The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables “citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.” For citizens or nationals of VWP countries, they should meet some requirements and get approval for travel authorizations through Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before traveling without visas. Otherwise, they can only apply for visitor visas (B Visa) to travel to the U.S. Even if they get their visas waived, they still need to possess passports during traveling.
Requirement of visa waiver:
- Travel purpose confirms the purpose of B visas:
- Visitors travel to the U.S for tourism or business, such as professional conferences, business conventions, or vacations, for at most 90 days.
- Citizens or nationals of the following countries or regions:
- Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Republic of Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan*, United Kingdom.
- If the above citizens already have B visas, they should not apply for any visa waiver, for they can use B visas to travel to the U.S.
- Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Republic of Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan*, United Kingdom.
Valid authorizations through ESTA:
The eligibility to travel gets determined by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which operates the web-based system, ESTA. ESTA authorizations are usually valid for two years. During this period, if a traveler gets a new passport, changes his or her name, gender, or citizenship, or has any changes relating to ESTA application questions, he or she should update ESTA.
Valid passports:
- Passports should be valid for more than 6 months after planned departure from the U.S.
Steps of travel authorization application
- Answer Disclaimers--Enter applicant, personal, and travel information--Answer eligibility questions--review application--Pay$14 application fee.
Prohibitions:
- Travelers are not allowed to extend their stay in the U.S beyond the initial admission period. Travelers are not permitted to change status in the U.S.
For more information, please check the following websites:
- https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visa-waiver-program.html
- https://www.dhs.gov/visa-waiver-program-requirements
*According to the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, “all references to country or countries in the Visa Waiver Program authorizing legislation are read to include Taiwan. This is consistent with the United States' one-China policy, under which the United States has maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan since 1979.”
[Last updated in May of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]
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