When you are taking a trip abroad, it’s not just your travel ticket, luggage constituents, or health checkups that need careful attention. An important part of the travel paperwork is your visa, issued by a competent authority of the host country as they deem fit. Generally, a visa is stamped onto your passport when you need to enter a foreign territory. After all, it is your legal protection while travelling on international land. There is one more type of official permission though, called the stapled visa.
A stapled visa is precisely what the name suggests: a separate official document literally attached with staple pins to your passport. Similar to how a sales slip is attached to your invoice after you make a retail purchase. Similarly, a stapled visa is a separate entity provided in place of the regular visa stamp.
The process seems usual. But there is the catch, in that such a document comes with its diplomatic significance. It’s easy to remove records of travel approval, and it undermines legitimately defined international borders. Travellers have often been denied entry, or flight boarding, or even put through further checks at immigration checkpoints because of such visas.
Which Countries Issue Stapled Visas?
Naturally, underlying concerns of international relations and border security stem from the issuance of the stapled visa. A recent example is the tension between India and neighbouring China over the latter’s issuing of stapled visas to Indian citizens from Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh, especially sportspersons during the Summer World University Games in 2023.
The logical derivation of that was China’s refusal to recognise the states as sovereign Indian territories and such visas add to the complications of the two countries’ border dispute.
Owing to their sensitive nature both politically and diplomatically, stapled visas are, therefore, not common. When borders are contested, as described above, or when two nations’ relations are tense, that is one instance of either nation issuing a stapled visa. Besides China, other countries issuing stapled visas as per their geopolitical contexts include North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Cuba, to citizens of select countries.
Why Is It Called a Stapled Visa?
The definition of what a stapled visa is literally a separate document posing as a temporary visa attached to a traveller’s passport. The stapled visa began as a document meant for official diplomatic travel, but since this is issued instead of a permanent stamp, various meanings are attached to such a move when it comes to common citizens:
Symbolism: Stapled visas enable the issuer to refuse to recognise the traveller's visa as legitimate and, hence, refuse entry. This subtle yet definite statement shows a clear lack of recognition of defined borders or the traveller's citizenship.
Implications: The visa document is removable, meaning after the trip, there would remain no record of approval of the traveller ever having entered as a foreign visitor.
Conclusion
When issued to citizens, a stapled visa is not the usual, legitimate visa. It is often controversial and points to strained bilateral relationships between two countries, including concerns related to demarcated borders. This particular visa type complicates journeys for travellers, for example, Indian citizens from specific border states visiting China.
It is best to always examine your visa closely to avoid unpleasant surprises during travel. And don't forget: purchasing travel insurance online covers you for many challenging situations while travelling abroad.
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