General Tourist Information Passport & Visa
requirements Passports: All travellers intending to visit the U.S. without a visa under the terms of the Visa Waiver Program are required to have an individual machine-readable passport. Any traveller without a machine-readable passport is required to obtain a visa before travelling to the U.S. Each individual traveller, including infants, is required to have a machine-readable passport in order to enter the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program. Joint and family passports are no longer accepted. A machine-readable passport can generally be identified by the presence of two lines of computer code printed at the bottom of the biographical page. (Generally, the only UK passports NOT machine-readable are the old-style blue passports or passports issued overseas.) Further changes regarding passport requirements came into effect in 2005 and 2006. In brief, machine-readable passports issued before 26 October 2005 – no further requirements. Machine-readable passports issued between 26 October 2005 and 25 October 2006 – require a digital photograph printed on the data page or integrated chip with information from the data page. Machine-readable passports issued on or after 26 October 2006 – require integrated chip with information from the data page (known as biometric or e-passports). Citizens of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) must have biometric passports regardless of when they were issued. Detailed information, including a step by step guide to determine your eligibility for the Visa Waiver Program is available on the U.S. Embassy’s website at: London.
usembassy.gov or the operator assisted information line on 09042 450 100 (£1.23 per minute from B.T. landlines, calls from mobiles and other network providers may vary) or the recorded information line number 0906 820 0290 (60p per min).
Visas Most citizens of 36 eligible countries, including the United Kingdom, travelling on national passports with
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register in the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA). ESTA applies only to those VWP travellers entering the United States by air or sea. Travellers entering by land either from Canada or Mexico are not required to register before travelling. If your ESTA registration is successful, it will be valid for multiple U.S. entries for two years or until the date on which your passport expires, whichever comes first. (See also page 66) Before going on line to register, you
at least 90 days validity from the date of entry into the U.S., for business or tourism for 90 days or less, are eligible to travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program provided they meet certain conditions. A passport indicating that the bearer is a British Subject, British Dependent Territories Overseas Citizen, British National (Overseas) Citizen or a British Protected Person does not qualify for visa free travel. Bearers of such passports are not eligible to travel under the Visa Waiver Program and must obtain a visa before they travel to the U.S. A British passport must quote the holder’s nationality as British Citizen and nothing else in order to qualify for visa free travel.
ESTA International travellers who are seeking to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) are subject to enhanced security requirements and are required to
All travellers intending to visit the U.S. without a
visa under the terms of the Visa Waiver Program are required to have an individual machine- readable passport.
www.visitusa.org.uk
should ensure that you are qualified to travel under the Visa Waiver Program otherwise your registration will be rejected. ESTA also does not guarantee entry into the United States; that decision rests with the immigration official at the Port of Entry in the same way that travellers currently entering the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program or with a visa are subject to inspection. Again full details about ESTA and the registration process can be found on the Embassy’s website. Travellers requiring visas, such as those travelling on one-way tickets, staying for longer than 90 days, those who have been convicted or arrested for any offence in the past or those who have previously been refused entry or deported from the U.S., should ensure that they apply for the visa well in advance of the planned departure to the United States and that they do not make final travel plans until the visa has been issued and they are in receipt of their passport. Most persons requiring a visa will be required to attend an interview at the U.S. Embassy. Information on applying for a visa is available from the Embassy’s website, or by calling the operatorassisted information line during business hours. You are strongly recommended to check with the Embassy concerning your eligibility to travel visa free before purchasing your tickets. Conditions relating to visa free travel are available from the Embassy’s website at http:// london.
usembassy.gov or by calling the operator assisted information line on 09042 450 100 (£1.23 per minute from B.T. landlines) or the recorded information line number 0906 820 0290 (60p per minute). The visa application form and
instructions on the payment of the
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