Do I need a visa for the USA? ESTA vs B1/B2 explained

Three checks to find your route

1. Check whether your passport nationality is on the Visa Waiver Program list. Nationality counts, not where you live.
2. Check purpose and length: the program covers business, tourism or transit for 90 days or less. Study, work and exchange programs need the matching visa class.
3. Check the exclusions: travel to certain countries, certain dual nationalities, arrests or criminal records, a past refusal of admission or an overstay. Any one of these means applying for a visa.

Pass all three and ESTA is your route. Fail any one and you apply for a visa. Most Canadian citizens can also travel without a visa if they meet certain requirements.

Visa Waiver Program member list

The official visa information service for Australia lists these members: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

Brazil, mainland China and India are not on that list, so holders of those passports need a B1/B2 visa for tourism or business. The list changes; confirm it on the official Visa Waiver Program page before you travel.

Permanent residence in a member country is not citizenship. A Brazilian passport holder with Australian permanent residence cannot use the program.

Conditions for travelling on ESTA

• An electronic passport (with a chip) issued by a member country.
• An approved travel authorization from the official ESTA website before departure.
• A stay of 90 days or less for business, tourism or transit.
• A return or onward ticket when arriving by air or sea, on a carrier that takes part in the program.

ESTA is valid for two years, or until the passport expires if that is sooner. Program travellers without ESTA should expect to be denied boarding.

For visa-free travel the passport must be valid for at least 90 days; if it is not, admission is granted only until the passport expires.

Member-country citizens who must still get a visa

• Travel to or presence in North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen on or after March 1, 2011, with limited diplomatic or military exceptions.
• Travel to or presence in Cuba on or after January 12, 2021.
• Also holding the nationality of Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria.
• A past arrest (even without a conviction), a criminal record, certain serious communicable illnesses, a past refusal of admission or deportation, or a previous overstay under the program.
• A passport that is not electronic, or a purpose beyond business, tourism and transit.

Travellers in these groups who attempt to travel without a visa may be refused entry.

ESTA and the B1/B2 visa compared

A member-country citizen may also choose to apply for a B1/B2 visa. Neither route guarantees entry: the officer at the port of entry decides admission and how long you may stay.