Most Common Visa Documents
Are you in the process of moving abroad? Not sure what visa documents you may need? This blog is for you! I’ve obtained a few visas during my time abroad and I’m sharing with you the most common visa documents required when moving abroad. In addition to being an expat, I also worked in HR to help employees move abroad for several years!
The requirements will differ greatly depending on the country you’re moving to however I wanted to supply you with a general list to get you going. Be sure to read each country’s documents and rules carefully before moving abroad or applying for a visa.
Now let’s talk about those visa documents!
Health Certificate
This visa requirement is very common if you’re moving abroad with a company. Your company will want to ensure you are healthy enough to live in the country you’re moving to. And the receiving country wants to know you won't arrive and immediately end up in their healthcare system!
I also think it’s a positive for you to get an extensive physical before moving abroad. I talked about needing physical exams before moving abroad in depth in this video.
Marriage Certificate
If you’re moving with a spouse that will require a dependent visa, you’ll need a certified/notarized copy of your marriage license. Before moving abroad, we requested a few certified copies to have them with us for future visa needs.
If you’re planning to move to several countries over the years, I suggest having 3-5 certified copies with you as you move around. It’s much easier than having to make a trip back to your home country each time you require one!
Background Check
Background checks are usually required for work visas or resident visas. The reason is fairly obvious - governments don’t want to invite a known criminal to come stay! For my background checks I found them pretty easy to obtain at the county’s office. And they included fingerprints! You can usually pay for an extra copy of this too if you want to keep one handy for future needs.
It’s possible if you’re moving with a company they will have the ability to request your criminal record checks directly from your local municipality. Check with your HR department...it may save you a trip downtown!
Vaccinations
Some countries may want to see your vaccination record before granting a visa. For example, Angola requires proof of the Yellow Fever immunization before visas are granted and again at the airport!
And in our post-pandemic world, I’m sure most countries will also require Covid vaccination proof before granting resident or work permits.
Letter of Invitation/Letter of Guarantee
A letter of invitation is very common for a work visa. This is a way for your company to show the government they are inviting you to work in that overseas location and share the reasons why. Do you have a specialized skills set? Are you moving for a specified amount of time to help train a local employee? Before granting a work visa, the government wants to understand the reasons you are requesting to move there.
The letter of guarantee or invitation also serves as a promise that should you get into trouble overseas your company will be responsible. Meaning if you commit a crime and end up in jail, your company could be held financially responsible (another reason a criminal record check is required by all parties!).
Flight Itinerary/Proof of Travel
Before granting your visa, the Embassy will need to know when you plan to travel. They require this so they can issue the correct date on your visa. If you aren’t planning to travel for another 2 months, the Embassy won’t put the valid date from today.
They also want to be sure you are actually planning to travel to their country. They don’t want several unused visas floating around out there! When we moved with our company, the travel department provided us with flight itineraries to use and then we changed the actual flight date once everything was approved.
Proof of Funds/Bank Statement
This one took me by surprise the first time I heard about it! Part of your visa documents may include proof of funds or a bank statement request. Yep, you heard that right. The country you’re going to wants to see how much money you have in your account. Now don’t worry, you don’t have to send over an entire net worth statement or anything. They normally just want to see that you have around $1,000 in your account to ensure you won’t become dependent on them as soon as you arrive.
Remember, you are not a citizen of the country you’re moving to. You will be a visitor, maybe a long term visitor. But still a visitor. They don’t want people moving to their country and requiring financial assistance.
Statement to Abide by Rules/Laws
I’ve only seen this with a few countries. But you may be required to sign a statement that reads you will abide by the laws of that country. Pretty simple.
Planning to move abroad? Be sure to download this packing checklist I created after moving abroad twice.
For all Visa Applications/Administrative Things:
These are some of the more administrative aspects of applying for visas that will be required for each visa.
Passport & Passport Copies
To accompany your application, you’ll need your physical passport and a copy of your passport information page. In fact, if you’re planning to move abroad, I would make several copies and keep them with you.
When you live in a foreign country, it’s a good idea to keep a copy of your passport on you at all times. I had a notarized copy in my purse pocket the entire 7 years. I only needed to show it to authorities once. But I was glad I had it with me!
Having a notarized copy is much safer than keeping your physical passport with you. My passport stayed locked up in our safe unless we were travelling.
Tip: When you arrive in your expat country, take your passport and your passport copies with you to the Embassy to have them notarize your copies.
Passport Photos
Each visa application will require a recent photo. So go ahead and get them taken and keep them with you. This was another one of those things we had extra of while abroad. They were easy to have on hand and submit for yearly visa renewals.
Application
Along with all the documentation, an actual application will be needed. It’s normally pretty basic with things like address, phone numbers, family names, dates of travel, reasons for travel, etc.
Payment
There will be a fee associated with the work and time it takes to review, research and complete your visa application. These fees should be handed in with your application to the Embassy.
That wraps up the basic visa documentation you may require when moving abroad. As I mentioned, each country will have a unique set or requirements so be sure to do your research or work closely with your HR/Global Mobility team at work.
Let me know if you’ve submitted different visa documents than the ones I’ve gone over in the comments. That way we can all learn from you!
