Visa Matters

Learn · Visa concepts

Visa validity vs permitted stay

Mixing these two numbers is a common planning mistake. Official text often states both, and they are not interchangeable.

Two clocks

  • Validity: the period during which the visa (or eVisa) may be used to seek entry. It answers “until when can I arrive?”
  • Permitted stay: how long you may remain after you enter. It answers “how many days can I stay?”

On Visa Matters

  • We publish each as its own fact when the official source supports it.
  • We do not infer stay from validity (or the reverse) when the source only states one.
  • If either is blank, see why unknown is valid.

Example: Japan shows permitted stay from MOFA eVISA guidance when that fact is verified.