Difference between Passport and Visa

Whenever we plan to visit another country for any purpose, we have to make sure that we have the Visa and Passport, without these two documents we cannot enter and stay in another country. Let us see the difference between Visa and Passport!

Passport:

Passport is a legal document. It is the most important travel document required to travel to another country. It is issued by the government to its citizens on their application. It also serves as an identity proof as it certifies the identity and citizenship of a person. A passport confirms your identity and citizenship when you visit another country. It has your photo, personal details like your name, age, sex, date of birth, place of birth, religion, citizenship, and profession.

Passport looks like a small booklet and has several blank pages for official documentation. It also provides details about the issuing authority, place of issue and date of expiry. Passport has many types such as ordinary passport, official passport, diplomatic passport, temporary passport, family passport, camouflage passport etc. The processing time for passport depends on the country and if you choose an expedited process you can get it soon.

Visa:

Visa is not a separate document. It is an official permission in the form a stamp on your passport that is granted officially by a government official of the visiting country to enter, stay and transit in the visiting country. It grants you temporary admission to enter and stay in another country for a specific duration mentioned in the Visa. There are many types of visa based on the purpose of the visit and duration of the stay such as tourist visa, transit visa, business visa, student visa, worker visa. The processing time for a visa depends on the country and if you choose an expedited process you can get it soon.

Based on the above information, some of the key differences between Passport and Visa are as follows:

Passport	Visa
It is an official travel document. It serves as a personal identification of the bearer.	It is an official permission to stay in the visiting country for a specific duration mentioned in the visa.
It confirms your identity while your travel to other countries.	It shows you have the permission to stay in the visiting country for the specified duration.
It is in the form of a small booklet with few blank pages for official documentation.	It is not a separate document. It is a stamp that appears on your passport.
It has many types such as ordinary passport, temporary passport, and diplomatic visa.	It has many types such as tourist visa, business visa, transit visa, worker visa, and student visa.
It is issued by the government to the citizen of its country.	It is issued by the government official of the visiting country.
Applying and getting a passport is not a complicated process.	It can be a complicated process as it allows you to enter and stay in another country.
It has a photo of the bearer and details like name, age, sex, nationality, date of birth, place of birth, expiry date etc.	It provides details like duration of stay, the purpose of visit, expiry date, number of visits allowed etc.