Visa Policy

Depending on the issuer of your passport, a visa may be required for entry into the United States. A visa allows you to travel to a port of entry, an airport, land border crossing, or sea port, and request permission of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspector to enter the United States. A U.S. consular officer will issue the visitor’s visa after determining that the applicant is eligible under a specific visa classification.

Additional Visa Information

Questions on embassy or consulate-specific visa application procedures or questions about your specific visa case should be addressed to the U.S. embassy or consulate where you will be applying. For complete information about the U.S. visa process, click here.

Entry Procedures for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands

Visitors from Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and the United Kingdom do not need a visa or ESTA to visit both Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands because of the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program. Chinese citizens also do not need a visa if they complete Form I-736 for temporary admission into the the Northern Mariana Islands. 

For more information on the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program, click here. 

Student/Exchange Travel

The USA welcomes international students and educational exchange visitors. In fact, more than 800,000 students pursue education in the USA annually. The first thing to know is that visas for students and exchange visitors are different than tourist visas. Here is your guide to ensuring you have the right documents for your study abroad experience in the U.S.