Originally Posted by Boofer
lots of people don't realize that you get a visa everywhere - that's what the stamp in your passport is, unless you have a pre-arranged one
I don't think that's actually true. If you enter the US without a visa, for instance, you are entering under a visa waiver, which is sort of by definition the absence of a visa.
Also: the US has a reciprocal arrangement with many countries waiving the six-months-of-validity rule. Technically this is done by agreeing that, for some purposes, the passport is valid for six months beyond the expiration date printed in it.