Getting in and visas for the United States

Welcome! Citizens of the 27 countries within the Visa Waiver Program [1], as well as Canadians, Mexicans living in the border and Bermudans, do not require an advance visa for entry into the United States, although other conditions may apply. Most notably, a machine-readable passport (with your information on the bottom of the front page) will be required; without that a visa is required. Mexican nationals living on the border should apply for a reusable Border Crossing Card. Passports issued after October 26, 2005 need digital photographs embedded on them, and passports issued after October 26, 2006 must be e-passports, which have a chip embedded with the user's information. Some countries, e.g. France, did not have e-passports available at that date, meaning that citizens from these countries with newer passports but not e-passport have to obtain a tourist visa, which can be a cumbersome, costly and time-consuming process. If you have a non e-passport issued after October 26, 2006 and you are from a visa waiver country, try having your government exchange it for an e-passport, explaining that you wish to travel to the U.S. The countries under the visa waiver program are Andorra, Austria, Australia, 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, United Kingdom. Under the visa waiver, you're allowed to stay for a maximum of 90 days; note that this counter is not reset by travel to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean! Visas can be waived for tourism or business visits, but work in any shape or form (including journalism, performances, etc) is forbidden. All visitors should note that returning the card stapled in their passport on entry (green I-94W or white I-94) is their responsibility. If it is not returned at the end of your visit, you will be presumed to have never left the U.S. and then be refused entry in future. Airline or border staff will typically take this card from you on departure, but check and insist on it, and if you leave the country with it in your possession, contact U.S. officials about how to return it and update your departure records as soon as possible. US Customs and Border Protection has information about what to do if your slip is not collected. Note that it is acceptable to retain this form if you are traveling by land to Mexico or Canada and you will return to the U.S. within your allowed stay. For the rest of the world (including Mexicans not living in the border), the visa application process is onerous, expensive, and slow. The application fee is US$131 (as of 1 January 2008; not refundable even if your application is rejected). The Immigration and Nationality Act states that all persons requesting entry into the United States as non immigrants are presumed to be immigrants until they overcome that presumption by showing evidence of "binding ties" to your home country as well as sufficient proof that your visit will be temporary. Most visa rejections are due to the fact that the applicant does not have enough binding ties to his own country to convince the counsulate officer that he or she is not planning to be an immigrant.Face-to-face interviews (where the official needs to be convinced that you are not a "potential immigrant") at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate are required for many nationalities, and waits for interview slots and visa processing can add up to several months. The best advice for travelers today, from any country, is not to assume, but to check on documentation requirements with the United States State Department or with your nearest United States consulate. In addition, if coming to the country with a car, be sure to have documents including car insurance, rental agreements, drivers license, etc., before trying to enter the U.S., as the process has become more strict in the last few years. Before arrival, you will receive either a form I-94 or form I-94W that is to be completed. If you are entering under the Visa Waiver Program, make certain that you satisfy all of the conditions of entry listed on the back of the card. In addition, if you are denied entry under the Visa Waiver Program, unlike with a normal visa, there is no right to appeal. If you are not a citizen or resident of the United States, you will go through a short interview at immigration, where the official tries to determine if the traveler's stated purpose of visit is valid. This questioning is most essential for travelers entering the U.S. through the Visa Waiver Program. Since these travelers are not interviewed by the U.S. Counsulate in their home country as they would be if they required a visa, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer must essentially conduct the interview there and make on the spot determinations on your admissibility. Just as any other foreigner, you are presumed to be a potential immigrant until you can prove that your visit is temporary, and that the purpose of your visit is allowable under Visa Waiver. Be prepared to show proof. For example if you are on a business visit, it is advisable to have an invitation letter from the company you are visiting, and a return ticket. If you are a tourist, you'll probably need to show proof of hotel bookings, etc. Usually, the determination of admissibility can be made in a minute or less, however if there are any doubts, you may be referred to further questioning in a more private area. Once they decide to let you in, you are fingerprinted and a digital photograph is taken. As in most countries, assume that customs official are humorless about any kind of security threat; even the most flippant joke implying that you pose a threat can result in lengthy interrogation. For non-residents, your entry forms will need to state the street address of the location where you will be staying; this should be arranged in advance. The name of your hotel, hostel, university, etc. may not be sufficient; you must provide the street name and number. If staying in multiple locations, provide the address where you will be spending the first night of your stay. If it is a hotel or similar, have a reservation in advance under your name. If it is a private address, make sure that the people there know that they are expecting you that day, as if your plans are doubted border control officials may phone them and ask them for the name of the guest they are expecting. The Department of Homeland Security has now named the program of additional security measures US-VISIT [2] and is now piloting a measure where you need to leave your fingerprint and photograph at a kiosk even while leaving. Currently, this is applicable at a majority of land, sea, and air enty ports. Check the list, as most of the important ports of entry are covered. Just as they should for any other country, travelers should generally avoid bringing meat or raw fruit or vegetables into the U.S., but may bring cooked nonmeats, such as bread. See APHIS for details. The U.S. customs process is fairly straightforward. Most articles that are prohibited or restricted in any other country are prohibited or restricted in the USA. The only rule that is unique to America is that it is generally prohibited to bring in goods made in countries on which the U.S. has imposed economic sanctions. These include Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Myanmar (Burma). Besides their personal effects which will go home with them, visitors are allowed to import $200 of merchandise duty free, and that includes 1 liter of alcohol (21 and older only) and 1 carton of cigarettes. If you are bringing in more that US$10,000 or its equivalent, you must declare it on your customs form and you will be given a special form to fill out. At immigration, the officer usually puts some sort of a tick mark on your customs declaration form to alert the customs officer of any potential need to search you or your luggage. After you are admitted into the U.S. and you retrive your bags, you will proceed to the secondary inspection area (customs checkpoint). You will hand your customs declaration to the officer and one of several things can happen. Most of the time, the officer will point you to the exit and that will be it. The officer may ask you some routine questions and then let you go. The officer may refer you to the x-ray to have your bags inspected, or may refer you for a manual search of your bags. Customs has the right to search your person and your bags, but any search more intrusive than a bag search is pretty rare, and is usually only indicated if some sort of probable cause has been established through questioning or during the bag search to suggest suspicious activity.

By plane

Most visitors from outside Canada and Mexico arrive in the United States by plane. While many medium sized inland cities have an international airport, there are limited flights to most of these and most travelers find themselves entering the U.S. at one of the major entry points along the coasts:

• From the east New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami are the primary entry points from Europe and other transatlantic points of departure. All the major west coast airports have service from a few key European cities.

• From the west Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland (Oregon), and Honolulu are the primary entry points for travelers from Asia and other transpacific points of departure. Several carriers are already offering nonstop flights between South East Asia and New York. Of course, if you arrive in Honolulu, you must take another flight to get to the mainland. Foreign airlines are not allowed to transport passengers to/from Hawaii or Alaska and the other 48 states.

• From the south Miami, Florida is the primary entry point from Latin America, primarily South America. Also, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, and Charlotte are major international waypoints. From Mexico, most major U.S. airports have non-stop service.

• From the other side of the world New Delhi, India has non-stop service to Chicago and Newark. From Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Dubai you can also fly to New York (JFK). Qatar, and Saudi Arabian fly to Washington, DC, and South African Airways goes to Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, and Miami.

Note that the United States requires entry formalities even for international transit, and the current state of international affairs means that this is not going to change anytime soon. You must have a valid visa to enter the United States if required by your citizenship, even if you are immediately continuing on a flight to a different country. If your citizenship requires a visa to enter the U.S., avoid transiting through the U.S. unless you want to spend time and money to obtain a C-1 transit visa. Further, when booking flights to the U.S. note that you will be required to clear customs and immigration at your first U.S. stop, not at your final destination, even if you have an onward flight. Allow at least 2 hours of stop-over (ideally more than 3) at your first U.S. stop. Warning: ALL persons wishing to enter the United States by air must now possess a valid passport or similar travel document (such as a NEXUS card or Laser Visa).

By car

Traffic on American roads travels on the right hand side (as it does in Canada and Mexico). Entry through certain checkpoints can be slow and difficult. If you are entering under the Visa Waiver Program, you will need to pay a US$6 fee, in cash, at the port of entry. Warning: ALL persons wishing to enter the United States by land must now possess a valid passport or similar travel document (such as a NEXUS card or Laser Visa).

By boat

Entering the U.S. by sea, other than on a registered cruise ship, may be difficult. The most common entry points for private boats are Los Angeles and the surrounding area, Florida, and the Eastern coastal states. Some passenger ferries exist between Canada and the U.S., notably from the Atlantic Provinces to New England, and from Victoria, British Columbia to Seattle. Cunard offers transatlantic ship travel between the United Kingdom and New York City. Warning: ALL persons wishing to enter the United States by sea must now possess a valid passport or similar travel document (such as a NEXUS card or Laser Visa).

By train

Amtrak offers international service from Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal into the U.S.