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US Immigration requirements

There are some important requirements for passengers travelling to the US. Below you will find the key things you need to know.

Important information about entry requirements for visitors

From 20 January 2010 it will be mandatory for all airline passengers travelling to the United States under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) to apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) 72 hours prior to departure.
Please see the 'Travel Authorisation to the United States (ESTA)' link below for more information.

General information for all visitors

When travelling to the US, you must either have the correct passport to travel on the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP), or have obtained the correct visa valid for your stay. You must also provide Advance Passenger Information for the US government prior to travel.

From 20th January 2010 it will be mandatory for all airline passengers travelling to the United States under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) to apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) 72 hours prior to departure.

Travel Authorisation to the United States (ESTA)

From 20 January 2010 you must apply for a Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) at least 72 hours before you travel if you are travelling under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP).

You can obtain your travel authorisation by completing the online form.

The application process may take up to 15-20 minutes and authorisation is normally granted immediately, but may take up to 72 hours.

We recommend that you apply for authorisation at the time of booking or at least 72 hours before your flight, to ensure that you are able to travel. Those making late bookings can still apply, but there is a risk that they may not receive immediate confirmation.

Once granted, Travel Authorisation is valid for multiple entries to the US for two years, unless any answers to the YES/NO questions on the form change or a new passport is required.

You are also required to provide Advance Passenger Information to the US government each time you travel to the US.

If you have a resident permit 'green card', or are travelling on a visa, you will not need to apply for authorisation as you are not travelling under the Visa Waiver Programme.

Apply for Travel Authorisation

The Visa Waiver Programme (VWP)

The Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) allows the citizens of certain countries to travel to the US without having to obtain a visa prior to travel.

To qualify for the VWP, each person wishing to visit the US must have either:

1a) An e-passport: If your passport was issued after 26 October 2006, you must have an e-passport to travel to the US on the VWP. e-passports are easily identified by a symbol on the front cover indicating that the document contains an integrated computer chip, for storing data.

1b) A Machine Readable Passport. Passports issued between 26 October 2005 and 26 October 2006 to passengers wishing to use the VWP must contain a digitally printed photograph. A photograph which is glued or laminated will not be acceptable for travel.
Passports issued before the 26 October 2005 are exempt from this requirement.

AND

A Visa Waiver Form, which can be at the airport on departure or onboard the aircraft.

2) A valid passport.

AND

A valid visa which must be obtained before travel from the US authorities.

Note

If you want your child to travel with a Visa Waiver form, they must hold their own Machine Readable Passport or e-passport.
The nationals of some countries can only travel to the US if they have a valid visa as they are not eligible for the VWP.

Machine Readable Passports (MRP)

A Machine Readable Passport has the holder's personal details, eg. name, date of birth, nationality and their passport number contained in two lines of text at the bottom of the photo page. This text may be read by machine.

These two lines of text indicate that the passport is machine readable:

Who can use the Visa Waiver Programme?

The nationalities currently entitled to use the VWP are as follows:

Countries

Andorra	France	Lithuania	Singapore
Australia	Germany	Luxembourg	Slovakia
Austria	Hungary	Malta	Slovenia
Belgium	Iceland	Monaco	South Korea
Brunei	Ireland	Netherlands	Spain
Czech Republic	Italy	New Zealand	Sweden
Denmark	Japan	Norway	Switzerland
Estonia	Latvia	Portugal	United Kingdom
Finland	Liechtenstein	San Marino

Nationals of these countries must hold a Machine Readable Passport (MRP) in order to travel under the VWP. Holders of non-MRP passports must obtain a US visa prior to travelling to the US.

General requirements for all nationalities travelling on the VWP are:

Travelling for business, pleasure or transit only, and
Staying in the US for less than 90 days, and
Hold a confirmed return or onward ticket (or e-ticket receipt),
Obtain Travel authorisation by completing the online form, and
Present a completed I-94W form to the authorities on arrival in the US. (These forms can be obtained at check in or on-board the aircraft.)

Please note, you must have the address and zip code for where you are staying to ensure you are able to fully complete the I-94W Immigration form when you land.

How to obtain a Visa

Travellers requiring a US visa are advised to contact the US Embassy in their home country. If you are intending to travel to the US and require a US visa, you must make an interview appointment directly with the Embassy. Applying for a US visa can be a lengthy process which can take several weeks.

Further information on the visa process

Note: Visas cannot be obtained on a same day basis.

Advance Passenger Information

The US government requires British Airways to collect Advance Passenger Information from passengers prior to travel.

We strongly recommend that you provide your Advance Passenger Information to us in advance of going to the airport. You can do this at any time in advance of your flight through Manage My Booking or when you check in at ba.com. If you do not have internet access, you can give us the information at an airport Check-in kiosk or airport Check-in desk.

Find out more about Advance Passenger Information

The US–Visit Programme

This has been introduced to improve the safety and security of visitors to the US, as well as US citizens, by registering each visitor to the US by collecting unique data on arrival and collating this data again on departure. Currently this process applies to all passengers aged between 14 and 79 travelling to the US holding a visa, and all Visa Waiver Passengers (VWP).

What does the US–Visit Programme involve?

On arrival in the US the immigration officer will collect unique data from each visitor in the form of fingerprints, using an inkless scanner, and a digital photograph. This takes place at the normal immigration desk as part of the entry process, and it is not expected that the arrival process will take any longer than usual.

All data obtained from visitors is stored securely and is made available only to authorised officials and selected law enforcement agencies on a need to know basis in their efforts to protect the US.

Find out more information about the US-Visit Programme

Flights involving stops en–route in the US

US Customs and Immigration regulations now require passengers to disembark at their first port of call in the US to clear customs and immigration. This means that if your flight stops off on the way to its final destination, you will be required to disembark at the first stop, and collect your baggage to be screened. You will not be required to clear customs again at the final destination, if it is within the US.

If a separate connection is involved (you change to another carrier or aircraft), you will not be required to clear customs and immigration again when you arrive at your final destination.

Travellers pre–cleared at one of Customs and Border Protection’s foreign pre–clearance locations in Canada or the Caribbean are not required to clear customs and immigration again when they arrive in the US. Travellers arriving in the US in transit to a foreign location are required to clear customs and immigration and are subject to US regulation and laws.

You can find out whether your flight involves any stops and where it stops with our online Timetables.

British Airways timetables