US Visa Requirements

Tourist Visa

All visitors to the United States of America require a Visa to enter the country. These visas are issued by the US State Department.

The best source for complete and accurate information regarding the visa requirements are United States embassy or consulate in your home country.

The web pages of the US State Department also provide reliable information. Bear in mind that rules are continuously evolving and are also quite complex. So do a full research to find out exactly what you will need to secure a visa for your road trip along Route 66.

USA Visas

There are many kinds of visas. The one that you will need for your trip is a "Tourist Visa", which is, by the way, the easiest to obtain.

A tourist visa will allow you to visit the United States for up to three (3) months. You cannot work in the United States with this type of visa.

In the interest of promoting friendship, tourism and cooperation, the US government has implemented a Visa Waiver Program (VWP)¹ that allows visitors from a certain group of countries to visit the US without a visa.
Travelers under the VWP must have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval prior to travel and meet all requirements
The VWP is detailed below together with a list of participating countries.

How to get a visitor visa

If your country isn't listed as part of the VWP, or if you don't fulfill the requirements, you will require a regular visa in your passport.
This means that you will have to apply for a visa at the US embassy or consulate in your home country. The process will involve paying a visa fee and filling in a form. Your photograph will be taken and so will your finger prints. You may also be interviewed by an examining officer at the US embassy in your country.

You may have to provide evidence that you have strong ties with your home country, that your permanent residence and employment are located there. And that you will return home within 90 days of arrival in the US. Documents regarding employment, solvency, business ownership, and family ties will suffice as proof.

The Online Form

You will have to complete an online visa application form (DS-160), truthfully. Have your old and expired passports handy, their numbers will be required as well as your previous visits to the U.S. Also have the details of your trip, employment, relatives handy too.

Useful links: (you will leave www.TheRoute-66.com when you click on them)

• DS-160 online form
• Updated Information (U.S. State Department's website)
• US Embassies and Consulates in the world

Visa Waiver Program

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows citizens of participating countries (see list below) to travel to the United States without a visa for stays of up to 90 days. To do so they must meet all the requirements listed below. The travelers must also have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval prior to traveling.

If you are eligible for VWP, you may also apply for a Visitor (B) visa and have it placed in your passport.

Even non-ticketed infants are required to have an approved travel authorization (ESTA).

Requirements for using the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)

For full details visit the Official US government VWP website.

All these requirements must be met:

• The "Travel Purpose" Must be that Permitted on a Visitor (B) Visa:
  Business: Consult with business associates, attend a scientific, educational, professional, or business convention or conference, attend short-term training (you may not be paid by any source in the United States with the exception of expenses incidental to your stay), negotiate a contract.
  Tourism: Tourism, vacation (holiday), visit with friends or relatives, medical treatment, participation in social events hosted by fraternal, social, or service organizations, participation by amateurs in musical, sports, or similar events or contests, if not being paid for participating, enrollment in a short recreational course of study, not for credit toward a degree (for example, a two-day cooking class while on vacation)
• You cannot travel under a VWP for the following purposes: study, for credit employment, work as foreign press, radio, film, journalists, or other information media, permanent residence in the United States
• You must be a Citizen or National of a VWP Designated Country: See list of participating countries
• Each Traveler Must have authorization under ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) prior to boarding a U.S. bound air or sea carrier. ESTA is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) automated web-based system to determine eligibility to travel without a visa to the United States for tourism or business. Visit the ESTA webpage for full details, to apply for ESTA, and pay the fee.
• Travel Must be on an Approved Carrier and you must also have a round trip ticket indicating return passage to your country.
• Previous Compliance and No Prior Visa Ineligibilities: you must have complied with the conditions of your previous admissions to the USA under VWP or another status and not been previously found ineligible for a U.S. visa.
  Bear in mind that by requesting admission under the VWP you are generally waiving your right to review or appeal a CBP officer's decision as to their application for admission at the port of entry.
• Have the Correct Type of Passport: with a validity of at least 6 months after your planned departure from the United States (unless exempted by country-specific agreements). For families, each member of your family, including infants and children, must have their own passport.
  Passports must be machine readable and have a chip: Data related to an individual's identity is incorporated in an integrated electronic chip into the passport, referred to as an e-Passport. (If it is an e-Passport it will have the two parallel golden bands with a circle in the center of them, at the bottom of the passport's cover.

Exclusions

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):
Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen on or after March 1, 2011 (with limited exceptions for travel for diplomatic or military purposes in the service of a VWP country).
Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Cuba on or after January 12, 2021 (with limited exceptions for travel for diplomatic or military purposes in the service of a VWP country).
Nationals of VWP countries who are also nationals of Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria.

Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)

How long is my travel authorization valid? Unless revoked, travel authorizations are valid for two years from the date of authorization, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. The Authorization Approved screen displays your travel authorization expiration date. It allows multiple entries.

When do I need to apply for a travel authorization? Applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to the United States. The Department of Homeland Security recommends that travel authorization applications be submitted at least 72 hours prior to travel.

Visit the ESTA Website.

Create your application using the online ESTA Application Form.

Countries included in the VWP

Updated on 17.Sept.2024. Rules may change without prior notice. See the official website here.

✦ 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.

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