United States Visa Information

Passport/Visa

	Passport Required?	Visa Required?	Return Ticket Required?
British	Yes	No/2	Yes
Australian	Yes	No	Yes
Canadian	Yes	No	No
USA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Other EU	Yes	No/1	Yes

Note
New Requirements for Travelers: As of 23 January 2007 all persons, including US citizens, traveling by air between the USA and Canada, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda are required to present a valid passport, or other approved document, when entering or re-entering the USA. Similar requirements for those traveling by land or sea will be introduced as early as 1 January 2008.

For further details about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, visit the website of the US Department of State: (website: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html)

Passport Note
(a) For nationals included in the Visa Waiver Program (see below), passports must be valid for at least 90 days from date of entry.
(b) All travelers entering the USA under the Visa Waiver Program now require individual machine-readable passports. Children included on a parent’s passport also now require their own machine-readable passport. Travelers not in possession of machine-readable passports will require a valid USA entry visa.
(c) Passports issued on or after 26 October 2005, will need to have a biometric identifier in order for the holder to travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Machine-readable passports issued between 26 October 2005 and 25 October 2006 require a digital photograph printed on the data page or an integrated chip with information from the data page. Machine-readable passports issued on or after 26 October 2006 will require an integrated chip with information from the data page (e-passport).

Passports
Valid passport required by all nationals of countries referred to in the chart above; validity varies - for most countries the passport must be valid for at least six months from the date on which the holder enters the USA. If not, the holder will be admitted until the expiration date on the passport; check with the embassy (see General Info).

Visas
Not required by nationals of countries referred to in the chart above except the following: 1. nationals of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovak Republic, who do require a visa.

Visa Note
(a) Landed Immigrants of Canada and British residents of Bermuda who are citizens of, and have valid passports from, Commonwealth countries or Ireland are not eligible to enter the USA without a visa. (b) All passengers using US airports for transit purposes are required to obtain a transit visa. This does not affect qualified travelers traveling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program (see below). (d) To qualify for visa-free travel under the Visa Waiver Program, nationals must travel on a valid passport, for holiday, transit or business purposes only and for a stay not exceeding 90 days. (e) If entering the USA by air or sea, passengers must hold a return or onward ticket or itinerary (if onward tickets terminate in Bermuda, Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean Islands, travelers must be legal permanent residents of those countries), hold a completed form I-94W and enter aboard an air or sea carrier participating in the Visa Waiver Program (lists of participating air or sea carriers are available from most travel agents or the carriers themselves). If entering the USA by land from Canada or Mexico, hold a completed form I-94W issued by Immigration at the port of entry and a US$6 fee (only payable in US Dollars). (f) Passengers must have the full address and ZIP code of where they are staying in the USA to be able to fully complete the I-94W form. Note: Airlines are also required to collect passenger details, including the address of their first night’s accommodation in the USA, before they board the aircraft. (g) Members of Visa Waiver Program countries who want to work, study or remain more than 90 days in the USA must apply for a visa before traveling, as should those who have been previously refused a visa, have a criminal record, or are in any way ineligible for an unrestricted visa. (h) 2. Holders of UK passports with the endorsement British Subject, British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Protected Person, British Overseas Citizen or British National (Overseas) Citizen do not qualify for the Visa Waiver Program. Persons unsure about visa requirements (including those defined in ‘Restricted Entry’ above) should contact the US consulate general or the visa department of the US embassy (see General Info). (i) The embassy no longer issues visas valid indefinitely. Any new B-1/B-2 visa issued will be valid for a maximum of 10 years. (j) A visa does not expire with the expiry of the holder’s passport. An unexpired, endorsed visa in an expired passport may be presented for entry into the USA, as long as the visa itself has not been cancelled, is undamaged, is less than 10 years old and is presented with a valid non-expired passport, provided that both passports are for the same nationality. (k) Nationals of countries not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see General Info).

Types of Visa and Cost
Tourist, Business, Transit and Student: US$100.

Validity
Visas may be used for travel to the USA until the date it expires. Some visas are valid for multiple entries. The length of stay in the USA is determined by US immigration officials at the time of entry but is generally six months; there is, however, no set time.

Applications to:
Embassy or consulate (see General Info).

Working Days Required
Usually five after interview. Some cases may take up to 60 days – check with embassy/consulate (see General Info).

Warning
Most visits to the USA are trouble-free but visitors should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate international terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.

The hurricane season normally runs from June to November, and can affect the whole of the southern USA.

The US Department of Homeland Security has lowered its terror alert status to "orange" or high for all flights into the US that have originated from the UK.  The terror alert level also remains at "orange" for all other international and domestic flights in the US. 

Visitors should expect stringent security checks at airports and public buildings.

Visitors should be alert to the dangers of car and street crime in cities.

This advice is based on information provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK. It is correct at time of publishing. As the situation can change rapidly, visitors are advised to contact the following organizations for the latest travel advice:

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Tel: (0845) 850 2829.
Website: www.fco.gov.uk

US Department of State
Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel

Health

	Special Precautions	Certificate Required?
Yellow Fever	No	No
Cholera	No	No
Typhoid and Polio	No	N/A
Malaria	No	N/A

Health Care
Medical insurance providing cover up to at least US$500,000 is strongly advised. Only emergency cases are treated without prior payment and treatment will often be refused without evidence of insurance or a deposit. All receipts must be kept in order to make a claim. Medical facilities are generally of an extremely high standard. Many medications available over the counter in other countries require a prescription in the US. Those visiting the USA for long periods with school-age children should be aware that school entry requirements include proof of immunization against diphtheria, measles, poliomyelitis and rubella throughout the USA, and schools in many States also require immunization against tetanus, pertussis and mumps. HIV-positive visitors must apply at the Embassy for a waiver of inadmissibility before entry.

Note




Next Page »

Related United States Content