✈️ Visas & Formalities

Tourist visa, visa run, e-visa… Everything you need to know by country.

⚠️ Important: visa rules change regularly depending on the country and your nationality. This guide gives a general method - always check official sources (embassy/consulate or government website) before you leave, we can’t guarantee country-specific info stays up to date in real time.

🗂️ The main categories to know

Visa on arrival - The simplest, often free or low-cost, usually valid 15 to 90 days depending on the country.

e-Visa - Applied for online before departure, usually processed within a few days. More and more countries are moving to this system instead of paper visas at the embassy.

Visa run - Leaving the country and coming back to “reset” the allowed stay duration. Historically common in Southeast Asia, but increasingly regulated/restricted by local authorities - check case by case, it’s not a guaranteed long-term solution.

Working Holiday Visa (WHV) - For ages 18-30/35 (depending on bilateral agreements), lets you travel AND work legally in the country for 1 year, sometimes renewable. That’s what we used for our initial stay in Australia.

📋 Our checklist before every new country

• Check the allowed stay duration for your specific nationality (not just “in general”)
• Anticipate the total cost (visa fees + possible exit fees from the previous country)
• Check whether a passport valid 6 months after the return date is required (a common rule)
• Keep a digital copy of all your documents (cloud + email to yourself)

Struggling with a specific country? Write to us, we’ll tell you if we have experience with it: romain.steph@ourlifeabroad.com