Free visa eligibility check: what the score means and how to use it

The free eligibility check asks eight questions, scores your case out of 100 and places it in a Low, Medium or High risk band. Here is how it works, what the bands mean and what to do with the result.

What the eligibility check is

The Vistolane eligibility check is a free, two-minute questionnaire that estimates how a consulate is likely to read your case before you spend money on a government fee. It asks eight questions, scores the answers out of 100 and places the result in one of three risk bands: Low risk, Medium risk or High risk. The score is visible immediately and you do not need to sign in to see it.

It is not a prediction of approval. Governments decide visas; no tool and no agent can promise an outcome. What the check does is surface the factors that officers refuse on most often, so you can fix them before you apply rather than after a refusal letter.

The eight questions, and why each one matters

Which passport do you hold? Visa rules are set per nationality. The passport decides whether you need a visa at all, which format it takes (e-visa, sticker, embassy interview) and which funds thresholds apply.
What is the trip for? Tourism, study, work, family or business. Short tourist visits are the most straightforward; study and work routes carry extra evidence requirements and trigger the follow-up question.
Where are you going? Each of the 52 destinations has its own refusal patterns. A profile that sails through a Thailand e-visa may be marginal for a Schengen sticker visa.
When do you plan to travel? Flexible dates leave room for the published processing time. Fixed dates inside the processing window are the single most common reason people pay for a fast lane they did not need.
What funds can you show? Officers compare your statements with the destination's daily or total requirement. Funds held steadily for three to six months count; a lump sum deposited last week does not.
Any past refusal or overstay? A clean history is a strong positive. A past refusal is not fatal, but it must be declared and explained; an undeclared refusal is a ground for a ban.
What ties keep you in your home country? Employment, property, family and ongoing study are the evidence that you will leave when the visa ends. This is the deciding factor on most tourist refusals.
How much have you travelled before? Previous compliant trips, especially to comparable destinations, lower perceived risk.

A ninth question appears only when relevant: students are asked whether they hold an admission letter, workers whether they have a sponsoring employer, family applicants about relationship evidence, and tourists whether they travel independently or with a group.

What the bands mean

Low risk (70 and above). The profile matches what the destination usually approves. Apply on the published timeline and keep the documents consistent.
Medium risk (45 to 69). One or two factors are weak, most often funds history or ties. The result lists them; fixing one usually moves you into the low band.
High risk (under 45). Several factors are weak or there is a past refusal. Applying now is likely to waste a non-refundable government fee. Build the file first.

The band is a planning tool. A Medium result with a fixed travel date in three weeks is a different problem from a Medium result with flexible dates, and the result page says which.

How to use the result

Start with the listed factors. If funds are flagged, move money into the account you will present and let it sit; most consulates want three to six months of statements. If ties are flagged, gather an employment letter with approved leave, property documents or evidence of dependants. If history is flagged, locate the previous refusal letter and prepare a short, factual explanation.

Then read the destination page. Every Vistolane destination page lists the government fee, the Vistolane filing fee, the processing window and the official source for each rule, so you can confirm the requirement yourself before you apply.

When you are ready to apply

Vistolane processes tourist and student visas directly, with the government fee paid at the official rate and a fixed filing fee on top. Every application carries a quoted decision date. Decision by the date we quote, or your Vistolane fee back. We can't guarantee approval; no one can. Government fees are never refunded, which is exactly why the free check exists: to stop you paying one on a file that is not ready.

Run the check at /eligibility, then browse visa requirements by country or read how the on-time guarantee works.

Questions, answered

Is the eligibility check free?

Yes. It runs in your browser, takes about two minutes and the result is shown immediately. You do not need an account to see your score.

Does a high score mean my visa will be approved?

No. The score estimates risk from the factors consulates publish and refuse on most often. Approval is always the government's decision; the check tells you what to strengthen before you apply.

How many questions are there?

Eight core questions: passport, purpose, destination, travel timing, funds, immigration history, home ties and travel history. One follow-up question appears depending on the purpose, for example whether a student holds an admission letter.

Is my data stored?

Answers stay in your browser session. Nothing is saved to an account unless you choose to create one afterwards to track an application.

How accurate is it?

It is a rules-based estimate, not a prediction. It weighs the same factors the published refusal grounds describe: insufficient funds, weak ties, unclear purpose and a poor travel record. Treat the band as a to-do list, not a verdict.

What happens next?

You see your band, the factors that moved it and the destination's document list. From there you can start the application on Vistolane or fix the weak points first.