Tourist Visa Guide 2026: Requirements, Fees & Process by Country

What a Tourist Visa Is (and How It Differs From an ETA or Visa-Free Entry)

A tourist visa — also called a visitor visa, a standard visitor visa or a temporary resident visitor visa depending on the country — is an official permission, granted in advance, to enter a country for a short, temporary stay. Tourism, sightseeing, visiting family and friends, short courses, medical treatment and pre-contract business meetings all generally fall inside the visitor category. Paid work, long study and anything that looks like employment do not. The permission is usually attached to your passport as a sticker, recorded electronically against your passport number, or issued as a digital authorisation linked to your identity.

Most travellers in 2026 will actually face one of three situations, and the difference between them decides almost everything — the cost, the paperwork and the odds of approval:

The confusion between the second and third rows is the single most expensive mistake travellers make. An ETA refusal does not give you a visa, and buying a full visa for a trip that an ETA would have covered can cost ten to twenty times as much. Our ETA vs visa comparison walks through that decision line by line; if you are a US passport holder, the practical starting points are the ESTA guide, the UK ETA for US citizens guide and the ETIAS for US citizens page. If you are unsure which category you fall into, the visa eligibility checker resolves it in under a minute, and our full applications hub links to every country-specific form.

Entry conditions that apply to almost every tourist visa

Whichever country you target, the border officer will test the same handful of conditions, and a visa in your passport is only permission to present yourself at the border:

• Duration of stay. The stamp says how long you may stay — typically 30, 60, 90 or 180 days — which is not the same as the visa's validity. A 10-year US B1/B2 visa still allows a maximum stay of about six months per entry, decided by the officer.
• No paid work. Almost every tourist category prohibits employment, taking a local salary, or providing services for a Canadian, Australian, British, Indian, EU or American employer while on holiday.
• Sufficient funds. You must show you can cover accommodation, food, transport and the return journey without working in the country.
• Onward or return ticket. A confirmed departure booking inside the permitted stay is required or strongly expected almost everywhere.
• Accommodation. Hotel bookings, a host's address, or a full day-by-day itinerary.
• Ties to your home country. Employment, property, family, business or studies that plausibly pull you back before your stay expires.
• A clean record. No criminal convictions, previous overstays or misrepresentations on earlier applications.
• Passport validity. Six months' validity beyond your stay is the default rule — the US additionally requires validity for at least six months beyond the period of stay for many nationalities.

If you already hold a valid US, UK, Canadian, Australian, Japanese or Schengen visa, you can often unlock easier entries elsewhere: Singapore allows 96-hour visa-free transit for Indian passport holders who hold a valid visa or long-term residence permit from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Germany or Switzerland, and the UAE grants visa on arrival to Indian passport holders holding a valid visa or residence permit from the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore or South Korea. Holding a tourist visa from a major destination is therefore an investment that compounds. See the full visa-free list for US citizens for the flip side of that rule.

Country-by-Country Requirements and Fees for 2026

The table below is the 2026 baseline for a US passport and an Indian passport — the two perspectives most readers arrive with. All fees are government fees confirmed against official sources as of September 29, 2026, and do not include visa-centre service charges, courier, insurance or translation costs. Run your own numbers through the visa fee calculator before you book, and compare waiting times on our global processing times tracker.

Destination Deep Dives

United States — B1/B2 visitor visa

The US remains the highest-effort, highest-reward tourist visa. The machine-readable visa fee is US$185 (the standard non-petition nonimmigrant fee, unchanged since May 2023), and since 1 October 2025 every nonimmigrant visa issued also carries the statutory US$250 visa integrity fee introduced by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That fee is refundable: if you comply with the conditions of your visa and depart within five days of your authorised stay, the government returns it after the visa expires, which is the incentive scheme's whole point. Separately, from 1 July to 31 December 2026 the State Department is running a pilot that lets B1/B2 applicants pay US$750 for an expedited interview appointment within ten business days at selected posts, on top of the US$185 — a capped, optional service, not a guarantee of issuance.

Applicants complete the DS-160 form, pay the fee, attend a biometrics/ACD appointment where required, then face a consular interview. The real constraint is the appointment itself: State Department data updated 17 September 2026 put next available B1/B2 interviews at roughly 12 months in Hyderabad, 11.5 months in Mumbai, 10 months in New Delhi and 7.5 months in Chennai, with average waits of 7 to 11.5 months. That is why the practical rule for the US is to apply the moment your travel plans have any shape at all. Our interview wait times page tracks monthly movement, and the complete walk-through lives in the US visa guide and the US visitor visa checklist. A separate, US-citizen-focused page — tourist visa (B1/B2) — covers interviews, DS-160 field by field and admin processing.

Approval is common but not automatic: about one in five Indian B1/B2 applications has historically been refused under Section 214(b) for failure to establish ties. A refusal is not a ban, and re-application after genuine change is normal.

United Kingdom — Standard Visitor visa and ETA

Two separate systems now run in parallel. Visa-free nationals — including the US, Canada, Australia, Japan and all EU member states — no longer simply board a plane: since 25 February 2026 the UK has enforced its Electronic Travel Authorisation rule, and carriers will refuse boarding without an ETA, eVisa or other valid permission. The UK ETA costs £20 after the 8 April 2026 uplift from £16, permits multiple journeys, and is valid two years or until your passport expires. Most decisions arrive in minutes, though the Home Office advises allowing three working days. Everyone else files a Standard Visitor visa at £135 for up to six months (from 8 April 2026, up from £127), or £506 / £903 / £1,128 for 2, 5 and 10-year long-term visitor routes.

Standard processing is about three weeks; priority is five working days at roughly £500 and super priority next working day at roughly £1,000. The visitor rule is strict about what you may do: volunteering, paid work and "frequent and successive" visits are all grounds for refusal or cancellation, so long-term £1,128 visas are best justified with a real track record of short trips. Start with the UK visa guide, use the UK visitor visa checklist, and read the UK application walkthrough for the Supporting Documents schedule.

Schengen Area — 29 countries, one €90 visa

The Schengen short-stay (Type C) visa is a single permission covering 29 European states: €90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6-11 and free under 6, unchanged since 11 June 2024 and payable whichever country decides your file. It permits 90 days of presence in any rolling 180-day period across the whole zone — a count that trips up even experienced travellers, because days spent in one Schengen country consume the allowance for all of them. You apply at the consulate of your main destination (or first entry if no clear main destination), through an outsourced centre such as VFS, TLScontact or BLS, which adds €30-50 in service fees. Mandatory travel medical insurance of at least €30,000, valid across all Schengen states for the whole trip, is checked in a large share of refusals.

Under Article 23 of the Visa Code a decision must be made within 15 calendar days of a complete file reaching the consulate, extendable to 30 and in exceptional cases 60 days; real-world peaks of May-August commonly run to 4-8 weeks for France and Italy, so apply four to eight weeks ahead — you may file as early as six months before travel. US citizens remain visa-free, and the €20 ETIAS is still not live (see the 2026 timeline below). Use the Schengen visa guide, the Schengen guide for US citizens and the Schengen document checklist.

Canada — visitor visa (TRV)

Canada's visitor visa is a CAD 100 application (CAD 500 maximum per family of five or more applying together), usually with a CAD 85 biometrics fee per person, capped at CAD 170 per family. Visa-exempt travellers arriving by air instead need the CAD 7 eTA, linked electronically to the passport and valid up to five years; US citizens need neither for normal visits. Most successful TRV applicants receive a multiple-entry visa valid up to ten years or until the passport expires, with stays of up to six months per entry. Since 26 May 2026, citizens of Indonesia and Malaysia meeting certain conditions may also apply for an eTA instead of a visitor visa when flying to Canada.

Processing varies sharply by visa office and season — commonly 30 to 90 days, longer from high-volume posts — and refusal is concentrated on two issues: insufficient ties to the home country and unexplained funds. Canada is unusual in expecting you to demonstrate you will leave; a genuine employment letter, property documents and a consistent travel purpose matter more than a large bank balance. Work through the Canada visa guide and the Canada visitor checklist.

Australia — visitor visa subclass 600

From 1 July 2026 the offshore Visitor visa (subclass 600) costs AUD 250, up from AUD 200; onshore tourist-stream applications cost AUD 630 and the frequent-traveller stream AUD 1,845. US passport holders can skip the visa entirely with an ETA (AUD 20) or the free eVisitor (subclass 651), while Indian and most other passport holders lodge a full subclass 600 application in ImmiAccount with a day-by-day itinerary, funds evidence and — for longer or repeat stays — health insurance and character documents. Tourist-stream decisions typically land in 20-40 days, sponsored family applications in 40-60 days, and the Genuine Temporary Entrant / genuine visitor test is the substantive hurdle: you must satisfy an officer that your stay is genuinely temporary. Full detail sits in the Australia visa guide.

Japan and East Asia

Japan visa-free access covers roughly 70 nationalities for stays of up to 90 days — the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and much of Latin America among them — while Indian and most other passport holders need a single- or multiple-entry tourist visa issued in about five working days through an embassy or authorised application centre, with fees set locally (commonly in the US$15-30 range for a single entry) and revised every 1 April. Japan has been steadily expanding digital application channels, so confirm eligibility before booking an appointment. South Korea pairs visa-free access for many nationalities with a K-ETA registration for others. Our Japan visa guide covers forms, the guarantee letter requirement and the differences between single and multiple entry.

Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, UAE, China and India

South-East Asia is where 2026's biggest rule changes landed. Thailand replaced its 60-day visa exemption with a 30-day exemption on 15 September 2026: 60 countries and territories (including the US, UK, India, Japan, Australia and most of the EU) may now stay 30 days for tourism, Mauritius and Seychelles get 15 days, and several others move to visa on arrival. The government also capped 30-day land-border exemptions at two per calendar year for most nationalities, with Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore exempt from that cap. Plan short, frequent trips deliberately — the old "border-run indefinitely" habit no longer works.

Indonesia runs an electronic visa on arrival (e-VOA) at roughly IDR 500,000 (about US$31) for a 30-day stay extendable once, and requires an arrival card submitted within three days before arrival. Singapore is visa-free for 90 days on a US passport but requires a visa for Indian passport holders unless you qualify for the 96-hour visa-free transit facility with a qualifying visa or residence permit. The UAE stamps visa-free entry for many passports, expanded visa-on-arrival eligibility on 25 June 2026 so that Indian, Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Kenyan and South African passport holders holding a residence permit from the US, EU, UK, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada can get 14- or 60-day arrival visas (AED 50 per day overstay fine). China offers 30-day visa-free entry until 31 December 2026 for 46 nationalities — the US and India are not on that list — but both can use the 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit across 60 ports in 24 provinces with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country. India itself issues an e-Tourist visa at US$10-25 for 30 days, US$40 for a year and US$160 for five years for US passport holders, with a minimum four-day lead time. And if New Zealand is on your list, our New Zealand visa guide covers the NZeTA and visitor visa side by side.

The Universal Document Checklist

Every country's list is a variation on the same twelve documents. Prepare them once, keep them as a reusable folder, and you will cut your application time by more than half. You can generate the personalised version with the document checklist tool, or start from the general tourist visa checklist.

• Passport — valid for at least six months beyond your stay, with two or more blank pages. Most refusals on paper-thin passports are avoidable simply by renewing first.
• Passport photographs — recent, correct background and head size. Photo rejection is common because every country specifies its own dimensions, so use the photo size guide before you print anything.
• Completed application form — DS-160 for the US, UK Visitor form, Canada's online account, ImmiAccount for Australia. Every field must match your passport exactly; a single transposed digit triggers a refusal or a delay.
• Flight itinerary — a reservation, not a purchased ticket. Use the flight itinerary generator to produce a holdable booking you can show the consulate without risking a non-refundable fare.
• Accommodation proof — hotel bookings for every night, or a host's invitation with their address and status.
• Day-by-day itinerary — cities, intercity transport and planned activities. A coherent itinerary answers "what will you actually do" better than any letter.
• Proof of funds — bank statements, fixed deposits and salary credits, covered in detail in the next section.
• Employment or business letter — job title, salary, start date, approved leave dates and the guarantee you will return to that job. Business owners should attach registration, tax filings and recent turnover.
• Cover letter — one page explaining who you are, why this country, how the trip is funded, and what pulls you back home. It is the single most underrated document, and it is where you pre-empt the officer's doubts.
• Travel insurance — compulsory for Schengen at €30,000 minimum, and sensible everywhere; keep the certificate covering your exact dates.
• Ties evidence — property deeds, lease agreements, marriage and birth certificates, school enrolment, or a letter confirming your place at work.
• Previous visas and entry stamps — photocopies of every valid visa and recent stamp; this is your travel-history proof, discussed below.
• Photographs of family, if relevant — useful for family visits and for demonstrating dependants who stay behind.

Consulates accept scans and photocopies for most supporting documents, but they may ask for originals at the interview. Keep a numbered folder in exactly the order your checklist runs, because a well-ordered file is read as a well-ordered case.

Proof of Funds: What Counts and How Much Is Enough

There is no universal number. What officers actually want to see is a consistent relationship between your income, your savings and the trip you are proposing — three months of statements that quietly explain themselves beat a sudden lump sum every time.

Three habits prevent the common failures. First, avoid large unexplained deposits in the 30-90 days before applying — an officer who sees money arrive three days before submission will assume it was borrowed for the application, and will ask you to prove otherwise. Second, show a balance that grows through salary credits rather than one that spikes. Third, if someone else is funding you, pair their statements with an explicit sponsorship letter, their identity document and proof of the relationship: an unexplained transfer is worse than no money at all. Keep funds for at least the full cost of the trip visible, and never present a balance that would leave you unable to return.

The Application Process, Step by Step

Almost every country runs the same eight-step pattern. The only variables are where the appointment happens and whether an interview is required. Start from the applications hub to find the correct form and portal for your destination.

1. Confirm the category. Tourist, business meeting, family visit or transit — using the eligibility checker. Attending a business meeting on a tourist visa is usually permitted; being paid locally is not, so read the business visa guide if your trip mixes both. Longer-term plans belong to the student visa or work visa routes.
2. Check the current fee and lead time. Fees change annually: the UK moves each April, Australia each July, Japan each 1 April, and India prices by season.
3. Complete the online form. Book a 45-minute slot; you can save and return, but finish it in one sitting so your answers stay consistent. If photos are involved, verify the specification first.
4. Pay the fee. Save the receipt — the US MRV receipt, the Schengen payment confirmation and the Canada payment record are all needed at the next step. Fees are non-refundable even if you are refused.
5. Book the appointment or submit online. Visa-free digital routes (ETA, eTA, eVisa, NZeTA) skip this entirely and usually decide within hours.
6. Give biometrics where required. Canada, the UK, Schengen centres, Australia and India's eVisa system all collect fingerprints and a facial image; the Canada biometrics fee is CAD 85.
7. Attend the interview. Required by default for the US; selective elsewhere. Expect five to ten questions: purpose, funding, duration, work, and what you will return to. Answer concisely and honestly, and never volunteer documents you were not asked for.
8. Track the decision. Use the destination's own portal, plus the trackers page, and keep travel dates refundable until the passport or eVisa is back in your hands.

The whole sequence, from first form to passport return, is summarised in the processing times comparison so you can reverse-plan from a departure date.

Processing Times Comparison

Official targets are not guarantees. The "standard" column below is what the government promises for a complete file; the "realistic" column reflects what applicants are actually seeing in September 2026, and is the number you should plan around.

Book refundable flights and hotels until the decision lands. If your departure is close, the fastest lever is not a paid upgrade — it is a complete, internally consistent file, because incomplete applications are what actually sit in queues.

Refusal Reasons, Appeals and How to Fix Them

Globally, Schengen refusals run at roughly 14-15% of applications; the US refuses around one in five Indian B1/B2 filings. Almost every refusal traces back to a small number of causes, and each has a concrete fix.

Most countries give you a written refusal notice stating the specific ground, plus a right of appeal or administrative review — typically 14 to 30 days for Schengen member states, with appeals generally within 30 days of receiving the decision. Reconsideration requests (UK) and re-application (US, Canada, Australia) are separate from formal appeals and are usually faster. The rule that matters: address the stated reason with new evidence, do not simply resubmit the same file. Repeated identical applications are read as a refusal to accept the decision, and they make the next one harder, not easier. Keep the evidence of any successful outcome with your records, because approvals and refusals both become part of your travel history.

Entry Stamps, Overstay, Multi-Entry and Family Applications

How to build a travel history that opens doors

A travel history is a passport full of entry and exit stamps from countries with strong immigration enforcement — and it is the cheapest approval-booster available to a first-time applicant. The sequence that works: start with destinations that are genuinely easy for your passport (Thailand's 30-day exemption, Indonesia's e-VOA, the UAE, Singapore for eligible passports, and destinations in Latin America and Africa for US passports), keep every stay short and fully documented, then apply for the harder visas in ascending order — Schengen and UK next, then Canada and Australia, then the US. Every clean entry stamp reduces the perceived risk of the next application, and each new approval makes the following one easier. Apply only where you genuinely intend to travel: unused visas are not free points, and a cancelled or never-used visa can raise questions later. Our guides library has a route-by-route version of this sequence.

Single-entry vs multiple-entry, and why it matters

A single-entry visa is consumed the moment you leave — a day trip across the border voids it, and you must apply again. A multiple-entry visa allows unlimited entries during its validity and is what you should ask for whenever the itinerary genuinely requires it: a London stopover on the way to a Schengen trip, a second European leg, or a business-meeting visa with a year of planned travel. Most countries grant multiple entry to applicants with a clean history and a stated need, so make the need explicit in the cover letter rather than hoping the officer infers it. Validity ranges from 1 year (common first-issue Schengen) to 2, 5 and 10 years (UK long-term visitor routes, Canada's frequent-traveller TRV, the US 10-year B1/B2).

Overstay: what actually happens

Overstaying a tourist visa is one of the few immigration mistakes that follows you for years. Typical consequences include an entry ban of one to five years (Schengen states apply bans of up to three years, and the UK can impose a 12-month ban for a first overstay of up to six months), a permanent record that surfaces on every subsequent application, refusal of future visas even where the reason is not disclosed, fines and daily penalties — the UAE charges AED 50 per day — and, in the worst cases, detention and deportation at your own expense. The correct fix is to leave within the permitted period or apply for an extension before it expires; extensions are possible in Canada (CAD 100), the UK (in limited circumstances), Schengen (only for defined reasons, filed before expiry) and Australia, but they must be lodged before your stay ends. If you have already overstayed, disclose it honestly on future applications and explain what changed.

Family and group applications

Families can usually apply together, and doing so helps: a single covering letter, one shared itinerary and evidence of the family relationship show the officer that the trip is genuinely collective. Canada caps its family fee at CAD 500 for five or more people applying together, Schengen charges per person but accepts joint appointments, and the UK allows a family to apply as a group with supporting documents covering each member. Children need their own passport, their own photographs and consent documentation where a parent is not travelling; a notarised parental consent letter is increasingly requested at the border as well as at the application. Sponsors — a host family member, an employer or a tour operator — should always be named in the cover letter with their status, address and relationship to you. Related reading: business travel with family and our application tools.

Every Tourist Visa Change in 2026

Because these dates move — ETIAS above all — re-check this page and the trackers page before every booking, and note that fee schedules in the UK shift every April and in Australia every July.

Frequently Asked Questions