Visa requirements for United States citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states that are imposed on citizens of the United States.
The U.S. government forced all Afghan diplomatic missions in the U.S. to close in March 2022. Applicants must now obtain a visa from a mission in another country.[6][7][5]
No visa required for Bangladeshi Americans and their spouse and children with a copy of a former Bangladeshi passport, a Dual Nationality Certificate, NVR, a Bangladeshi NID, or a digital birth registration certificate.[40]
Anyone with a criminal record (including misdemeanors or alcohol-related driving offenses in the US) may not be able to enter Canada without first obtaining an approval for rehabilitation[88] or a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP).[89]
Passport Card, NEXUS card, or Enhanced Drivers License valid for Land and Sea Travel
US citizens exempt from obtaining Canada ETA and are in fact barred from doing so.
Tourist travel is prohibited under U.S. law for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and others subject to U.S. jurisdiction.[123] Under the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, all persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction are not permitted to travel to Cuba unless licensed to engage in travel-related transactions. In addition to specific licenses granted by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), there are 12 "general licenses" that people can choose to travel on without being required to notify OFAC,[note 1] and the broad and self-reported nature of these licenses means travel is in practice subject to few restrictions.[127][128]
Cuba requires travelers to purchase a tourist card prior to arrival, which can be obtained from the airline or a Cuban diplomatic mission. Tourist cards are valid for one entry and a 30-day stay, which can be extended once by 90 days at a hotel or immigration office in Cuba.[129][128]
Cuba requires travelers to have health insurance valid in Cuba, which can be purchased from the airline.[123]
Most of US citizens do not realize that they need a visa to Cuba as the visas are issued on the aircraft.[original research?]
U.S. citizens can enter Denmark for up to 3 months every six months, regardless of whether they have stayed in other Schengen countries prior to entry into Denmark.[136]
A bilateral agreement pre-dating the Schengen area may allow 90 days of stay in France regardless of days spent in other Schengen countries.[171][172][173][174]
e-Visa holders must arrive via 26 designated airports[Note 2] or 3 designated seaports.[Note 3][208]
An Indian e-Tourist Visa may only be obtained twice within 1 calendar year.[citation needed]
Foreigners of Pakistani origin or who hold a Pakistani Passport are not eligible for an e-Visa. Foreigners who are not Pakistani nationals, but whose parents or grandparents (either paternal or maternal) were born in, or were permanent residents in Pakistan, are also not eligible for an e-Visa.[209]
Visitors are fingerprinted.
American citizens are eligible for a ten-year, multiple-entry tourist visa (not an e-visa).[210]
American citizens of Pakistani heritage are not eligible for an e-Visa nor are they eligible for a ten-year, multiple-entry tourist visa, and must apply for a regular visa.
Iranian visas must be obtained from the Iranian Interests section of the Embassy of Pakistan, Washington, D.C. or an Iranian embassy in a third country.
U.S. visitors are fingerprinted and photographed upon entry.
Independent travelers must be accompanied by an authorized guide at all times.
Dual nationals of Israel and the United States who don't have an Israeli passport, including infants, may be required to obtain an Israeli passport in order to leave Israel.[221]
Entry prohibited for any person "who knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel".[222]
U.S. passports holders must obtain a special passport validation from the U.S. federal government before travel.[240]
U.S. secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, authorized a ban on American travel to North Korea that went into effect in August 2017, following the death of Otto Warmbier, a US student who was detained in North Korea and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster.
All visitors are fingerprinted. From September 2021, travelers require the Korean Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA). The validity period is 3 years from the date of approval.[243][244]
The government of the Republic of Korea announced that from April 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024, a K-ETA is not required for 27 countries citizens visiting Korea for 90 days or less for business or tourism.
A bilateral agreement pre-dating the Schengen area allows an additional 90 days of stay in Latvia (to a total of 180) regardless of days spent in other Schengen countries.
Visa waiver granted if there is no Israeli visa or seal and traveler has a telephone number, an address in Lebanon, and a non refundable return or circle trip ticket.
Visitors must obtain a Multiple Immigration Form. There is no charge for a tourist FMM for stays of less than 7 days when entering by land. For visitors staying more than 7 days and entering by land, it will cost 687 Mexican Pesos or nearly 40 USD. The FMM is required for all visitors entering via air, regardless of length of stay, and the cost is included in the traveler's airfare and remitted by the airline.[288]
Passport Card or Enhanced Drivers License is valid for Land and Sea Travel.
Holders of an Australian Permanent Resident Visa or Resident Return Visa may be granted a New Zealand Resident Visa on arrival permitting indefinite stay (pursuant to the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement.
Business eVisas-on-arrival available for "Frequently Traveled Business Persons of International Reputes" or "Executives of Multi-national Companies", as well as for government officials[324]
3 months within a 6-month period, regardless of previous time spent in other Schengen countries, but including time spent in other Nordic countries.[329][330]
72-hour visa-free transit for international cruise ship/ferry passengers only if travelling with an organized tour and accompanied at all times by a tour operator.
10-day visa on arrival if holding letter of invitation issued by a company registered in Turkmenistan with a prior approval from the Foreign Ministry.[446]
U.S. citizens under the age of 16 or over the age of 55 traveling to Uzbekistan for tourism purposes are eligible for visa-free entry for a period of up to 90 days and 30 days, respectively.[465]
Territories or administrative subdivisions with different visa policies
Visa requirements for United States citizens for visits to various territories, disputed areas, partially recognized countries not mentioned in the list above, recognized administrative subdivisions that operate on different visa policies and restricted zones:
Crossing from Ukraine requires visit purpose to be explained to Ukrainian passport control on exit and those who entered from Russia are not allowed to proceed further into Ukraine.[527]
U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals citizens may live and work freely in Guam.
Passport/EDL is required for entry. Under certain circumstances, a government issued photo ID and proof of citizenship may be used in lieu a passport on a case-by-case basis.[545][546][520]
Holders of an invitation letter from the local company that was approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Passport card
The United States Passport Card can be used as an alternative to the passport booklet only when travelling to and from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and Caribbean islands at maritime ports-of-entry or land border crossings. The card is not valid for international air travel whatsoever; if traveling by air, the passport book is required.[575]
APEC Travel Business Card
The APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) is meant to facilitate travel for U.S. citizens engaged in verified business in the APEC region.[576]
The U.S. ABTC should enable access to a dedicated fast-track lane for expedited immigration processing at some participating foreign APEC member airports.[577]
U.S. APEC Business Travel Card holders may also use the Global Entry kiosks at participating airports upon their U.S. return.[578]
As the U.S. is a transitional member of the ABTC scheme, however, the U.S. APEC Business Travel Card cannot be used in lieu of a visa to enter an APEC member country.[579] The program was initially set to expire on September 30, 2018, but the November 2017 signing of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Cards Act of 2017 (S. 504) ensured it would permanently remain.[580]
Consular protection of U.S. citizens abroad
American diplomatic missions, including embassies (blue), interests sections, and other representations (light blue)
Many countries require a minimum number of blank pages to be available in the passport being presented, typically one or two pages.[581] Endorsement pages, which often appear after the visa pages, are not counted as being valid or available.
Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area or has visited one recently or has transited for 12 hours in those countries: Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.[584][585]
Passport validity length
Very few countries, such as Paraguay, just require a valid passport on arrival.
However many countries and groupings now require only an identity card – especially from their neighbours. Other countries may have special bilateral arrangements that depart from the generality of their passport validity length policies to shorten the period of passport validity required for each other's citizens[586][587] or even accept passports that have already expired (but not been cancelled).[588]
Some countries, such as Japan,[589] Ireland and the United Kingdom,[590] require a passport valid throughout the period of the intended stay.
In the absence of specific bilateral agreements, countries requiring passports to be valid for at least 6 more months on arrival include Afghanistan, Algeria, Anguilla, Bahrain,[591] Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Curaçao, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel,[592] Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru,[593] Philippines,[594] Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.[595]
Countries requiring passports valid for at least 4 months on arrival include Micronesia and Zambia.
Countries requiring passports with a validity of at least 3 months beyond the date of intended departure include Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Honduras, Montenegro, Nauru, Moldova and New Zealand.
Similarly, the EEA countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, all European Union countries (except the Republic of Ireland) together with Switzerland also require 3 months validity beyond the date of the bearer's intended departure unless the bearer is an EEA or Swiss national.
Countries requiring passports valid for at least 3 months on arrival include Albania, North Macedonia, Panama, and Senegal.
Bermuda requires passports to be valid for at least 45 days upon entry.
Countries that require a passport validity of at least one month beyond the date of intended departure include Eritrea, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, the Maldives[596] and South Africa.
Criminal record
Some countries, including Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand and the United States,[597] routinely deny entry to non-citizens who have a criminal record while others impose restrictions depending on the type of conviction and the length of the sentence.
Persona non grata
Entry Permit to Nagorno-Karabakh issued in Yerevan as a stand-alone document rather than a visa affixed in a passport
The government of a country can declare a diplomat persona non grata, banning entry into that country. In non-diplomatic use, the authorities of a country may also declare a foreigner persona non grata permanently or temporarily, usually because of unlawful activity.[598]
Israeli border control Entry Permit (issued as a stand-alone document rather than a stamp affixed in a passport)
Kuwait,[602] Lebanon,[603] Libya,[604] Syria,[605] and Yemen[606] do not allow entry to people with passport stamps from Israel or whose passports have either a used or an unused Israeli visa, or where there is evidence of previous travel to Israel such as entry or exit stamps from neighbouring border posts in transit countries such as Jordan and Egypt.
To circumvent this Arab League boycott of Israel, the Israeli immigration services have now mostly ceased to stamp foreign nationals' passports on either entry to or exit from Israel (unless the entry is for some work-related purposes). Since 15 January 2013, Israel no longer stamps foreign passports at Ben Gurion Airport. Passports are still (as of 22 June 2017[update]) stamped at Erez when passing into and out of Gaza.[citation needed]
Iran refuses admission to holders of passports containing an Israeli visa or stamp that is less than 12 months old.
Several countries mandate that all travellers, or all foreign travellers, be fingerprinted on arrival and will refuse admission to or even arrest travellers who refuse to comply. In some countries, such as the United States, this may apply even to transit passengers who merely wish to change planes rather than go landside.[607]
Fingerprinting countries/regions include Afghanistan,[608][609] Argentina,[610] Brunei, Cambodia,[611] China,[612] Ethiopia,[613] Ghana, Guinea,[614] India, Japan,[615][616] Kenya (both fingerprints and a photo are taken),[617] Malaysia upon entry and departure,[618] Mongolia, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia,[619] Singapore, South Korea,[620] Taiwan, Thailand,[621] Uganda,[622] the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Many countries also require a photo be taken of people entering the country. The United States, which does not fully implement exit control formalities at its land frontiers (although long mandated by domestic legislation),[623][624][625] intends to implement facial recognition for passengers departing from international airports to identify people who overstay their visa.[626]
Together with fingerprint and face recognition, iris scanning is one of three biometric identification technologies internationally standardised since 2006 by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for use in e-passports[627] and the United Arab Emirates conducts iris scanning on visitors who need to apply for a visa.[628][629] The United States Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to greatly increase the biometric data it collects at US borders.[630] In 2018, Singapore began trials of iris scanning at three land and maritime immigration checkpoints.[631][632]
Official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations
Journalistic activity
Professional research and professional meetings
Educational activities
Religious activities
Public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions
Support for the Cuban people
Humanitarian projects
Activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes
Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or informational materials
Certain export transactions that may be considered for authorization under existing Department of Commerce regulations and guidelines with respect to Cuba or engaged in by U.S.-owned or -controlled foreign firms
To use a general license, travelers are required only to attest to one on a form provided by the airline, and only when traveling on a flight directly from the U.S. They are expected to maintain a full-time schedule consistent with the terms of the general license, and to only make transactions related to this purpose. Airlines and travelers are required to maintain records of all Cuba-related transactions for at least five years.[125][126]
^"eGate". customs.govt.nz. New Zealand Customs Service. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
^"Paying the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy". immigration.govt.nz. Immigration New Zealand. Retrieved February 1, 2021. Many tourists, people on working holidays, and some students and workers coming to New Zealand must pay an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) of NZD $35.
^"U.S. Visas / Tourism & Visas". Travel.State.Gov. 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 one-China policy of the United States, under which the United States has maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan since 1979.
^Division, c=AU;o=Commonwealth of Australia;ou=Department of the Environment and Energy;ou=Australian Antarctic (February 28, 2005). "Frequently asked questions".((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Baker, Vicky (June 20, 2013). "Passport expiry dates and blank pages: what are the rules?". The Guardian. Retrieved January 13, 2024. The number of remaining blank pages a passport should have is also an issue. Some travellers have reported arriving with one or less than one full page left and waiting for hours at immigration, until an official reluctantly grants them entry. The FCO lists no hard and fast rules because, in many cases, there aren't any.
^"Yellow Fever". Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). African Union. Retrieved August 23, 2021. African countries that requires (sic) Yellow Fever vaccination certificate: Countries that require vaccination for all travellers older that 9 months or 1 year: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameron, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d'lvoire, DRC, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Niger, Togo.
^"Fièvre jaune" (in French). September 2, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
^"Yellow Fever". Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). African Union. Retrieved August 23, 2021. African countries that requires Yellow Fever vaccination certificate: Countries that requires (sic) vaccination for travellers from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission or transit for 12 hours in those countries: Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
^"Visitor Visa". travel.state.gov. US Department of State. Retrieved January 13, 2024. Passport valid for travel to the United States – Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your period of stay in the United States (unless exempt by country-specific agreements). Each individual who needs a visa must submit a separate application, including any family members listed in your passport.
^"Countries whose citizens are allowed to enter Turkey with their expired passports". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Republic of Turkey. Archived from the original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2018. Countries whose citizens are allowed to enter Turkey with their expired passports: 1. Germany – Passports expired within the last year / ID's expired within the last year, 2. Belgium - Passports expired within the last 5 years, 3. France - Passports expired within the last 5 years, 4. Spain - Passports expired within the last 5 years, 5. Switzerland - Passports expired within the last 5 years, 6. Luxemburg - Passports expired within the last 5 years, 7. Portugal - Passports expired within the last 5 years, 8. Bulgaria – Valid ordinary passport
^"Frequently Asked Questions". Embassy of Japan in Malaysia. Retrieved January 13, 2024. Q: Do I need at least 6 months passport validity in order to enter Japan? A: Japan does not have any regulations relating to passport validity, so long as your passport will be valid until after you leave Japan.
^"Entering the UK". Gov.UK. Retrieved March 17, 2021. You're not from an EEA country: you must have a valid passport to enter the UK. It should be valid for the whole of your stay.
^Calder, Simon (April 24, 2017). "Airline lobbying for a relaxation of draconian rules for London-Auckland travellers". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2018. Travellers heading west from the UK to New Zealand may soon be able to avoid the onerous requirement to clear US border control during the refuelling stop at Los Angeles airport (LAX). Unlike almost every other country in the world, the US insists on a full immigration check even for passengers who simply intend to re-board their plane to continue onwards to a foreign destination. Air New Zealand, which flies daily from Heathrow via Los Angeles to Auckland, says there are currently "strict requirements for travellers" in transit at LAX. Through passengers to Auckland on flight NZ1 or Heathrow on NZ2 must apply in advance for an ESTA (online visa) even though they have no intention of staying in the US. They also have to undergo screening by the Transportation Security Administration.
^"China to Start Fingerprinting Foreign Visitors". Air Canada. January 31, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2018. Effective April 27, 2018, border control authorities at all of China's ports of entry, including its airports, will start collecting the fingerprints of all foreign visitors aged between 14 and 70. Diplomatic passport holders and beneficiaries of reciprocal agreements are exempted..
^"Immigration & Visas FAQs". Kenya Airports Authority. Retrieved May 6, 2019. Will visitors still have their digital photo and fingerprints taken at the immigration desk on arrival? Yes, the need to have photos and fingerprints taken upon arrival is to authenticate that the person who applied for the Visa is the same person at the port of entry
^"Malaysia". CountryReports. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
^Brown, Theresa Cardinal (May 9, 2016). "Biometric Entry-Exit Update: CBP Developing Land Border Process". Bipartisan Policy Center. Retrieved April 25, 2019. While a requirement for a biometric entry-exit system has been in law for over a decade, it is not yet a reality. Many reasons for the long gestating development have been documented in BPC's 2014 report Entry-Exit System: Progress, Challenges, and Outlook, including the technological, operational, and cost challenges of creating exit systems and infrastructure where none exist today. However, many critics, especially in Congress, simply accused the Department of Homeland security of dragging its feet... the major operational, logistical, and technical challenge in implementing exit capability at our ports has been the land borders. Unlike airports and seaports, the land border environment is not physically controlled, there is no means to get advance information on who is arriving, and the sheer volume of travel—both vehicular and pedestrian—creates challenges in any system to not further exacerbate delays. While biometric exit for land vehicular traffic is still in the "what if" stage, CBP is moving ahead and piloting systems and technology to use with the large population of pedestrian crossers at the U.S.-Mexico border.
^Lipton, Eric (May 21, 2013). "U.S. Quietly Monitors Foreigners' Departures at the Canadian Border". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2019. Long demanded by lawmakers in Congress, it is considered a critical step to developing a coherent program to curb illegal immigration, as historically about 30 percent to 40 percent of illegal immigrants in the United States arrived on tourist visas or other legal means and then never left, according to estimates by Homeland Security officials.
^Lipton, Eric (December 15, 2006). "Administration to Drop Effort to Track if Visitors Leave". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2019. Efforts to determine whether visitors actually leave have faltered. Departure monitoring would help officials hunt for foreigners who have not left, if necessary. Domestic security officials say, however, it would be too expensive to conduct fingerprint or facial recognition scans for land departures.
^"Iris Scanner Could Replace Emirates ID In UAE". SimplyDXB. June 11, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2018. The breach of privacy is probably the biggest threat to the biometric technique of iris recognition. Secondly, a device error can false reject or false accept the identity which can also have some heinous consequences. Lastly, the method isn't the most cost-effective one. It is complex and therefore expensive. Furthermore, the maintenance of devices and data can also be relatively burdensome. However, thanks to the oil money and spending ability of Dubai, they are economically equipped to effectively embrace this system.
^Roberts, Jeff John (September 12, 2016). "Homeland Security Plans to Expand Fingerprint and Eye Scanning at Borders". Fortune. Fortune Media IP Limited. Retrieved April 24, 2019. Unlike with documents, it's very hard for a traveler to present a forged copy of a fingerprint or iris. That's why the U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to vastly expand the amount of biometric data it collects at the borders. According to Passcode, a new program will ramp up a process to scan fingers and eyes in order to stop people entering and exiting the country on someone else's passport.
^"Singapore tests eye scans at immigration checkpoints". Reuters. August 6, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2019. Singapore has started scanning travellers' eyes at some of its border checkpoints, its immigration authority said on Monday, in a trial of expensive technology that could one day replace fingerprint verification.
^Anuário das Estatísticas do Turismo 2015 [Yearbook of Tourism Statistics 2015] (PDF) (in Portuguese), Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE) of Angola, 2015, p. 31
1British Overseas Territories.
2 These countries span the conventional boundary between Europe and Asia.
3 Partially recognized.
4Unincorporated territory of the United States.
5 Part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
6Egypt spans the boundary between Africa and Asia.
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