Entry Requirements for U.S. Passport Holders: Visa-Free, eTA, e-Visa or Visa Required
Entry requirements for a U.S. passport
Every destination we cover, with what your passport needs for a short visit, whether documents take the apostille or the legalisation route, and whether translation is required. Sort any column.
- Visa free — You can enter for tourism or a short business trip on your passport alone, up to the stated limit. This is permission to visit, not permission to live, work or study.
- eTA / ETA — No visa, but you must obtain an electronic travel authorisation before you board. It is quick and cheap, and it is checked at check-in, not at the border.
- e-Visa — A real visa, but the whole application happens online and the result is emailed to you. No consulate appointment and usually no biometrics.
- Visa on arrival — Issued at the border on payment of a fee. Convenient, but it puts you at the mercy of the queue and the officer, and it can be suspended without notice.
- Visa required — You must apply and be approved before you travel, usually in person at a consulate or an outsourced visa application centre.
Statuses shown are for tourism or a short business trip on a U.S. passport. Every country requires a visa for work, study or residence regardless of what this map shows, and that is what the category pages cover.
| Country | Status | Days | Documents | Translation | Short-stay fee | Schengen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | — | No |
| Australia | eTA / ETA | 90 | Apostille | Required | A$20 | No |
| Austria | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Belgium | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Brazil | e-Visa | 90 | Apostille | Required | $81 | No |
| Canada | Visa free | 180 | Apostille | No | — | No |
| Chile | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | — | No |
| China | Visa required | — | Apostille | Required | $140 | No |
| Colombia | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | $282 | No |
| Costa Rica | Visa free | 180 | Apostille | Required | — | No |
| Croatia | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Czechia | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Denmark | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Dominican Republic | Visa free | 30 | Apostille | Required | — | No |
| Egypt | Visa on arrival | 30 | Legalisation | Required | $25 | No |
| Finland | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| France | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Germany | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Greece | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Hungary | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Iceland | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| India | e-Visa | 30 | Apostille | Required | $25 | No |
| Indonesia | Visa on arrival | 30 | Apostille | Required | $35 | No |
| Ireland | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | No | — | No |
| Israel | eTA / ETA | 90 | Apostille | Required | 25 ILS | No |
| Italy | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Japan | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | ¥3,000 | No |
| Kenya | eTA / ETA | 90 | Legalisation | No | $30 | No |
| Malaysia | Visa free | 90 | Legalisation | No | — | No |
| Mexico | Visa free | 180 | Apostille | Required | $54 | No |
| Morocco | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | — | No |
| Netherlands | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| New Zealand | eTA / ETA | 90 | Apostille | Required | NZ$17 | No |
| Norway | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Panama | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | — | No |
| Peru | Visa free | 183 | Apostille | Required | — | No |
| Philippines | Visa free | 30 | Apostille | No | — | No |
| Poland | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Portugal | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Saudi Arabia | e-Visa | 90 | Apostille | Required | $120 | No |
| Singapore | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | No | — | No |
| South Africa | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | — | No |
| South Korea | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | — | No |
| Spain | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Sweden | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Switzerland | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | €90 | Yes |
| Thailand | Visa free | 60 | Legalisation | Required | $40 | No |
| Turkey | Visa free | 90 | Apostille | Required | — | No |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa free | 30 | Legalisation | Required | — | No |
| United Kingdom | eTA / ETA | 180 | Apostille | No | £16 | No |
| United States (inbound) | Visa required | — | Apostille | Required | $185 | No |
| Vietnam | e-Visa | 90 | Apostille | Required | $25 | No |
Status applies to tourism or a short business trip on a U.S. passport. Every country requires a visa for work, study or residence regardless of what this table shows. “Documents” is the authentication route for U.S. records used in that country, and it is the difference between one certificate and a multi-step embassy chain.
What the statuses mean
- No visa needed
- You can enter for tourism or a short business trip on your passport alone, up to the stated limit. This is permission to visit, not permission to live, work or study.
- Travel authorisation required
- No visa, but you must obtain an electronic travel authorisation before you board. It is quick and cheap, and it is checked at check-in, not at the border.
- e-Visa, applied for online
- A real visa, but the whole application happens online and the result is emailed to you. No consulate appointment and usually no biometrics.
- Visa on arrival
- Issued at the border on payment of a fee. Convenient, but it puts you at the mercy of the queue and the officer, and it can be suspended without notice.
- Visa required in advance
- You must apply and be approved before you travel, usually in person at a consulate or an outsourced visa application centre.
Common questions
Does visa-free mean I can stay as long as I like?
No. Each entry has a day limit, shown in the table, and in the Schengen area the limit is shared across 29 countries in a rolling 180-day window rather than reset on each entry. Visa-free also means visiting only: it never covers work, study or residence.
What does the Documents column mean?
It is the authentication route for U.S. records used in that country. Apostille means one certificate finishes the job. Legalisation means domestic authentication followed by a stamp from that country's embassy, and sometimes a further attestation after arrival. The difference is weeks of time and a materially different cost.
How current is this?
Every country page carries the date we last verified it and links its primary sources. Entry rules are the most volatile content in travel, so treat this table as a starting point and confirm with the official portal before booking.
Authoritative sources
Where this tool disagrees with one of these, the official source is right. Tell us and we will correct it.
- U.S. Department of State: Learn About Your Destination Entry, exit and visa requirements for U.S. citizens, country by country. The authoritative U.S. government starting point.
- U.S. Department of State: Records and Authentications Federal document authentication, including the Office of Authentications.
- HCCH: Apostille Convention status table The authoritative list of which countries are party to the Apostille Convention, and the entry-into-force date for each.
- Foreign embassies in the United States Directory of every foreign embassy in Washington, which is where legalisation happens for non-Convention destinations.
- U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide For U.S. citizen services abroad and notarials.
- Smart Traveler Enrollment Program Register your trip so the nearest embassy can reach you.
- CDC Travelers Health Vaccination and health entry requirements by destination.
- IATA Travel Centre The database airlines actually check at the boarding gate.
Verified Sep 7, 2026 Primary sources: travel.state.gov, www.hcch.net
This resource is provided free by Federal Apostille as an educational tool. It is not legal or immigration advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by using it. Visa rules, fees, processing times and entry requirements change frequently and often without notice, and individual circumstances change the answer. Always confirm current requirements with the official government source and the specific embassy or consulate that has jurisdiction over your place of residence before you book travel or file an application. Every figure on this site carries the date we last verified it and a link to the primary source.
