United States Visa Policy

The US visa policy outlines the requirements which a foreign citizen who wishes to visit the United States must meet to obtain a permit to travel to, enter, and remain in the country.

The United States immigration policy is the same for all 50 states, and might be similar for US territories such as Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. However, different visa regulations apply to the territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.

The visa requirements to travel to the USA differ depending on the nationality of the traveler, as well as the intended purpose and duration of the intended stay in the United States.

Travelers of a few nationalities, including Canada, do not require either a visa or travel authorization to enter the country, some for a limited period and others for an indefinite stay.

Citizens of 39 additional countries around the world do not need a visa for the United States to stay for short periods in the country, but they are required to pre-register for an electronic authorization (ESTA) and receive approval before departure.

Individuals who are not visa-exempt are required to apply for a United States visa from the nearest US embassy or consulate. It is necessary to apply for the correct visa type depending on the purpose of the travel, whether a student visa, work visa, visitor visa, business visa, or transit visa.

Some nationalities may be required to obtain both a traditional visa from an embassy and register with the US Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) to gain travel authorization to the United States, as is the case with citizens of China.

In some rare cases, none of the visa options for the United States are available to some nationalities because of US visa bans against travelers from certain territories.

Find below a comprehensive list of US regulations to travel to the United States from your country of residence.

Citizens of selected nationalities do not need to obtain one of the types of visa for the United States in order to travel to the country for short stays for tourism, business or transit purposes.

However, although a visa is not required, the traveler may be required to obtain an electronic travel authorization before departure, to receive permission to travel to the United States.

Citizens of 39 countries are required to pre-register online for the ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization), an electronic visa waiver, in order to receive travel authorization for the United States, if arriving by air or sea.

To visit the country for longer periods and other purposes than those permitted with ESTA, it is necessary to apply for an embassy visa by making an appointment at a diplomatic office of the United States.

For some nationalities, including China, it is necessary to both apply for an embassy visa and pre-register for an online visa update system to gain travel authorization for the United States.

Below you will find further information about the requirements for your nationality to enter the United States.

Citizens of 39 nationalities in the US visa waiver program do not need to apply for a visa waiver to travel to the United States for up to 90 days.

However, they are required to pre-register for an ESTA, a multiple entry electronic travel authorization that allows the holder to travel to the United States several times during its validity.

Applicants can easily obtain an ESTA authorization for the US by completing an online form with personal, passport, and travel information, to receive an approved ESTA linked to their passport.

An approved US ESTA online visa waiver allows the holder to stay for a maximum of 90 days with each entry to the United States, for purposes of tourism, business or transit.

The validity of an approved ESTA is 2 years from the date of issue, or until the associated passport expires, whichever comes first.

A necessary requirement for applying for an ESTA is having a passport from an eligible country valid for at least 6 months from the intended arrival date in the United States.

Find below a complete list of all the countries for which an ESTA is needed to visit the USA.

The government of the United States implemented the EVUS program in 2016 for Chinese citizens. EVUS stands for Electronic Visa Update System.

In order to register for EVUS, the applicant must be a People’s Republic of China passport holder in possession of a 10-year B1/B2 visa for the USA.

It is first necessary to obtain a visitor B1/B2 US visa from a US embassy or consulate in order to submit an EVUS application online. Chinese citizens can either be issued a B-1 (for business), a B-2 (for tourism), or a combined B1/B2 visa if there are varied reasons for the travel.

It is then necessary to complete the online EVUS application, which can be filled in with personal, passport and travel information in just a few minutes, to receive approved an EVUS travel authorization.

EVUS is valid for two (2) years or until the passport expiry date, whichever comes first. The passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the period of the planned stay in the United States.

The EVUS allows the holder to travel multiple times to the United States during its validity.

As the Government of the United States implemented the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) for pre-screening foreign travelers, the EVUS approval is linked to the applicants passport.

Of the nationalities who need a visa for the United States, the US visa policy states that citizens of around 190 countries are required to obtain a consular or embassy visa in advance of travel.

Citizens of these countries are required to apply for a visa from a US government diplomatic office no matter the duration and purpose of the intended travel to the United States.

In order to apply for an embassy visa for the United States, it is usually necessary to make a visa appointment at a US diplomatic office in the traveler’s country of residence.

Once the visa interview has been confirmed, it is usually necessary to print and complete a copy of a US visa application form to bring to the consular appointment.

Applicants are also required to indicate which type of US visa is required and bring along different supporting documentation depending on the purpose of the intended travel, whether for tourism, transit, business, to work or study, or for other reasons.

Eligible travelers are advised to submit a US embassy application well in advance of the intended arrival date in the destination country, as it may take up to several weeks or more to process a visa.

Check the list below to find out if you require an embassy visa to travel to the United States for your nationality.

Below you will find information about the visa not required countries for the United States.

There are currently very few foreign nationalities that do not need a visa for the United States, nor are they required to obtain an electronic travel authorization to travel to the country.

Some of these nationalities are visa-free for the United States for an unlimited period and are able to work, study, and reside in the country indefinitely without a permit.

Others, including Canadian citizens, do not need a visa to travel to the US under most circumstances and can work under a special simplified procedure. Citizens of Canada are also able to use a NEXUS border protection card to enter the US instead of a passport, or an Enhanced Driver’s License if arriving by land or sea.

However, although US visa-exempt citizens do not need to present a visa at ports of entry to the United States, in some cases they may still be denied admission based on general immigration policy disqualifications such as criminal convictions.

Below you can find a full list of the countries whose citizens do not need a visa to enter the United States.

A US visa is unavailable for some nationalities due to travel visa restrictions for the United States placed on their country by the US government.

The US visa issuance restrictions currently in place are a result of Executive Order 13780, titled ‘Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States’, which was adopted in 2017. Additional revisions were made in 2018, and 2020, respectively.

In some cases, citizens from a banned country are able to obtain certain US visa types through enhanced screening, while other types of US visa, particularly the immigrant visa category, are currently off-limits to some nationalities.

In other cases, such as in the list below, the restrictions place a complete United States visa ban or admission refused policy on all nationals of one country.

However, those who wish to apply for a visa for the US from a restricted country are advised to contact the nearest US Embassy or Consulate for further information. As visa requirements are constantly being revised, it may be possible to obtain a US visa for your nationality in the future.

Find below an updated list of nationalities for which a United States visa application is currently unavailable.