5 Differences Between A Passport And A Visa

When I was much younger I used to think there was no difference between a passport and a visa and I know that I am not the only one. There’s no need to lie, don’t pretend, you’re one of us, lol. A passport and a visa are actually two separate documents that you need when you travel internationally. As you plan to japa from the country, you need your home country passport and also the visa to the country that you are visiting or travelling to. There are countries that if you’re lucky, your home country’s passport allows you entry into without having to get a visa.

Your japa plans and preparations are not complete without a passport and a visa although the visa is dependent on which country you are going to. For the most part, with a Nigerian passport, you will need to apply for a visa for the country that you are going to.

 What Is A Passport?

An official travelling document issued by one’s home country and confirms the owner’s citizenship and identity. It is the official document for identification given to you by your own government. Usually, a passport will contain your name, photo, place of birth, and date, and also contain the date of issuance and date of expiry and address. It will also have extra pages that will be stamped for approval each time you leave and enter a country. The Nigerian passport is green and has the map of Nigeria in front and the words “Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

As a Nigerian, you can Travel to about 26 countries visa-free and these countries are Barbados, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Cook Islands, ivory coast, Dominica, Fiji, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Mali, Micronesia, Montserrat, Niger, Niue, Senegal, Sierra Leone, St Kitts and Nevis, Gambia, Togo and Vanuatu.

Nigerian passport holders can get e-visas for 22 countries and these countries are Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Djibouti, Gabon, Georgia, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Moldova, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, são tomé and Principe, Suriname, Tajikistan, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

And for the Nigerian passport, these 20 countries will give you a visa upon arrival and they are Burundi, Cambodia, Comoros, Ethiopia, Iran, Lebanon, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Palau, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, Somalia, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu And Uganda.

To enter 157 countries in the world you will need a valid visa with a Nigerian passport.

The official price for a Nigerian passport is

25,000 naira for 32 pages and 5-year validity

35,000 naira for 64 pages and 5-year validity

70,000 naira for 64 pages and 10-year validity

Although people pay way more to get an international passport just to be able to fast track it and the unofficial prices range from as much as 60,000 naira to 250,000 naira depending on factors like location, how urgently you want the passport and the people you know. 

There Are Different Types Of Passports And These Are;

 A Regular Standard Passport

This is a type of passport that is given to most citizens of a country.

Official Passport

This is a passport meant for government officials like commissioners, senior government officials, deputy general managers in federal and state parastatals, chairman deputy chairman and secretaries of local government 

The requirements for the official passport include a letter of application, two passport photographs, your last promotion letter or letter of appointment, a photocopy of your valid identity card, evidence of age, and a certificate of return from the independent national electoral commission.

Diplomatic Passport

This passport is meant for diplomats and other top government officials as may be approved by the president.

It has the same requirement as that of the Official Passport.

Collective Passport 

This passport is issued for group travels, For example, for students travelling for a group trip.

Emergency Passport 

 This is a temporary passport that is usually given when someone has misplaced their passport whether it was stolen and they need a passport for international travel.

Visa

A visa is a document from a foreign government that is issued to a foreigner that allows them entry into a country that is not their own. A valid visa is what allows you room to stay in a country. A visa is issued by the consulate or embassy representing the foreign country.  Depending on the country, different visas have different expiry dates and depending on the type of visa that it is, the expiry dates could be a few days, a few weeks, some months or a couple of years. 

Different Types Of Visa

There are different types of visas and these are;

Work Visa

This is a visa that is given to an individual that permits them to work and earn an income in that country.

 Medical Visa

This is a visa that is issued to people that are travelling to foreign countries for medical care and this visa is usually valid for the duration of the patient’s care.

Tourist Visa

As the name implies, a tourist visa is issued to tourists who are travelling to a foreign country for tourist activities and is usually valid for 30 to 90 days.

Retirement Visa

A retirement visa is issued to people who are capable of supporting themselves in another country and want to spend the rest of their lives in that country and who are of retirement age.

Business Visa 

 A business visa is usually issued to people who are in foreign countries to conduct business activities which could include conferences, workshops, seminars and special courses. This visa can be valid for several months depending on the country and the type of business that you are conducting. 

Immigrant Visa

This visa is issued to people and allows them to become permanent residents of the country that issued the visa.

Student Visa

This one is for students and it is issued to people who have plans to get an education in a foreign country. The visa validity is for the entire duration of the academic cycle.

Depending on the country that issued it, there are different prices for a visa application. You will need to do your research depending on the country you’re going to find out how much the visa application will cost. 

 Differences Between A Passport And A Visa

1. The passport is issued by your own country while a visa is issued by the consulate or embassy of the foreign country that you are going to. That is one major difference between a passport and a visa 
2.  Another difference between a passport and a visa is that a passport is a travel document used as identification while a visa is usually an entry permit to another country that is attached to your passport 
3. Another difference between a passport and a visa is while you’re travelling a valid passport is enough for you while you need a visa for entry at each destination.
4. Your visa is usually only valid for a few days or weeks or months while your passport is usually valid for a 5 year to a 10-year period, this is another difference between a passport and a visa
5. A Difference between a passport and a visa is as a person you only need one passport for your country but depending on your reason for travelling you might need different visas for a particular country, for instance, if you’re travelling for work you will need to get a work visa, if you’re travelling for tourist activities you need to get a tourist visa and so on