Non-Immigrant Visas

Visa Waiver Program (VWP)

Travelers coming to the U.S. for tourism or business for 90 days or less from qualified countries may be eligible to visit the U.S. without a visa if they meet the visa waiver program requirements.

All VWP travelers, regardless of age or type of passport used, must present a machine-readable passport. In addition, depending on when VWP travelers’ passports were issued, other passport requirements apply:

• Nationals of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Republic of Korea, and the Slovak Republic require passports with an integrated chip containing the information from the data page (e-Passport).
• Nationals of other VWP countries:
            - Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended on or after 10/26/06: passports must have integrated chips with information from the data page (e-Passport).
            - Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended between 10/26/05 and 10/25/06: passports must have digital photographs printed on the data page or integrated chips with information from the data page.
            - Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended before 10/26/05: no further requirements.

Currently, 35 countries participate in the Visa Waiver Program, as shown below:

Visa Waiver Program - Participating Countries

Andorra	Iceland	Norway
Australia	Ireland	Portugal
Austria	Italy	San Marino
Belgium	Japan	Singapore
Brunei	Latvia	Slovakia
Czech Republic	Liechtenstein	Slovenia
Denmark	Lithuania	South Korea
Estonia	Luxembourg	Spain
Finland	Malta	Sweden
France	Monaco	Switzerland
Germany	the Netherlands	United Kingdom
Hungary	New Zealand

Department of Homeland Security began accepting Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) applications on August 1, 2008 ESTA is a free, automated system used to determine the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the VWP.  It collects the same information as the paper I-94W form that VWP travelers currently fill out en route to the United States.  ESTA applications may be completed online at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/. ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel.  An ESTA authorization generally will be valid for up to two years. Authorizations will be valid for multiple entries into the United States.  DHS recommends that ESTA applications be submitted as soon as an applicant begins making travel plans. Effective January 12, 2009, all VWP travelers will be required to obtain an authorization via ESTA before traveling to the United States.

ESTA applications may be completed FREE online at the official DHS website, which is: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/.  Please review the important DHS Advisory Warning about unauthorized third-party ESTA application related web sites.

For general information on the Visa Waiver Program, please visit the U.S. Department of State's Visa Waiver Program website.