Visa on Arrival
A visa issued at the border, once you have already travelled.
What is a Visa on Arrival?
Visa on arrival means the permission is issued at the point of entry — a desk in the arrivals hall, usually before immigration. Like an eVisa it is a mechanism rather than a purpose. The defining feature is the timing: you travel first and the visa is issued second.
Who it's for
Travellers arriving somewhere that operates a visa-on-arrival facility for their category of travel and their route of entry.
↔ Compared with eVisa
- The mirror image. An eVisa resolves the question before departure; a visa on arrival resolves it after you land, which is a different amount of certainty to carry onto a plane.
↔ Compared with Visa-Free
- Visa-free entry involves no visa and no desk. Visa on arrival still involves a visa — it is simply issued late.
The application process
How this type is obtained
At the border itself, on arrival. Some countries operate the facility only at particular airports or land crossings rather than at every point of entry.
1. Worth knowing
The facility is a facility, not a guarantee: it can be suspended, restricted to certain entry points, or unavailable to certain travellers, and any of those can change between booking and flying.
2. Worth knowing
Because issue happens after arrival, the fallback if something goes wrong is a long way from home. That asymmetry is the main argument for using an advance route where one exists.
3. Worth knowing
Where a country offers both, an eVisa generally converts an airport queue into a form filled in at home.
What You Need to Know
Everything you need at a glance — what it covers, what to prepare and what to expect.
Travellers arriving somewhere that operates a visa-on-arrival facility for their category of travel and their route of entry.
At the border itself, on arrival. Some countries operate the facility only at particular airports or land crossings rather than at every point of entry.
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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