Entry Requirements to U.S. by Land, Air, or Sea for Visa Waiver Program Travelers

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Foreign visitors on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) seeking to travel to the United States by land, air, or sea are subject to strict entry and security requirements. The VWP enables nationals of qualified countries to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business visa-free for stays of 90 days or less.

Currently, 27 countries participate in the VWP: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and South Korea have been recently admitted and will join the 27 existing VWP participants effective mid-November 2008.

Pre-Travel

Prior to their travel to the U.S., visitors will need to obtain an approved travel authorization via the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to the U.S.  All passengers, including non-ticketed infants, traveling visa-free under the VWP are required to have an approved travel authorization. Unless revoked, travel authorizations are valid for two years from the date of authorization, or until passport expiration, whichever comes first. ESTA is expected to become mandatory for travelers from current VWP member countries on January 12, 2009, and for travelers from newly admitted VWP countries in mid-November 2008.

Pre-Admission

VWP travelers are screened prior to admission into the U.S. and enrolled in the DHS’s United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program. Upon arrival at the port of entry, visitors’ biometrics (digital fingerscans and photographs) are collected and checked against a DHS database to confirm their identity.

All VWP travelers, regardless of age or type of passport used, must present a valid, unexpired, and machine-readable passport. The following requirements apply, depending on when VWP travelers’ passports were issued:

• Machine-readable passports issued or renewed on or after 10/26/06 require integrated chip with information from the data page.
• Machine-readable passports issued or renewed between 10/26/05 and 10/25/06 require digital photograph printed on the data page or integrated chip with information from the data page.
• Machine-readable passports issued or renewed before 10/26/05 – no further requirements.

In addition to their passport, VWP travelers must present a completed and signed Form I-94W Nonimmigrant Visa Waiver Arrival-Departure Record.

If arriving by air or sea, visitors must be traveling on an approved carrier (e.g., most major airlines and cruise ship companies) and have a round-trip ticket, nontransferable and valid for at least one year, with return to a non-adjacent island or non-contiguous territory. VWP nationals residing in Mexico, Canada or adjacent islands are generally exempted from the return ticket requirement. If visitors intend to travel by private aircraft or other non-approved air or sea carrier, a visa must be requested. Copies of carrier lists may be requested from the DHS’s National Fines Office.

If arriving by land, visitors must present evidence of financial solvency and a domicile abroad to which they intend to return (a round-trip ticket is not required). Visitors also must pay a small land border fee for issuance of Form I-94W.

Post-Admission

Travelers who have been admitted under the VWP and who make a short trip to Canada, Mexico or an adjacent island generally may be readmitted to the U.S. under the VWP for the original admission period.