The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables most citizens or nationals of participating countries* to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. Travelers must have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval prior to travel and meet all requirements explained below. If you prefer to have a visa in your passport, you may still apply for a visitor (B) visa.
Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015
Under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, travelers in the following categories must obtain a visa prior to traveling to the United States as they are no longer eligible to travel under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP):
Other travel documents you will need to enter the U.S.
Even if you qualify for the VWP, you will need to bring a passport from your country of citizenship to enter the U.S. Generally, a visitor’s passport must not expire less than six months from the date they plan to exit the U.S. But some countries extend the validity of their passports for an additional six months after expiration. They are known as being part of the “Six Month Club.” Learn which countries are exempt from the six-month passport rule.
When you enter the U.S., officials at your port of entry will issue you a Form I-94W, an electronic record of your entry date. Learn more about I-94W and how to apply.
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Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)
All incoming passengers who intend to take advantage of the Visa Waiver Program are required to apply for a travel authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) online before departure to the United States, preferably at least 72 hours (3 days) in advance. This requirement was announced on June 3, 2008 and is intended to bolster U.S. security by pre-screening participating VWP passengers against terrorist or no-fly lists and databases.[8] It is similar to Australia's Electronic Travel Authority system. The authorization is mandatory for participating VWP nationals before traveling to the United States, but as with formal visas this does not guarantee admission into the United States since final admission eligibility is determined at U.S. ports of entry by CBP officers.
ESTA has an application fee of 4 USD, and if approved, an additional fee of 17 USD is charged, for a total of 21 USD. An approved ESTA is valid for up to two years or until the traveler's passport expires, whichever comes first, and is valid for multiple entries into the United States.[d][9]
When traveling to the United States by air or sea under the VWP with ESTA, the person must be traveling on a participating commercial carrier and hold a valid return or onward ticket, dated within 90 days.[6] The VWP does not apply at all (i.e. a visa is required) if a passenger arrives via air or sea on an unapproved carrier. ESTA is also required for travel by land.[10]
Each Traveler Must Have a Valid ESTA
In order to travel without a visa on the VWP, you must have valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval prior to boarding a U.S. bound air or sea carrier. ESTA is a web-based system operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to determine eligibility to travel to the United States for tourism or business under the VWP. Visit the ESTA webpage on the CBP website for more information.
In most cases, your ESTA will be valid for two years. You also must obtain a new ESTA if you: (1) receive a new passport, including an emergency or temporary passport; (2) change your name; (3) change your gender; (4) change your country of citizenship; or (5) need to change your responses to any of the “yes” or “no” questions on the ESTA application.
How to request a travel authorization to the U.S. through ESTA
If you find out your country participates in the Visa Waiver Program:
When you complete and submit the form and processing fee, you will get an ESTA application number. Use that number to check the status of your application. It may take up to 72 hours to find out if you are authorized to travel to the U.S. under the VWP.
Each approved ESTA application is generally valid for two years and allows multiple visits to the U.S. within that period without having to apply for another travel approval. If your passport expires in less than two years, you will receive an ESTA approval valid until the passport's expiration date.
When you travel to the U.S. for tourism or business under the VWP, you may stay up to 90 days per visit.
If you have questions about the ESTA and VWP application process, visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) FAQ page.
Hungary's participation
In October 2017, U.S. officials discovered a massive passport fraud scheme in Hungary, in which hundreds of non-Hungarians obtained genuine Hungarian passports.[71][72] A U.S. Department of Homeland Security report (obtained by the Washington Post and reported in May 2018) showed that of approximately 700 non-Hungarians who had obtained the passports, 85 had attempted to travel to the United States under false identites, 65 had been admitted to the United States through the VWP, and (as of October 2017) approximately 30 remained in the United States despite the efforts of U.S. authorities to locate and deport them.[71] The fraud was enabled by a policy implemented in 2011 by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán; under the policy, the Hungarian government provided passports to ethnic Hungarians living outside Hungary, who could prove that one of their ancestors was a Hungarian citizen, with the goal of expediting naturalization.[71][73] More than a million people obtained Hungarian citizenship through the program.[72][71] Because the program lacked stringent identity-verification procedures, it was abused by bad actors, including criminals and applicants who used forged documents to falsely claim Hungarian descent.[73][71] Some who received Hungarian passports under the program were criminals without any connection to Hungary.[73]
U.S. officials were alarmed by the risks created by the program, including the risk that the passports might be used in drug smuggling, organized crime, illegal immigration, espionage, or terrorism.[71] In October 2017, the U.S. government downgraded Hungary's status in the VWP to "provisional" and sought to develop a "cooperative action plan" within 45 days.[71][74] U.S. and Hungarian officials engaged in a dialogue for several years on resolving the security risks, but Hungarian authorities failed to resolve the issues to the U.S. government's satisfaction.[73] As a result, beginning in 2020 and 2021, the U.S. government barred Hungarian passport-holders who were not born in Hungary from obtaining ESTA pre-travel authorizations.[75][76] In August 2023, the U.S. government imposed additional restrictions on Hungary's participation in the VWP: the ESTA validity period for Hungarian passport-holders was reduced from two years to one year, and each ESTA on a Hungarian passport would be valid for only one entry to the United States.[73][72]
Of the 19 road map countries listed in 2007,[32] 12 have been admitted to the VWP. As of 2024, the U.S. government cited six countries aspiring to join the VWP:[77]
In 2014, the European Union pressured the United States to extend the Visa Waiver Program to its five member states that were not yet included in it (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania).[78] In November 2014, the Bulgarian government announced that it would not ratify the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership unless the United States lifted the visa requirement for its nationals.[79] Due to incomplete U.S. reciprocity, in March 2017 the European Parliament approved a non-binding resolution calling on the European Commission to suspend the visa exemption for U.S. nationals to travel the Schengen Area.[80] On May 2, 2017, the European Commission decided not act on the resolution and hoped to restart full visa reciprocity negotiations for the remaining EU member states with the new U.S. administration.[81] In 2019, as mentioned above, Poland, which had been the last Schengen Area country not yet included in the VWP, was admitted to the program. In October 2020, the European Parliament repeated its request for the European Commission to suspend the visa exemption for U.S. nationals, and in March 2021, it filed a judicial action against the European Commission for its failure to act on the subject.[82] In 2021, Croatia was admitted to the VWP before joining the Schengen Area in 2023. On March 15, 2023, Democratic senator Dick Durbin introduced a bill that would allow including Romania in the VWP regardless of the program requirements.[83][84] In September 2023, the Court of Justice of the European Union dismissed the judicial action brought by the European Parliament, ruling that the European Commission was not obligated to suspend the visa exemption for U.S. nationals.[82] In December 2023, during a visit to the United States, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that Romania's entry into the U.S. visa-free program would be announced in 2024, ahead of the 2025 deadline discussed with the U.S. representatives.[85]
As of 2024, three EU member states (Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania) are still not included in the VWP, and nationals of Hungary born outside Hungary are automatically denied ESTA due to a passport fraud scheme described above.[3]
The Visa Waiver Program applies to all permanently inhabited U.S. territories except American Samoa.
Requirements for Using the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)
You must meet all the following requirements to travel to the United States on the VWP:
Emergency and Temporary Passports
If you use an emergency or temporary passport to enter the United States on the VWP, the passport must be an e-passport. This includes VWP travelers who are transiting the United States.
More information on frequently asked questions about VWP can be found at the following websites:
* With respect to all references to “country” or “countries” on this page, it should be noted that the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, Pub. L. No. 96-8, Section 4(b)(1), provides that “[w]henever the laws of the United States refer or relate to foreign countries, nations, states, governments, or similar entities, such terms shall include and such laws shall apply with respect to Taiwan.” 22 U.S.C. § 3303(b)(1). Accordingly, all references to “country” or “countries” in the Visa Waiver Program authorizing legislation, Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1187, are read to include Taiwan. This is consistent with the United States’ one-China policy, under which the United States has maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan since 1979.
Program allowing 90-day visa-free travel to the United States for nationals of some countries
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States federal government that allows nationals of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism, business, or while in transit for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. It applies to all fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as to Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, which also have an additional program with waivers for more nationalities; American Samoa has a similar but separate program.
The countries selected for the VWP by the U.S. government are generally regarded as developed countries, with high-income economies and a very high Human Development Index.
Other visa waivers exist for citizens of certain jurisdictions.
Visa Waiver Program (90 days)
Visa-free with police certificate (6 months)
Visa required to enter the United States
To be eligible for a visa waiver under the VWP, the traveler seeking admission to the United States must be a national of a country that has been designated by the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, as a "program country". Permanent residents of designated countries who are not their nationals do not qualify for a visa waiver. The criteria for designation as program countries are specified in Section 217(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. § 1187). The criteria stress passport security, a nonimmigrant visa refusal rate below 3%, and a reciprocal visa waiver for U.S. nationals, among other requirements.
As of 2024, nationals of 42 countries are eligible for entry into the United States without a visa under the VWP:[1][2]
All visitors from VWP countries must hold a biometric passport.[5]
All travelers must have individual passports. It is not acceptable (for the VWP) for children to be included on a parent's passport.[6]
In principle, the passport must be valid for six months beyond the expected date of departure from the United States. However, the United States has agreements with a large number of countries to waive this requirement, including all VWP countries except Brunei.[7][6]
Must Be a Citizen or National of a VWP Designated Country*
You must be a citizen or national of the following countries* to be eligible to travel to the United States under the VWP.
**To be eligible to travel under the VWP, British citizens must have the unrestricted right of permanent abode in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man.
