A general question about Visas & Borders.
 

Lets say I have a 30 day visa to enter country X
If I arrive at the border a couple of days early, what happens??
Am I let in early and have 30 days from date of entry or do I have to wait until the exact date on the visa??

Thanks

Depends on which country you are visiting.

If you are lucky they might turn a blind eye and stamp you in anyway.

Elsewhere, like Mongolia, your visa might be valid already anyway: your 30 days start from the day you enter the country, while the visa itself is valid for 3 months from the date of issue. Meaning you have to get to the Mongolian border and enter within those 3 months, then you can stay for 30 days.

If you are unlucky and your visa is only valid for 30 days and you arrive on day 28, then you would only be allowed to stay for 2 days (this is the case in India, though we are talking something like 180 days, rather than 30).

If you're on a transit visa you're generally restricted to exact dates and probably wouldn't be allowed in early…but you never know: I would always try.

This has been our experience to date anyway. Every country has its own rules and regs and each needs clarifying with each. It's a JUNGLE out there for visas!

Happy to share our limited knowledge we gained for Central & Southern Asia if anyone needs anything specific.