What is a visa? Although this question might sound as though it has a simple answer, the history of travel documents is complex and intriguing. Many people are unaware of the fact that until the turn of the twentieth century, passports were rarely issued and visas were almost unheard of.

The visas discussed in this article are not the kind that you swipe at the local mall to buy things. Instead, they are the documents needed in order to enter most countries around the world. A common misconception is based upon the idea that a visa gives the visa holder the "right" to enter a country. In most cases, a visa is not the equivalent of a "right of entry." Instead, a visa is simply an acknowledgment by a diplomatic or consular officer that the person holding the visa should be accorded the right to seek entry.

In Thailand, there are many different Thai visa categories under Thai Immigration law. Thailand also has a seemingly similar Permanent Resident system to that of the United States of America. However, looks can be deceiving as Thai Permanent Residence is extremely difficult to obtain and there is a quota set for people of differing nationalities. In the late 1970's the Thai government authorities at Royal Thai Immigration promulgated non-immigrant visa categories. At present the most common categories are the B visa (Thailand Business Visa), the Thailand O Visa, and the Thailand Retirement Visa.

Many Thai people seek to obtain travel privileges to the United States of America. One of the most popular visas utilized in Thailand is the K1 fiance visa. The K-1 visa is designed for foreign fiancee's (in this case Thai fiancées) of United States Citizens who seek entry to the USS in order to marry their loved one.

In some cases, where a couple is already married, it may be necessary to file for a classic United States Immigrant Visa. The Immigrant Visa (CR-1) entitles the bearer to conditional permanent residence in the United States. In most cases, the Immigrant Visa will take 12 months to process. However, for those couples who are already married and wish to expedite the process the K3 marriage visa is an option. The K-3 is actually a non-immigrant visa category, but it does allow the visa beneficiary to adjust status (acquire a Green Card) in the United States. At one time the K3 visa was considered very beneficial because it took a great deal of time to process the Immigrant visas. Now, the K3's effectiveness has waned due to more efficient processing on the part of USCIS.

Thailand and the USA are not the only countries issuing visas as they are generally obtainable from most countries around the world.

(This is not legal advice, but intended for educational purposes. No Attorney/client relationship should be inferred from reading this article.)