United States (inbound) Visa Requirements for U.S. Citizens
Americas · US
United States (inbound) visa requirements for U.S. citizens
Depends entirely on nationality: ESTA for 40+ countries, a visa for everyone else
- U.S. passport status
- Visa required
- Visa-free days
- None
- Document route
- Apostille
- Translation
- Required
- Short-stay fee
- $185
- Schengen area
- No
Entering United States (inbound)
This page is for people coming to the United States rather than leaving it. Nationals of the roughly forty-odd Visa Waiver Program countries can travel for tourism or business for up to 90 days with an approved ESTA obtained before boarding. Everyone else needs a visa, applied for on form DS-160 with an in-person interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate. There is no airside transit in the United States: every traveller connecting through a U.S. airport clears U.S. immigration and needs either ESTA or a C-1 transit visa, even for a one-hour connection.
Passport requirements
Generally six months beyond the intended stay, though many countries are exempt from that rule under a specific agreement.
What is specific to United States (inbound)
The United States system splits sharply between non-immigrant visas, which require you to demonstrate you will leave, and immigrant visas, which do not. That single distinction explains most refusals: under section 214(b) every non-immigrant applicant is presumed to be an intending immigrant until they prove otherwise, and the burden is on the applicant. Documents from abroad used in U.S. immigration processes are apostilled in the issuing country, since the United States is a Convention party. The reverse direction, U.S. documents used abroad, is what most of this site is about.
Visa categories for United States (inbound)
Each has its own page combining the universal process for that category with what United States (inbound) specifically requires.
Tourist and Visitor Visa
B-2 visitor for pleasure, or ESTA for Visa Waiver Program nationals. Up to six months on a B-2, 90 days on ESTA.
Business Visitor Visa
B-1 visitor for business, or ESTA. Permits meetings and negotiations, not productive work.
Student and Study Visa
F-1 academic, M-1 vocational, J-1 exchange. The institution issues an I-20 or DS-2019 and the SEVIS I-901 fee is paid before the interview.
Work and Employment Visa
H-1B specialty occupations, capped and allocated by lottery; L-1 intra-company transfer; O-1 extraordinary ability; E-2 treaty investor; TN for Canadian and Mexican professionals under CUSMA.
Family, Spouse and Partner Visa
K-1 fiance, or the CR-1 and IR-1 immigrant visas for spouses, filed on form I-130 followed by consular processing.
Investor, Golden and Entrepreneur Visa
EB-5 immigrant investor at 800,000 dollars in a targeted employment area or 1,050,000 elsewhere, creating ten jobs.
Transit and Airport Visa
C-1. Note there is no airside transit in the United States; every connecting passenger clears immigration.
Permanent Residence and Citizenship
Family, employment, investment or the diversity lottery, then naturalisation after five years, or three if married to a U.S. citizen.
Where and how to apply
- Official portal
- U.S. Department of State: visas
- Where to file
- At the consulate with jurisdiction over your U.S. state of residence.
- Biometrics
- Fingerprints and a facial image are collected for most visa categories.
- Fees
- Most non-immigrant visa applications are 185 dollars; petition-based categories are higher. ESTA carries a small fee. Immigrant visa and adjustment of status fees run into the thousands.
- Short-stay processing
- ESTA within minutes to 72 hours; non-immigrant visa interview wait times vary enormously by post and are published
- Long-stay processing
- Immigrant visa categories range from months to many years depending on category and country of birth
Documents and authentication for United States (inbound)
United States (inbound) is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so U.S. public documents are apostilled. That is a single certificate and it is the end of the chain.
Translation. Foreign-language documents need a certified English translation with the translator certification of accuracy and competence.
- 1 Obtain a certified original From the issuing authority. Photocopies, scans and souvenir certificates cannot be authenticated.
- 2 Notarise, if it is a private document Letters, affidavits, powers of attorney and diploma copies need a notary acknowledgement first. Government-issued vital records do not.
- 3 County clerk, in some states A handful of states require the county clerk to certify the notary commission before the Secretary of State will act.
- 4 Authenticate at the right level State-issued documents go to the Secretary of State of the ISSUING state. Federal documents, including the FBI Identity History Summary, go to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications.
- 5 Apostille or embassy legalisation Hague Convention destination: the apostille ends the chain. Non-member destination: the document then goes to that country embassy or consulate. For United States (inbound) the apostille ends the chain.
- 6 Certified translation Translate the document together with its apostille or legalisation certificate. Doing this first means paying twice. Foreign-language documents need a certified English translation with the translator certification of accuracy and competence.
- 7 File with the right consulate Jurisdiction is by your U.S. state of residence. Bring originals plus a full copy set.
The two expensive mistakes. Sending a federal document such as an FBI Identity History Summary to a Secretary of State, which cannot authenticate it. And translating before authentication, so the apostille certificate is not inside the translation and the whole set has to be paid for twice.
Official sources
- U.S. Department of State: visas Every visa category and the DS-160 form.
- ESTA (official) The only legitimate ESTA site. Many commercial sites charge multiples of the government fee.
- USCIS Petitions, adjustment of status, naturalisation.
- Visa appointment wait times Published interview wait times by consulate.
Questions about United States (inbound)
What is section 214(b)?
The provision under which most non-immigrant visa applications are refused. Every applicant for a temporary visa is presumed to intend to immigrate, and the burden is on the applicant to overcome that presumption with evidence of ties to their home country: employment, family, property and financial commitments. It is not a finding of dishonesty and it does not bar re-application, but re-applying without materially new evidence rarely succeeds.
Can I transit a U.S. airport without a visa?
No, unless you hold ESTA or a visa. The United States has no airside transit facility: every passenger connecting through a U.S. airport is formally admitted to the United States and must clear immigration and customs. This routinely surprises travellers routing between other continents through American hubs.
Verified Sep 7, 2026 Primary sources: www.uscis.gov, travel.state.gov
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.
