[philipov]

"An endorsement on a passport indicating that the holder is allowed to enter, leave, or stay for a specified period of time in a country."

A hat and a helmet both protect your head, but you wouldn't call them by the same name.

[cm2187]

Well, with centralised IT systems, it doesn't need to be a physical sticker on your passport but rather an authorization number associated with your passport number (more secure than relying on someone not faking the sticker). But the vetting process is still there. Fundamentally isn't it the exact same thing (a sort of an electronic helmet)?

[philipov]

You asked for a definition, so I looked it up. I'm not advocating a specific opinion.

[ajmurmann]

Wikipedia almost agrees with you, but the "on a passport" part doesn't connect.

>A visa (from the Latin charta visa, meaning "paper that has been seen")[1] is a conditional authorization granted by a country to a foreigner, allowing them to enter, remain within, or to leave that country.

Why does it matter to you if it goes into the passport or not? If I recall correctly my F1 Visa for the US didn't go into my passport either, but was a separate document.

[philipov]

It's not me, it's https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/visa