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Entry requirements for foreign visitors
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Under the Visa Waiver Scheme, designed to speed up immigration procedures, citizens of Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and most European countries in possession of full passports do not require visas for trips to the United States of less than ninety days. Visa waiver forms are handed out on incoming planes, and are processed during immigration control at your initial point of arrival on US soil. The form requires details of where you are staying on your first night, and the date you intend to leave the US. You should be able to prove that you have enough money to support yourself while in the US. You may experience difficulties if you admit to being HIV-positive or having AIDS or TB. Part of the form will be attached to your passport, where it must stay until you leave. The same form also covers entry across the land borders with Canada and Mexico.
Citizens of all other countries should contact their local US embassy or consulate for details of current entry requirements. Even those eligible for the visa waiver scheme
must
apply for a free tourist visa if they intend to stay in the US for more than ninety days. Whatever your nationality, visas are not issued to convicted felons or to anybody who owns up to being a communist, fascist or drug dealer. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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United States |