How to meet US visitor visa and entry requirements

Do you need a US visitor visa or an ESTA?

Under the Visa Waiver Program, citizens of countries designated for participation may travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa. [7] The arrangement is reciprocal: those countries must also allow US citizens and nationals to travel to their territory for a similar length of time without a visa for business or tourism. [7]

Anyone travelling under the programme must first be approved through ESTA, which collects biographic information and answers to the VWP eligibility questions. [5] An application may be submitted at any time before travel, although CBP recommends applying as soon as travel plans begin to take shape or before buying airline tickets. [5] Homeland Security adds the same advice and notes that, in most instances, applicants receive real-time notification of the decision. [7] A traveller who is refused is advised to apply for a visa at the nearest US consulate or embassy instead. [7]

The passport itself matters. To use the VWP a traveller must hold an e-Passport, described by CBP as a secure passport with an embedded electronic chip, recognisable by a unique international symbol on the cover. [5] Homeland Security states that e-passports are required for all VWP travellers regardless of the passport's date of issue or the date the country joined the programme. [7]

DHS publishes the current list of designated countries with the date VWP travel began for each. [7]

† Citizens of Curacao, Bonaire, St Eustatius, Saba and St Maarten (the former Netherlands Antilles) are not eligible to travel under the VWP using passports from those countries. [7] ‡ The Taiwan Region of China refers only to individuals with an unrestricted right of permanent abode there who hold an electronic passport bearing a personal identification (household registration) number. [7] § The United Kingdom entry covers only British citizens with an unrestricted right of permanent abode in the United Kingdom, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man; it does not cover British overseas citizens, British dependent territories' citizens or citizens of British Commonwealth countries. [7]

How does the ESTA application work?

ESTA is a fully automated, electronic system that screens passengers before they begin travel to the United States under the VWP. [7] Homeland Security automatically checks ESTA information against US law enforcement and counterterrorism databases and INTERPOL databases, and re-vets it daily as new information arrives. [7] Since ESTA began in 2008, CBP has denied several thousand applications after vetting against the US Government's terrorist watchlist. [7]

The authorisation is required for every mode of arrival. From October 2022, VWP travellers planning to enter the United States by land must also obtain pre-travel authorisation before appearing at the land border crossing. [7] CBP likewise states that for VWP travellers an approved ESTA is required for entry and must be obtained before arriving at the US land border. [6]

What does a CBP officer decide when you arrive?

All persons arriving at a US port of entry are subject to inspection by CBP officers, who conduct the immigration, customs and agriculture components of the process. [2] ESTA authorisation does not determine whether a traveller is admissible; CBP officers make that decision when the traveller arrives. [5] [2]

At the port of entry, officers validate travel and identity documents, collect biometric data from VWP travellers, run biographic and biometric checks, and may interview selected travellers before deciding on admission. [7] Carriers flying to, from or through the United States must also send CBP advance passenger information and passenger name records, which are screened against US and international databases before departure and on subsequent air travel within the United States. [7]

Frequent visitors can reduce queuing rather than the legal test: the Trusted Traveler Programs — Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, SENTRI, NEXUS and FAST — are risk-based schemes that speed up entry for pre-approved travellers. [2]

Do you still get a paper I-94?

Foreign visitors no longer need to complete a paper CBP Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record, because CBP now gathers arrival and departure information automatically from electronic travel records. [6] The resulting I-94 admission record is the proof of legal visitor status that visitors show to employers, schools or universities and government agencies, and it can be retrieved online. [2] [6]

At the land border, I-94s are issued electronically and travellers no longer receive a paper stub; CBP encourages anyone who needs one to apply through the CBP Link mobile app or the I-94 website, and encourages VWP travellers to apply in advance. [6] A traveller who wants paper can print the I-94 from the website using "Get Most Recent I-94" or from the app, and may request a paper form during inspection, although such requests are handled in a secondary setting. [6] From May 2019, I-94 numbers are alphanumeric: 11 characters made up of nine digits, a letter in the tenth position and a digit in the eleventh, and unexpired numeric-only I-94s stay valid until the Admit Until Date printed on the record. [6]

Departure records are not always automatic. Leaving by air or sea, CBP records departure electronically from carrier manifest information, but a land departure may not be recorded accurately, so a traveller who does not re-enter before the date stamped in the passport may wish to carry evidence such as passport entry stamps, transport tickets, pay stubs or receipts, and can ask the Canadian Border Services Agency or Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Migracion for an entry stamp. [6] Travellers issued a paper I-94 should surrender it to the commercial carrier, the CBSA or CBP on departure. [6]

Exceptions and limits

• The 90-day ceiling. Visa-free VWP travel covers business or tourism and stays of up to 90 days; anything beyond that scope falls outside the programme. [7]
• Country-level conditions. To be designated, a country must, among other requirements, have an annual temporary visitor (B) visa refusal rate below three percent, accept repatriation of its removed citizens and nationals within three weeks of a final removal order, report lost and stolen passport data to the United States, share terrorism and serious crime information, and issue electronic machine-readable passports with biometric identifiers. [7] The independent intelligence assessment requirement applies only to a country's initial designation. [7]
• Suspension and overstays. The Secretary of Homeland Security may terminate or suspend a country's designation immediately and without notice where a credible threat from that country poses an imminent danger to the United States or its citizens. [7] VWP countries with a business or tourism overstay rate of two percent or more must run a public information campaign to educate their nationals on US admission conditions. [7]
• Past and pending designations. Argentina (VWP travel from July 8, 1996) and Uruguay (from Aug. 9, 1999) had their designations terminated in 2002 and 2003 respectively, and Romania was designated on January 9, 2025 but the designation was rescinded on May 2, 2025 before it was implemented. [7]
• Authorisation to travel is not admission. ESTA approval does not settle admissibility, and travellers must establish their eligibility for the programme during inspection by an officer at a port of entry. [7]

Frequently asked questions

Can I visit the US without a visa?

Citizens or nationals of countries designated in the Visa Waiver Program can travel for business or tourism for up to 90 days without a visa, provided they hold an approved ESTA. [7] Applicants who are refused an ESTA are advised to apply for a visa at the nearest US consulate or embassy. [7]

Does an approved ESTA mean I will be let into the United States?

No. ESTA determines eligibility to travel under the Visa Waiver Program, not admissibility, and CBP officers decide admissibility on arrival. [5] [2]

When should I apply for ESTA before a trip?

An application can be lodged at any time before travel, but CBP recommends applying as soon as travel plans begin or before purchasing airline tickets. [5] Most applicants get a real-time notification of the outcome. [7]

Do I need an ESTA if I arrive by land from Canada or Mexico?

Yes, if you travel under the Visa Waiver Program. Since October 2022, VWP travellers entering by land must obtain pre-travel authorisation before appearing at the land border crossing. [7] [6]

What passport do I need for visa-free travel?

An e-Passport — a passport with an embedded electronic chip, marked with the international e-Passport symbol on the cover — is required to use the Visa Waiver Program. [5]

Related pages

Terms: travel documents and airport terms covers the wording used at check-in and at the border.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. It covers the Visa Waiver Program, ESTA and inspection at US ports of entry; the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program, visa processing at embassies and consulates, and Trusted Traveler enrolment are not covered here.

1. CBP: For International Visitors, checked 18 October 2026
2. CBP: Electronic System for Travel Authorization, checked 18 October 2026
3. CBP: Arrival/Departure Forms I-94, checked 18 October 2026
4. DHS: Visa Waiver Program, checked 18 October 2026