Visa Means Documents That Have Been Seen
A visa is an endorsement permitting entry to a country. The word means seen.
A visa is an official endorsement on a passport permitting entry to a country. The word is Latin *charta visa*, meaning papers that have been seen, shortened to *visa* — the plural of *visum*, a thing seen. The visa is literally the official's confirmation that the documents were examined. Passports and visas as universal requirements are surprisingly recent: before the First World War most European borders could be crossed without documents at all, and the system was introduced as a wartime security measure that was never removed.
- An entry permit. *A tourist visa.*
- To endorse. *Visaed documents.*
- Charta visa — papers seen. *The origin.*
- Vise — a variant. *A vise.*
- Latin — *videre*, to see. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | visa | A visa. |
| Plural | visas | Visas. |
| Latin | visum | A thing seen. |
| Latin | videre | To see. |
| Related | vision | Vision. |
- She applied for a visa.Travel.
- Visa means seen.Etymology.
- Passports became universal after 1914.History.
How passports became normal
- Before 1914 most European travel needed no documents
- The First World War brought controls for security reasons
- They were meant to be temporary and never were
- A 1920 League of Nations conference standardised the booklet
- The photograph became a requirement in the same period
French *visa*, from Latin *charta visa*, papers that have been seen, from *videre*, to see.
What does visa literally mean?
Seen. It is short for charta visa, meaning papers that have been examined by an official.
How old is the passport system?
Modern universal passports date from the First World War, introduced as a security measure and never withdrawn.