Important Travel Document Information – Please Read
A Visa Waiver permits you to enter the United States for up to 90 days on a vacation or business trip without needing a full visa. The ESTA visa waiver program is the most frequent name for this initiative. There are currently 40 visa waiver nations eligible to apply for an ESTA including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and more. You can see the full list further down the page.
To prevent any issues, please submit your application well in advance of your trip. You can usually expect a result within 24 hours of the submission but it some cases it may take up to 72 hours for a determination.
Alternatives To The Visa Waiver Program
If you are not a citizen of a visa waiver country, you should complete the standard visa process for one of the non-immigrant visitor visas:
Visa Waiver Countries
To travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, you must be a citizen or national of one of the following countries:
| Andorra | Australia | Austria | Belgium | Brunei |
| Chile | Croatia | Czech Republic | Denmark | Estonia |
| Finland | France | Germany | Greece | Hungary |
| Iceland | Ireland | Italy | Japan | Latvia |
| Liechtenstein | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Malta | Monaco |
| Netherlands | New Zealand | Norway | Poland | Portugal |
| San Marino | Singapore | Slovakia | Slovenia | South Korea |
| Spain | Sweden | Switzerland | Taiwan | United Kingdom |
What Is The Visa Waiver Program?
The Visa Waiver Program can be for business or tourism reasons. These trips can be up to 90 days without requiring a visa. In exchange, the 40 countries must allow U.S. citizens and nationals to visit them for a similar period without requiring a visa whether it be for business or tourism. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in collaboration with the State Department, governs the whole process.
Travelers must have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) permission. You can still apply for a B1 B2 visa if you prefer to have a visa in your passport.
Your Visa Waiver will usually be valid for two years, unless you:
Get a new passport, including an emergency or temporary passport.
Change your name.
Changed your gender.
Change your country of citizenship.
Need to change your answers to any of the “yes” or “no” security questions on the application.
Then you will need to submit a new Visa Waiver application.
Visa Waiver Program Requirements
To be qualified to visit the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, you must fulfill all of the following requirements:
- You have citizenship from a Visa Waiver Program nation
- You do not hold a Visitor Visa
- You intend to remain in the United States for fewer than ninety days
- You will be visiting the United States for business or pleasure
You cannot use the VWP if the objective of your trip is to study for academic credit, get employment, work in the foreign press, radio, film, journalists, or other information media, or establish permanent residency.
If you overstay your visa waiver you will be removed from the country and potentially restricted from travelling under the visa waiver program in the future.
Visa Waiver Eligibility
People in the following categories are not allowed to travel or be allowed to enter the United States under the Visa Waiver Program:
- People who traveled to or were present in Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia or Cuba, on or after March 1, 2011 (with restricted exclusions); and
- Travellers who are also nationals of Iran, Iraq, Syria, North Korea, or Sudan.
These restrictions do not apply to VWP individuals who were in Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, or Yemen to perform military service in their country’s armed forces or to carry out official duties as employees of their country’s government. People who have traveled to one or more of the seven nations listed above for military/official activities should bring relevant documents with them while passing through a U.S. port of entry. These exclusions, however, do not apply to the restriction imposed on dual nationals of one of the subject nations (the “dual national restriction”).
These rules will not affect the vast majority of VWP-eligible travelers. The U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security may add new countries to this list.
Visa Waiver Application Process
Complete our online form. You must enter your personal details including your birth details, home address, passport information and contact details.
We will review it for mistakes prior to making a full application to ensure a successful submission.
Applications are then processed via the Department of Homeland Security and usually receive a decision within 24 hours of submission.
Once granted, the travel authorization is electronically linked to your passport and permits travel to the USA for short stays of up to 90 days and is valid for 2 years.
For detailed information on specific parts of the Visa Waiver Application process, you can refer to the links in the table on the right to find the answer to your query. If you are unable to find any particular information, please contact us via email.
Other USA Visa Types
Eligible applicants can apply for the visa waiver program and complete the process entirely online. If you are not eligible for the visa waiver program you can apply for a non-immigrant visa instead. Some of the common USA visa types can be found below:
Refusal of a Visa Waiver
If you are refused ESTA visa waiver, you cannot appeal or re-apply on your current passport as you will be denied on any future applications automatically.
In this case, as you would be no longer eligible to apply for a visa waiver, you must apply for a full non-immigrant visa such as the B1 or B2 visa. This application requires an in-person appointment at the U.S. Embassy.
The process for a non-immigrant visa application can take much longer, including appointment waiting times of up to 6 months. Once you have attended an appointment and submitted your application you can expect a result within 7-10 working days from the Embassy.
Updating / Renewing Your Visa Waiver
You cannot renew visa waiver. You must submit a new application once your previous application expires.
People Also Asked...
Yes, if you choose or if you are not eligible for the VWP, you may apply for a tourist (B) visa. If youre flying on a private plane or another non-VWP licenced air or sea carrier, youll also need to apply for a visa. In addition, if you plan to remain more than 90 days, you must apply for a visa.
A recent visa refusal, for any reason, could result in ESTA application being denied. If you are not eligible for the VWP, you can apply for a visa.
If you are admitted to the United States under the VWP, you may travel to Canada, Mexico, or a nearby island for a short period of time and then be readmitted to the United States under the VWP for the remaining 90 days of your initial stay. As a result, the overall length of your stay, including the short excursion, must be no more than 90 days. When entering the United States, citizens of VWP nations who live in Mexico, Canada, or a nearby island are normally excluded from the obligation to produce proof of onward travel to another country.
To be eligible for inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program, a country must meet a number of criteria. Among the requirements are, but are not limited to:
enhanced data sharing with the US for law enforcement and security; issuing e-passports; having a visitor (B) visa refusal rate of less than 3%; timely reporting of both blank and issued lost and stolen passports; and maintaining high counterterrorism, law enforcement, border control, and document security standards.
The US government has the authority to designate a country as a VWP country. Meeting the VWPs objective standards does not guarantee that a country will be designated as a VWP member.
Your ESTA application may be declined for several reasons. Even if you are qualified, your ESTA may be denied if you have visited North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, or Somalia after 2011. In this situation, you are still eligible to apply for a full visa to enter the United States.
The Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program exempts citizens of Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom from needing a visa or ESTA to visit Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, though they must complete Form I-736 prior to travel. If they fill out Form I-736 for temporary admission to the Northern Mariana Islands, Chinese citizens do not need a visa.
Although both the ESTA and the B-1/B-2 Visitor Visa may be utilized by tourists and business visitors entering the United States, not everyone qualifies for the ESTA.
The B-1/B-2 Visitor Visa, unlike the ESTA, is valid for up to 180 days. And although the B-1/B-2 visa is not a green card and does not provide permanent residence status, you are permitted to enter the United States and alter your visa status inside the country.
A Visa Waiver authorization is valid for two years or until the expiration date of your passport, whichever comes first. You may use it for several travels.
Nationals of countries designated for the visa waiver programme may enter the United States without applying for and obtaining a visa for tourism or business trips lasting up to 90 days. ESTA is a required travel permit for anyone entering the United States without a visa.
Previously, overstayed when visiting the United States. In the past, worked without a VISA and was flagged by US authorities when visiting the country. In the past, entry to the United States was denied for many reasons. In the past, deported from the United States for various causes.