visa
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
to give a visa to; approve a visa for.
-
to put a visa on (a passport).
noun
-
an endorsement in a passport or similar document, signifying that the document is in order and permitting its bearer to travel into or through the country of the government issuing it
-
any sign or signature of approval
verb
-
to enter a visa into (a passport)
-
to endorse or ratify
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of visa
1830–40; < French, short for Latin carta vīsa “the document (has been) seen”; vīsa, feminine past participle of vidēre “to see, look at”
Explanation
A visa is a permit to enter a specific country. Without a visa, you might not be able to travel where you want. While you may know Visa as the name of a credit card company, a visa is a little different: it's an official authorization to enter a country. This is different from a passport, which is a type of identification geared toward international travel. A visa is a more specific form of authorization, allowing you to travel to a certain country. A visa may only last for a certain amount of time, and different countries have different standards for granting a visa.
Vocabulary lists containing visa
"Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began" by Art Spiegelman
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Greetings, World Traveler! — List 3
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Viewing Current Refugee Crisis Through an Anne Frank Lens
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
ICE detention data show that about 40% of detainees were being held for civil immigration violations including visa overstays and work visa violations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Those granted the visa are eligible to work, study and live in the UK, putting them on a pathway to citizenship after they settle in the UK.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The visa category allows foreign students to live in the U.S. and study full-time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
It led to him being reunited with his mother, Ana Cândida Évora, who had initially been unable to travel because of the high costs of getting a US visa.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
“My exit visa was approved this morning. I was told I have seven days to leave the country or I have to stay indefinitely.”
From "The Red Umbrella" by Christina Gonzalez
Infantino wrote: "You mentioned the few people denied visas and overlooked the millions who were approved, from all parts of the world. Because football unites the world, and it was impressively demonstrated this summer."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
This week it expanded its Trusted Employer Scheme that fast-tracks worker visas for companies that meet requirements including predominantly employing South Africans, investing in skills development and operating in priority sectors.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Brazil’s foreign ministry said Saturday it had denied visas for Riley M. Barnes, assistant secretary from the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and Samuel Samson, a deputy assistant secretary of state.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
That had all kinds of ramifications, starting with the State Department’s refusal to grant visas to more than a dozen members of Iran’s official delegation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Or in Russia, when Khrushchev was in power, he threatened to cancel the visas of black African students whose anti-discrimination demonstration said to the world, “Russia, too. . . .”
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Hereafter peasants who may wish to move in from the country to Rovigno must apply for a permit 15 days in advance and have it visaed by the Chief of Police.
From Time Magazine Archive
Last week, for the first time since the War, Dutch frontier guards allowed Germans to enter the Netherlands without having their passports visaed.
From Time Magazine Archive
Theirs was not an official military mission such as the Dutch or Swiss had accredited to the Control Council, but simply a purchasing mission with passports visaed by the Soviet occupation authorities.
From Time Magazine Archive
His cautious employers had merely supplied him expense money and instructions to have his passport visaed for England, France and Germany.
From Time Magazine Archive
We took our passport to the commandant, who visaed them readily, and told us he'd do his best to get us transport.
From Greenmantle by Buchan, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
