also called passport stamp · immigration stamp
The stamp an officer puts in your passport recording the date and terms of your entry.
The stamp an officer inks into your passport when you arrive, noting the date you entered and how long you may stay. It is your proof of a legal entry and your permitted stay. A visa is the prior permission to travel; the entry stamp records the actual crossing, and a missing or wrong one can read as an overstay later.
Someone is waved through a busy land border and only notices days later that the officer never stamped their passport. When they try to leave, there is no record of when they entered, and they have to argue their way out of an overstay accusation with no proof of the real date.
It's the evidence of your allowed stay, and a missing or wrong stamp can cause overstay accusations later.
The difference is the whole point, so here is each one in a line.
These are the parts of clearing a border.
The point of entry is the airport or crossing where you formally enter, and the immigration checkpoint is the booth where an officer inspects your passport.
An entry stamp records the date and terms of your admission, and an exit stamp records that you left, which later proves you did not overstay.
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