13-07-2025
Visa vs. ESTA vs. E‑Visa: What's the difference?
International travelling gets very chaotic at times; there are a lot of formalities that need to be done before you can enter another country. One of these formalities is visa application.
Constantly facing visa rejections, needing thousands of papers to file, and a lot of time wasted makes it really problematic.
So today, we have decided to break down different types of visas to make your life easier. Read on:
What's a Visa
A visa is an authorization granted by the government of the country to a foreigner to allow them to enter or leave their land. These are mostly glued or stamped inside a passport. Visas include information about the duration of the foreigner's stay, areas where they can enter, the dates they may enter, number of permitted visits, or if the person can work in that country or not.
The process of applying for a visa of a country is called visa application.
The most common visa types are tourist, student, work, and transit visas. For some countries, you need to file an application beforehand while for others visas are granted upon entering the country. You need a passport, photos, proof of funds, forms, and visa fee to file for a visa. Visas are basically like a ticket that allows you to enter or leave a country.
What's an E‑visa
E‑visas are just the digital form of a traditional visa. This visa allows travellers to get their visa electronically and can be applied for through the site too, making the lives of travellers very easy as they do not have to be physically present at the embassy or wait in long queues to submit their application. It is very important to check if the country offers E‑Visa service or not. One can apply for an E‑Visa just through their passport details, eliminating the need for physical documents, and after completing the payment, they can get their E‑Visas.
This type of visa is quite quicker and easier to obtain than regular visas. Some countries that offer E‑Visas to Indians are Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, and many more .
What's an ESTA
ESTA is also known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. ESTA is not a visa; it determines if a citizen can enter the USA under the Visa Waiver Program. This permit is eligible only to citizens of VWP countries, and these citizens need to have a biometric passport.
The VWP is the overall eligibility program that defines who can enter the USA visa‑free for short stays, and ESTA is the online process to check if you can visit the country under this program or not, and permission to enter the country is also granted through this portal.
Even though your ESTA is valid for two years, you can visit the USA multiple times during these two years, but these trips cannot exceed more than 90 days at a time .
To sum up, a traditional visa is a formal approval issued by the embassy to enter the country, which can be for long‑term stays, while it also requires an in‑person application or interview. An ESTA is not a visa but a travel authorization permit that can only be given to citizens of the countries that fall under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, and this does not require an in‑person application. While an E‑Visa is the digital form of a visa; this is similar to a traditional visa.
The only difference between an E‑Visa and a traditional visa is that while one requires an in‑person application, the other is applied for and received digitally.
So now that you know all the differences; hope you'll find it easier to understand.
(Image Credits - Canva)
