authority. Passed through at cost, with no markup and no courier surcharge added after checkout.

We don't mark up government fees, and we don't add charges after checkout. You see the exact total — our fee plus the government fee — before you enter any details. Applying direct through the consulate or visa centre costs the government fee alone; you handle the research, the forms, the appointment, and the tracking yourself.

Start your application

A dedicated expert reviews your application before it is filed. If something goes wrong on our end, we make it right.

How to apply

Two ways to apply

You can do this yourself. Both routes need the same core documents — here's what each one involves.

With Expedify

We prepare and file it — no embassy guesswork

Tell us your routeThe passport you hold and where you're going. About 30 seconds.
We confirm what you needFull visa, eVisa, ETA, or visa-free — and the right category for your purpose and length of stay.
We handle the paperworkYour dedicated expert checks your documents against the destination's checklist, prepares the application, and files it correctly.
Review by a real personA dedicated expert reviews your submission before it goes anywhere — not a bot.
Track every stepLive dashboard plus email and SMS updates, from submission until a decision is made.

What to expect, not a promise: the authority sets the processing time and makes the decision. We show the official estimate as a fact and track every step for you.

Start your application

Apply direct

Straight through the consulate or visa centre

Cheaper — you pay the government fee alone. You handle the research, the forms, the appointment, and the tracking.

Consular visa: Book an appointment at the consulate or an authorised visa application centre — VFS Global, BLS, or TLScontact. Biometrics required for most applications.
eVisa: Complete the online form, upload documents, and pay electronically. No in-person visit. One to five business days.
ETA: An online pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals — ESTA, eTA, K-ETA. Usually approved within minutes to 72 hours.
Apply early: Typically 15 to 60 days before you travel. Don't book non-refundable flights before your visa is approved.

If you have the time and the confidence, you should do it this way.

Before you apply

Why visa applications get refused

Five things that turn a good trip into a refusal letter. All of them are avoidable.

Check your requirements

Insufficient financial proof: Provide three to six months of consistent bank statements or payslips that plainly cover the trip you've described.
Weak ties to your home country: Show employment, property, or family evidence that you will return. This is the reason most refusals actually turn on.
Incomplete or inconsistent documents: Match your application details exactly to your passport and your supporting evidence. A date that disagrees here is a refusal there.
Not enough passport validity: Most destinations require six months of validity beyond your stay and two blank pages. Renew before you apply, not after.
Wrong visa category: Apply for the category that matches your real purpose and length of stay. A tourist visa does not cover business meetings or study.

Compare

Applying yourself vs. Expedify

The authority decides your visa either way. The difference is how much of the process you carry — and one line is identical on purpose.

Research

Apply yourself: You check each destination's requirements yourself
With Expedify: We confirm what you need for your route

Document check

Apply yourself: Common errors cause refusals
With Expedify: Pre-reviewed by a dedicated expert before submission

Appointments

Apply yourself: You book and attend yourself
With Expedify: We prepare your application and guide you through the visit

Status tracking

Apply yourself: You check the consulate portal
With Expedify: We track and notify you at every step

Government fee

Apply yourself: Same
With Expedify: Same — passed through at cost, no markup

The decision

Apply yourself: Same
With Expedify: Same — the authority decides, not us

	Apply yourself	With Expedify
Research	You check each destination's requirements yourself	We confirm what you need for your route
Document check	Common errors cause refusals	Pre-reviewed by a dedicated expert before submission
Appointments	You book and attend yourself	We prepare your application and guide you through the visit
Status tracking	You check the consulate portal	We track and notify you at every step
Government fee	Same	Same — passed through at cost, no markup
The decision	Same	Same — the authority decides, not us

FAQs

Common visa questions

The answers people actually search for — including the ones that cost money to get wrong.

Visa basics

Sources

Where this comes from

Last updated August 6, 2026. Next review February 6, 2027. Fact-checked by Expedify Compliance Review.

Visa requirements, fees, and processing times change. Verify current rules with the embassy, consulate, or visa application centre for your destination before you apply. A visa does not guarantee entry — border officials make the final determination at the port of entry.

Expedify Limited provides document assistance services. Visa decisions rest with the destination authority. Using our services does not guarantee approval or faster processing. Service fees charged by Expedify Limited are separate from any official government fees. We are not a government agency and are not affiliated with any consulate or embassy.

Ready to start your visa application?

Tell us where you're going and what passport you hold. We check your requirements, prepare the application, and a dedicated expert reviews it before it goes in. The government fee is shown next to ours, passed through at cost.

Start your application Driving abroad? Check if you need a permit too

You're assigned a dedicated expert — one person to refer to.
The government fee is shown next to ours — one clear total.