This page explains where every piece of data on VisaRadar comes from, how it's kept up to date, and above all what it doesn't cover. We'd rather spell out the limitations than suggest a precision the data doesn't have.
Data source
The entry verdict on every page starts from an open visa-requirement matrix, published under the MIT license. It's a community-maintained matrix that records, for every passport-destination combination, the type of entry requirement (visa-free, visa on arrival, electronic travel authorisation, e-visa, or consular visa) and, where applicable, the number of days of permitted stay.
Update frequency
The source matrix has not published new data since February 2026, so later changes reach VisaRadar through our monthly review: every month we go through the visa policy changes that governments announce and correct the affected pairs against their official source. That review produces a proposed update, and a person reads it before it's published, so no change reaches the site without someone having read it.
How data is cross-checked against official sources
The verdict (whether you need a visa, an e-Visa, an electronic authorisation or nothing, and how many days you can stay) comes from that matrix, and we don't check it pair by pair against each government's official source. When an official source contradicts it for a specific pair, we correct that pair and the correction holds through later syncs. That is what happened with Spanish citizens travelling to Laos: the matrix listed them as visa-exempt, while both Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Laos's own exemption list say they need a visa. The same happened with Oman, whose Foreign Ministry grants 14 visa-free days to a list of nationalities the matrix had as needing a visa.
Everything around the verdict we do verify by hand for every destination we track: the procedure fee, processing time, required documents, vaccinations, health insurance, customs limits, overstay penalties, grounds for refusal and transit rules. Each destination shows the date we checked it and the sources we used. If a figure can't be confirmed against a primary source, the field stays empty.
Some procedures depend on the passport as well as the destination, such as the consulate or BLS/VFS centre where the visa application is filed. For those pairs we write a separate corridor page, with its own verification date.
Which sources we accept and which we discard
We use as sources:
- Websites of governments and official bodies: foreign ministries (the travel advice on exteriores.gob.es or gov.uk, for example), immigration portals, embassies and consulates.
- Published law: EU regulations on EUR-Lex and national official gazettes.
- Each country's customs authority for cash, alcohol and tobacco limits, such as the Mauritius Revenue Authority (mra.mu).
- The yellow fever lists of the World Health Organization and Spain's Ministry of Health for vaccinations.
And we discard:
- A commercial site that sells the product in question, as the only source for a legal obligation. We don't cite an insurance company to say travel insurance is mandatory, or a visa agency to set a fee.
- Official tables that are years old. If the only fee table a ministry publishes is a decade old, we leave the field empty rather than present that figure as current.
- Blogs, forums and travel sites, as the source for a legal requirement.
When a specific figure, such as an overstay fine, only appears in secondary sources that cite a real law, we publish it with a note saying we couldn't confirm it against the official text. Commercial sites are only used, where relevant, for practical information that isn't an obligation, such as what booking an appointment is like.
Known limitations of the data
The requirement we show is the general case for an ordinary passport. It does not cover, among others:
- Dual nationality or special passports (diplomatic, service, refugee, or stateless).
- Criminal records or other individual grounds for inadmissibility.
- Minors travelling alone or with a single parent (some countries require additional documentation).
- Goods, pets, or luggage subject to their own customs rules.
- Regulatory changes that have been announced but aren't yet in force, or that are very recent (a real-world change can take weeks to reach VisaRadar, because we review them once a month).
Always verify with the official source
For all of the above, VisaRadar is a starting point for planning a trip, not the final word. Before booking flights or starting any paperwork, always confirm the requirement with the embassy, consulate, or official immigration portal of the country you're travelling to. See also our disclaimer.
Spotted incorrect data?
Let us know via our contact page, including the passport-destination pair and, if you can, a link to the official source confirming it. We review every report.
Last updated: 29 September 2026