How to pass through the US on a C-1 transit visa

Who can pass through the United States without a visa?

The Visa Waiver Program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security in consultation with the State Department, and it permits citizens of 42 countries to travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa. [2] The arrangement runs both ways: those 42 countries must in return permit U.S. citizens and nationals to travel to their countries for a similar length of time without a visa for business or tourism purposes. [2]

Two conditions therefore frame the visa-free option for anyone passing through the country: nationality, because the programme covers citizens of the 42 participating countries, and purpose of trip, because the visa-free stay is defined as business or tourism for up to 90 days. [2] A traveller who does not meet both conditions is not travelling visa-free under this programme [2], which is where a visa route such as the C-1 transit visa comes into the planning. If you are still comparing airport connections with a full transit stop, the airport transit visa guide sets out how the two situations differ.

What does an ESTA approval actually give you?

ESTA is an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. [2] The application collects biographic information and answers to the programme's eligibility questions. [2]

Approval is not a guarantee at the border: authorisation via ESTA does not determine whether a traveller is admissible to the United States, and CBP officers determine admissibility upon arrival. [2] That distinction matters most on a short transit, when a traveller has a tight connection and little room for secondary processing. Practical detail on timing and the application itself sits in the ESTA guide, and document checks belong with passport validity and entry checks.

On timing, ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel, though CBP recommends applying as soon as travellers begin preparing their plans or before purchasing airline tickets. [2] For arrivals at the U.S. land border, an approved ESTA is required for entry and must be obtained before arriving. [6]

What record do you get when you enter and leave?

Foreign visitors to the United States no longer need to complete a paper CBP Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record. [6] CBP now gathers travellers' arrival and departure information automatically from their electronic travel records, and anyone who needs to prove legal-visitor status to an employer, school or government agency can access that record online. [6] At the land border, travellers are issued I-94s electronically and no longer receive a paper stub. [6]

Departure recording is the part that catches transit travellers out. When leaving by air or sea, CBP records the departure electronically through manifest information provided by the carrier, or by CBP itself. [6] A traveller who arrived by air, sea or land and then departs by land may find that departure is not recorded accurately, although a departure will be recorded if the traveller departs by land and re-enters the United States before the expiration date stamped in the passport. [6] Non-residents of Canada or Mexico in that position may want to travel with evidence of departure, such as passport entry stamps, transportation tickets or receipts, and can request an entry stamp from the Canadian Border Services Agency when entering Canada or from the Instituto Nacional de Migracion when entering Mexico. [6] The difference between staying airside and clearing border control is explained under airside vs landside transit.

Exceptions and limits

• Programme scope. The Visa Waiver Program covers citizens of 42 countries travelling for business or tourism for up to 90 days; it is not a general waiver for every nationality or every purpose of travel. [2]
• Separate waiver programmes. CBP also publishes a Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program and a list of its signatory carriers, which are distinct from the main Visa Waiver Program. [2]
• Neighbouring schemes are different. Canada introduced its own Electronic Travel Authorization for visa-exempt foreign nationals flying to Canada, with exceptions that include U.S. citizens and travellers holding a valid visa. [2]
• Approval versus admission. Neither ESTA approval nor a visa-free arrival decides the outcome at the port of entry, because CBP officers determine admissibility upon arrival. [2]
• Paper I-94 on request. A traveller who wants a paper Form I-94 can print one from the I-94 website or the CBP Link app, and a paper form requested during inspection will be accommodated in a secondary setting. [6]
• Document problems. CBP maintains more than 70 deferred inspection sites around the United States and its territories, where arriving travellers are referred when documentation requires additional review or correction. [6]

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a visa to pass through the United States?

It depends on whether your trip fits the Visa Waiver Program, which permits citizens of 42 countries to travel to the United States for business or tourism for up to 90 days without a visa. [2] If your nationality or purpose of travel falls outside those terms, you are not travelling visa-free under that programme, and a visa route such as the C-1 transit visa applies. [2]

Does an approved ESTA mean I will be let in?

No. ESTA determines eligibility to travel under the Visa Waiver Program, and the CBP officer at arrival determines whether the traveller is admissible. [2]

When should I apply for ESTA?

Applications may be submitted at any time before travel, but CBP recommends applying as soon as travel plans are being prepared or before airline tickets are bought. [2] For the U.S. land border, an approved ESTA must be held before arrival. [6]

Do I still fill in a paper I-94?

No. Foreign visitors no longer complete a paper CBP Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record, and CBP collects arrival and departure information automatically from electronic travel records. [6]

How is my departure recorded if I leave by land?

Departures by air or sea are recorded electronically through carrier manifests, while a land departure after an air, sea or land arrival may not be recorded accurately, so travellers may wish to carry evidence of departure such as entry stamps or tickets. [6]

Related pages

Airport transit visa guide, ESTA: US travel authorisation, Passport validity and entry checks, Airside vs landside transit, and the full frequent flyer glossary.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Crew visas, diplomatic transit and entry for tourism are not covered here, and the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program and Canada's Electronic Travel Authorization are separate programmes. [2]

1. Visa Waiver Program — U.S. Customs and Border Protection, checked 18 October 2026
2. Arrival/Departure Forms: I-94 — U.S. Customs and Border Protection, checked 18 October 2026