2.  Passport Validity

   The Traveller's Passport must be valid for at least 90 days beyond the date of entry to the USA, with exception of Passport holders from Andorra, Brunei and San Marino, who must be in possession of a passport valid for at least 6 months after the traveller's date of departure from the United States.

3.  Type of Passport

   a) If the Traveller's Passport was issued on or after October 26th 2006, it must be an "e-Passport".  An "e-Passport" has a biometric chip embedded inside, and is marked on its cover with the international e-Passport symbol: .  Emergency or Temporary Passports, except those issued by Germany, are exempt from this requirement.

   c) The Traveller's Passport was issued before October 25th 2005, it must be a Machine Readable Passport. A Machine Readable Passport has two lines of text as letters, numbers and chevrons (<<<) at the bottom of the information page of the Passport.  

   If you need further guidance please click here for images of each type of passport.  

4.  Purpose of Travel

   The Traveller is travelling to the USA for either Business, Tourism or Transit; and strictly no other purposes.  n.b. Those who work in the media who plan to pursue their profession whilst in the USA must obtain an 'Media' Visa and can only travel without a visa under the VWP for strictly Tourist or Transit purposes.

5.  Length of Stay

   The Traveller's Length of stay in the United States is for 90 days or less. 

6.  Proof of Return/Onward travel out of USA

   If the Traveller is entering the United States by air or sea, they must hold a return or onward ticket.  If travelling on an electronic ticket, a copy of the itinerary must be carried for presentation to U.S. immigration at the port of entry. n.b. Travellers whose onward tickets show travel terminating in Mexico, Canada, Bermuda or the Caribbean Islands must be legal permanent residents of these area to enter the USA on the Visa Waiver Program.

7.  Travel on I-775 Approved Carrier

   If the Traveller is entering the United States by air or sea, they must do so aboard an VWP approved (agreement I-775)airline or sea carrier.  Nearly all international airlines and cruise ship operators are VWP approved, but we would advise you to confirm with your airline or travel agent before travelling to confirm this.  Travel into the United States upon Private Aircraft or Seacraft do not qualify for travel without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program.

8.  USA Entry Documentation

   a)  If entering the USA by land:  

   If entering the United States by land from Canada or Mexico, the traveller must complete form I-94W, available at official Border points, and pay a $6.00 Fee (US Dollars only - other currencies not accepted).  

   b)  If entering the USA by air or sea:

   The Traveller must have made an approved application online from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before travelling.  Please note:

 - This replaces the use of the I-91W form that was previously given to passengers en route to the USA.

 - An approved ESTA lasts 2 years, or until the expiry or cancellation of the passport that was specified in the ESTA, whichever happens first.

 - Each ESTA issued is valid only for the passport specified - travel on any other passport requires a new ESTA application to be made.

- You do not have to have specific plans to travel to the USA in order to obtain an ESTA - therefore we recommend that you apply at the earliest available opportunity if you anticipate the need for travel to the USA at any point in the near future.

- American Immigration strongly recommend that ESTA applications are made at least 72 hours before travelling to allow time for your application to be processed: applications made after this time have a large risk of not being processed before your planned departure time.

- The ESTA Application will be rejected if you do not meet any of the requirements of the Visa Waiver Program.

 - Please note that if your ESTA application is rejected, you are no longer eligible for travel under the Visa Waiver Program, regardless of your date or method of travel, and you must apply for a Visa to enter the USA.

   a)  All Temporary, emergency or diplomatic passports, apart from those issued by Germany, are exempted from requirements 3(a) and 3(b), but not 3(c); i.e. they do not require digital photos or biometric chips, but they must be machine-readable.  

   b) Holders of German Temporary or emergency passports cannot travel under the Visa Waiver Program: they must either apply for a US Visa before travelling, or obtain a new,  ordinary passport, that meets the requirements above, in order to travel under the Visa Waiver Program without a visa .

   c) If the Traveller does not meet all these requirements, or is not a national of the countries listed above, the Traveller will have to apply for a visa to enter the USA, regardless of their purpose of travel.

   d) Please note that entry into the USA is ultimately at the discretion of US Immigration: even if all the requirements listed here are met, some travellers may nonetheless be considered ineligible to enter the United States visa free under the VWP.  This includes, but is not limited to, people who have been arrested, even if the arrest did not result in a criminal conviction, those with criminal records, (the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act does not apply to U.S. visa law), certain serious communicable illnesses, those who have been refused admission into, or have been deported from, the United States, or have previously overstayed on the VWP.

   e) Minor traffic offenses which did not result in a conviction and/or an arrest do not effect your eligibility to travel under the Visa Waiver Program.

   f) If you travel frequently into the USA, it is advisable to consider applying for a Visa rather than using the Visa Waiver Program to ease your passage through immigration: many US entry stamps in a passport over a short period of time increases the chances of extended questioning when entering the USA.

   g) If you remain unsure about any aspect of your eligibility to travel under the Visa Waiver Program, please contact the DJB offices on 0207 684 6242, or you may find it useful to use the US Embassy in London's advice here: http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/visa_wizard.html

How to Apply for a Visa for the USA

If you do not meet all the requirements listed above, you will need to apply for a Visa to travel to the USA.

Unfortunately, Visa Handling Agencies are not permitted by The American Embassy to handle US Visa Applications and, therefore, DJB cannot handle them on your behalf.

To obtain a visa to the USA, the Applicant must attend an interview at the American Embassy in London, which are only available by appointment.  Appointments must be arranged by the applicant on 09042 450 100.  This is a premium rate number, and as a result will often be barred from business and mobile phone lines

Once you have made your appointment, you will be advised of what you need to take with you to support your application.

However, the basic requirements for a Business ("B1") Visa are listed by the US Embassy here. 

For other visa types please see this page.

Canadian, Mexican, and Bermudan Passport holders may not need to apply for a visa.  Please refer to this page of the US Department of State for details.

For further information please call our office on 0207 684 6242, or refer to the American Embassy's general visa information page.