Single-Entry Visa
One entry, and the visa is used — however long the trip turns out to be.
What is a Single-Entry Visa?
A single-entry visa permits one entry into a country. Once you have entered and then left, the visa is generally spent, even if its validity date has not passed. Like multiple entry it is a condition attached to a visa rather than a purpose — it describes how the permission behaves, not what you may do with it.
Who it's for
Travellers making one visit, arriving and departing without crossing the border in between.
↔ Compared with Multiple-Entry Visa
- The counterpart. The practical difference only appears when an itinerary involves leaving and coming back — which is exactly when it is too late to change it.
↔ Compared with Transit Visa
- Both are short by nature, but a transit visa is about passing through a country, while single entry is about how many times you may enter one you are visiting.
The application process
How this type is obtained
As a condition of the visa rather than as a separate application. It is the default in many places.
1. Worth knowing
The limit is on entries, not on days: a single-entry visa is spent by leaving, whether the trip lasted two days or two weeks.
2. Worth knowing
It is worth reading an itinerary for border crossings before assuming single entry is enough — a neighbouring-country excursion is the usual way people discover it is not.
3. Worth knowing
Validity dates and entry conditions are different things, and a visa can still be inside its dates while no longer usable.
What You Need to Know
Everything you need at a glance — what it covers, what to prepare and what to expect.
Travellers making one visit, arriving and departing without crossing the border in between.
As a condition of the visa rather than as a separate application. It is the default in many places.
This page explains what the visa type means. It does not state what any country requires. Rules, costs and conditions are set by each destination and change without notice — always confirm the current requirements with that country’s official immigration authority or its embassy before you book or travel.
Frequently asked
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