Multiple Entry Visa

A multiple entry visa is, more or less, what the name implies: A visa that you can use more than once to enter a country.

Different countries have different rules and regulations when it comes to multiple entry visas, and may offer different levels of multiple entry visa. For instance, if you’re traveling to Canada, you might be able to obtain a visa that is good for six months, or one that will remain valid for up to ten years, or a month before your passport expires, whichever comes first.

Meanwhile, if you want to travel to China, your options include 6, 12, and 24-month multiple entry visas. This last one requires that the traveler has already been issued at least two multiple entry Chinese visas in the past.

Most countries set a limit on how long your trip will last for each visit. China lets you stay for a month at a time, while Brazil lets you stay for up to 90 days per visit. Some countries may be considerably more restrictive than this.

Note that a multiple entry visa’s expiration clocks start ticking down the day you have issued the visa, not the day you book the first flight there or the day you leave or the day you arrive. If you have a 90-day multiple entry visa, you’ll want to plan your first trip within the next 90 days.

While it’s best to get your passport as soon as you possibly can, you generally don’t want to worry about getting your hands on a multiple entry visa until you have a rough idea of when you’re going to be traveling, simply because you don’t want to go through the hassle of obtaining a visa and have it expire before you can use it.