Top 17 Most Ridiculous Government Visa Questions

With over a decade of experience, the iVisa experts have seen all sorts of... interesting visa questions asked by governments. We thought we’d share some of the most ridiculous visa questions to brighten your day!

Check out our latest video feature on the subject here for a few laughs!

The funniest, strangest, and most ridiculous questions asked in a visa application

How many wives do you intend to bring? Have you ever committed torture? We bet you didn't expect these strange questions when applying for a visa!

The below visa questions take the biscuit:

1. Have you ever been directly involved in the coercive transplantation of human organs or bodily tissue? - United States B1/B2 Visa

2. Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offense or crime involving moral turpitude? - United States ESTA

3. Have you ever committed torture or genocide? - United States

4. In either peace or wartime, have you ever been involved in, or suspected of involvement in, war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide? - Anguilla eVisa

5. Are you coming to the U.S. to practice polygamy? - United States

6. Do you want to exercise your right to freedom? - Switzerland Health Declaration

7. Have you ever been directly involved in the establishment or enforcement of population control, forcing a woman to undergo an abortion against her free will or a man or a woman to undergo sterilization against his or her free will? - United States B1/B2 Visa

8. Have you visited a traditional healer in the last 14 days? - Congo Traveler Registration Form

9. Are you the spouse, son, or daughter of an individual who has committed or conspired to commit a human trafficking offense in the United States or outside the United States, and have you, within the last five years, knowingly benefited from the trafficking activities? - United States B1/B2 Visa

Funny questions asked in visa interviews

Applicants have also reported being asked some pretty surprising visa interview questions:

1. How many wives do you intend to bring? - Middle East

2. Describe your mustache/beard (options included: bushy, scanty, or clipped) - Mexico

3. Have you been to a farm in the past six weeks? - Australia

4. What side of the bed does your wife sleep on? - United States

5. Foreigners, please sing in the box - Typo seen on a Mexican immigration form

6. Reason for visiting, with an option being “To visit” - China

Why does a visa officer need this info?

The first reaction to these types of questions is usually: “Really? Does anyone ever actually answer ‘yes’?”

While some of these questions seem undoubtedly absurd, governments ask for these kinds of details for a few reasons.

Sometimes, it’s simply to double-check the reasons for visiting a country or if you are intending to abide by local laws. In any case, if you do not answer a question truthfully, it will impact your chances of getting a visa or the right to visit the country.

The most important thing is to take even the silliest questions seriously. If you joke on a visa application form, it won’t go down well. Requirements are requirements, regardless of how bizarre some questions may seem.

Whether these questions really prevent people from coming into the country and engaging in illegal activities is another matter.

iVisa simplifies the visa application process

We understand that visa applications can be tedious and confusing, especially when there are many, sometimes irrelevant, questions to answer.

Our mission at iVisa is to make traveling simple and stress-free: By applying for your travel document with iVisa, you’ll benefit from:

• A simplified application form, sometimes with up to 50% fewer questions than on the government website. It’s like filling out a short survey.

• 24/7 online support from our visa experts whenever you need it.

• Useful tips about supporting documents, preparing for a visa interview, and more.

Find out which visa you need and apply instantly online with our handy Visa Checker Tool.

Or contact us via online chat or email at [email protected] if you have any questions about travel documents or entry requirements of a certain destination.