Non-Immigrant Visas

Who Needs a Visa?

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) permits visa free travel to the US, if you are a citizen of one of the following countries and the conditions below apply to you:

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, The United Kingdom

You may travel without a visa if you meet all of the following requirements:

• You are a citizen of one of the above-mentioned countries and hold a valid passport of that country. Your passport needs to be valid for at least six months beyond the period of your contemplated stay in the U.S. If you arrive in the U.S. on or after October 26, 2004, a machine-readable passport is required. Belgian nationals arriving in the U.S. on or after May 15, 2003 need machine-readable passports to continue to qualify for entry under the Visa Waiver Program. The Swiss emergency passport is machine-readable.
• You are traveling for business, pleasure or transit only.
• Your intended stay in the US does not exceed 90 days.
• You must hold a valid return or onward ticket. Onward tickets may not end in Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.
• You will enter the US aboard an air or sea carrier that has agreed to participate in the program. This applies to most airlines and shipping companies (Private or official aircraft or vessels do not meet this requirement). You will need a visa if your carrier is not a participant.

You must apply for a visa if you do not meet all the conditions of the Visa Waiver Program, i.e.,

• You intend to work in the US (paid or unpaid!). This includes work as an au pair or intern.
• You intend to stay in the US for more than 90 days.
• You intend to attend school or university in the US.
• You have been refused admission into or have been deported from the US within the past five years.
• You have been arrested or convicted of any offense or crime (including drug trafficking).
• You have been afflicted with a serious communicable disease, or are a drug abuser or addict.
• You have participated in the persecution of any person under the control of the Nazi Government of Germany.
• You have been a member or representative of a terrorist organization.
• You have previously overstayed in the U.S.