The Visa Waiver Program: Traveling to the U.S. Without a Visa

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows citizens of designated countries to apply for admission to the United States as visitors (traveling for holiday and/or business, in transit) without first obtaining a non-immigrant business/tourist visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) Countries

Currently, 27 countries participate in the Visa Waiver Program, as shown below:

To apply for admission into the United States under the Visa Waiver Program the traveler must meet the following conditions:

1. Have a valid machine-readable passport issued by the participating country and be a citizen (not only a resident) of that country. The passport must be valid for at least the duration of the stay in the U.S. Children, even infants need their own, individual machine-readable passport in order to travel under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
2. 1. Machine-readable passports issued or extended before October 26, 2005 are valid for travel under the VWP.
   2. If the machine-readable passport is issued or extended between October 26, 2005 and October 26, 2006, it must have a digital photograph or an integrated computer chip. If the machine-readable passport does not have a digital photograph, a U.S. visa must be applied for. However, machine-readable passports without digital photos, issued or extended before October 26, 2005 will continue to be valid for travel to the United States.
   3. Machine-readable passports, issued or extended on or after October 26, 2006, require an integrated chip.

   For holders of Austrian, Italian, French passports and German temporary passports

   • Austria: Austrian passports issued since October 26, 2005, containing an inserted page with a digital photo of the passport holder, are valid for VWP travel; passports issued since October 26, 2005 without such inserted page require a visa for travel to the U.S.

   • Italy: Depending on which district office issued them, some Italian passports issued since October 26, 2005 include digital photos and are valid for VWP travel; passports issued since that date that do not include the digital photo require a visa for travel to the U.S.

   • France: French passports, issued after October 25, 2005 and before the start of the production of passports with a digital photo (and chip) are NOT valid for VWP travel. French passports without a digital photo require a visa for travel to the U.S.

   • Germany: As of May 1, 2006, German temporary/emergency passports will no longer be valid for travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program; holders of German temporary or emergency passports, who intend to travel to or through the United States must either obtain a regular German passport for VWP travel or apply for a visa to travel to the U.S.

3. Be seeking entry for 90 days or less.

4. The purpose of the trip is holiday, business, or transit.

5. If entering by air or sea, have a round-trip or onward transportation ticket issued by a carrier that has signed an agreement to participate in this program with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and arrive in the United States on such a carrier.

   -Travelers with onward tickets terminating in Mexico, Canada, Bermuda or the Caribbean Islands must be residents of these areas.

   -If entering overland from Canada or Mexico, no onward ticket is required, but you should be prepared to show proof at the border that you can pay for your stay in the U.S. and that you have a domicile outside of the U.S. to which you intend to return.

What visitors under the VWP cannot do

Visitors applying for entry under the visa waiver program are allowed to remain in the United States for a period of ninety (90) days. This period cannot be extended. Visitors cannot change their status while in the United States. Travelers entering initially under the visa waiver program may make side trips to countries adjacent to the United States (including the Caribbean islands) and reenter the United States by any means of transport, provided that the total stay in the region is not longer than 90 days. Visitors for business or tourism cannot work or study in the United States.

Note: Representatives of the foreign press, radio, film, journalists or other information media, engaging in that vocation while in the U.S., may not enter the U.S. on the Visa Waiver Program. These professional must obtain a nonimmigrant Media (I) visa.