diff --git a/swh/storage/in_memory.py b/swh/storage/in_memory.py
--- a/swh/storage/in_memory.py
+++ b/swh/storage/in_memory.py
@@ -1277,22 +1277,16 @@
         for visit in visits:
             if isinstance(visit['date'], str):
                 visit['date'] = dateutil.parser.parse(visit['date'])
-            if isinstance(visit['origin'], str):
-                origin = \
-                    self.origin_get([{'url': visit['origin']}])[0]
-                if not origin:
-                    raise ValueError('Unknown origin: %s' % visit['origin'])
-                visit['origin'] = origin['id']
+            visit['origin'] = self.origin_get([visit['origin']])[0]
 
         if self.journal_writer:
             for visit in visits:
-                visit = visit.copy()
-                visit['origin'] = self.origin_get([{'id': visit['origin']}])[0]
+                visit = copy.deepcopy(visit)
                 del visit['origin']['id']
                 self.journal_writer.write_addition('origin_visit', visit)
 
         for visit in visits:
-            origin_id = visit['origin']
+            origin_id = visit['origin']['id']
             visit_id = visit['visit']
 
             self._objects[(origin_id, visit_id)].append(
diff --git a/swh/storage/storage.py b/swh/storage/storage.py
--- a/swh/storage/storage.py
+++ b/swh/storage/storage.py
@@ -1287,22 +1287,19 @@
         for visit in visits:
             if isinstance(visit['date'], str):
                 visit['date'] = dateutil.parser.parse(visit['date'])
-            if isinstance(visit['origin'], str):
-                visit['origin'] = \
-                    self.origin_get({'url': visit['origin']})['id']
+            visit['origin'] = \
+                self.origin_get([visit['origin']], db=db, cur=cur)[0]
 
         if self.journal_writer:
             for visit in visits:
-                visit = visit.copy()
-                origin = self.origin_get(
-                    [{'id': visit['origin']}], db=db, cur=cur)[0]
-                visit['origin'] = origin
+                visit = copy.deepcopy(visit)
                 if visit.get('type') is None:
-                    visit['type'] = origin['type']
+                    visit['type'] = visit['origin']['type']
                 del visit['origin']['id']
                 self.journal_writer.write_addition('origin_visit', visit)
 
         for visit in visits:
+            visit['origin'] = visit['origin']['id']
             # TODO: upsert them all in a single query
             db.origin_visit_upsert(**visit, cur=cur)
 
diff --git a/swh/storage/tests/test_storage.py b/swh/storage/tests/test_storage.py
--- a/swh/storage/tests/test_storage.py
+++ b/swh/storage/tests/test_storage.py
@@ -1959,7 +1959,7 @@
         # when
         self.storage.origin_visit_upsert([
             {
-                 'origin': origin_id_or_url,
+                 'origin': self.origin2,
                  'date': self.date_visit2,
                  'visit': 123,
                  'type': self.origin2['type'],
@@ -1968,7 +1968,7 @@
                  'snapshot': None,
              },
             {
-                 'origin': origin_id_or_url,
+                 'origin': self.origin2,
                  'date': '2018-01-01 23:00:00+00',
                  'visit': 1234,
                  'type': self.origin2['type'],
@@ -2042,7 +2042,7 @@
             origin_id_or_url,
             date=self.date_visit2)
         self.storage.origin_visit_upsert([{
-             'origin': origin_id_or_url,
+             'origin': self.origin2,
              'date': self.date_visit2,
              'visit': origin_visit1['visit'],
              'type': self.origin2['type'],