Visa and Document Authentication Glossary
Visa glossary
The vocabulary of visas and document authentication, in plain language. Filter as you type.
- Apostille
- A single certificate that makes a public document acceptable in any other country party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention.
- Legalisation
- The longer chain used for destinations outside the Convention: domestic authentication, then a stamp from that country embassy or consulate.
- Consular jurisdiction
- Which consulate may accept your application, fixed by your U.S. state of residence. Applying elsewhere is refused, not transferred.
- VAC
- Visa Application Centre. An outsourced front office such as VFS Global or TLScontact that collects documents and biometrics. It does not decide anything.
- eTA
- Electronic travel authorisation. Not a visa: a pre-screening you must hold before boarding, used by Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and soon the European Union.
- e-Visa
- A genuine visa applied for and issued entirely online, with no consulate visit.
- Visa on arrival
- A visa issued at the border on payment. Convenient and revocable, and it can be suspended without notice.
- Single, double and multiple entry
- How many times you may enter on one visa. Leaving the area on a single-entry visa ends it, even if time remains.
- Validity versus duration of stay
- Validity is the window during which the visa can be used. Duration of stay is how long you may remain on each entry. A one-year visa with a 90-day stay does not permit a year of continuous presence.
- Schengen 90/180
- No more than 90 days of presence in the Schengen area within any rolling 180-day period.
- EES
- The Schengen Entry/Exit System, a biometric record of every entry and exit that replaced passport stamps. Fully operational at all external borders since 10 April 2026.
- ETIAS
- The planned travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors to Europe. Not in operation as of September 2026, and you cannot apply for one yet.
- Long-stay national visa
- A D visa issued by one Schengen state for stays over 90 days. It is national, not Schengen-wide, though it permits travel within the area.
- Residence permit
- The card issued after arrival that actually authorises you to live somewhere. The visa gets you in; the permit lets you stay.
- Sponsor
- The person or company that guarantees your stay. In Gulf states the sponsor holds legal responsibility for you, which is a materially different relationship from a Western invitation letter.
- Panel physician
- A doctor specifically designated by the destination to perform immigration medicals. Your own doctor cannot substitute.
- Certified translation
- A translation with a statement of accuracy. Some countries only accept translators sworn in their own courts.
- Overstay
- Remaining beyond your permitted stay. Consequences range from a fine to a multi-year entry ban, and are now detected automatically in Europe.
- Misrepresentation
- Providing false information or concealing a material fact. Far more serious than the underlying issue and often carries a long bar.
- Notice of refusal
- The written decision. It carries the reason code and, where an appeal exists, the deadline.
Common questions
Which term causes the most expensive mistakes?
The difference between an apostille and consular legalisation. One is a single certificate; the other is a multi-step chain specific to one destination. Getting it wrong means the documents come back and the clock restarts. Close behind it is validity versus duration of stay, which is why people overstay visas that were still in date.
What is the difference between a visa and a residence permit?
A visa is permission to travel to a border and ask to be admitted. A residence permit is permission to live somewhere. For long stays the visa is usually just the entry document and you must apply for the permit within days or weeks of arriving. Missing that deadline is how an approved application still falls apart.
Authoritative sources
Where this tool disagrees with one of these, the official source is right. Tell us and we will correct it.
- U.S. Department of State: Learn About Your Destination Entry, exit and visa requirements for U.S. citizens, country by country. The authoritative U.S. government starting point.
- U.S. Department of State: Records and Authentications Federal document authentication, including the Office of Authentications.
- HCCH: Apostille Convention status table The authoritative list of which countries are party to the Apostille Convention, and the entry-into-force date for each.
- Foreign embassies in the United States Directory of every foreign embassy in Washington, which is where legalisation happens for non-Convention destinations.
- U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide For U.S. citizen services abroad and notarials.
- Smart Traveler Enrollment Program Register your trip so the nearest embassy can reach you.
- CDC Travelers Health Vaccination and health entry requirements by destination.
- IATA Travel Centre The database airlines actually check at the boarding gate.
Verified Sep 7, 2026 Primary sources: travel.state.gov, www.hcch.net
This resource is provided free by Federal Apostille as an educational tool. It is not legal or immigration advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by using it. Visa rules, fees, processing times and entry requirements change frequently and often without notice, and individual circumstances change the answer. Always confirm current requirements with the official government source and the specific embassy or consulate that has jurisdiction over your place of residence before you book travel or file an application. Every figure on this site carries the date we last verified it and a link to the primary source.
