What documents are needed to travel to the USA?

What documents are needed to travel to the USA?

Any stay in the United States, for whatever reason, requires you to submit to various formalities to obtain several travel documents. Indeed, all it takes is one missing or inappropriate document for the US customs services to refuse access to US territory. To avoid this problem, we’ve listed all the travel documents you’ll need to travel to the USA.

The passport: a mandatory travel document to stay in the USA

To enter the United States, the authorities require all foreign nationals to have a passport. But there are specific rules to be observed when it comes to this identity document.

Passport category

In order to travel to the USA, the American government requires travelers to have a biometric passport.
The new-generation passport, known as biometric, is equipped with an electronic chip that records information on the holder’s identity (civil status, height, fingerprints, etc.). If you’re in any doubt about the type of passport you have, just check the cover page of your identity document. When the word “passport” is underlined, it means it’s a biometric passport.

The validity of the passport

In addition to passport category, it is essential to check that you are traveling on a valid passport. To do this, simply check the expiry date of the identity document. Attention, we advise you to anticipate this step, because the renewal of a passport requires several weeks of waiting. It would be a shame to cancel your trip to the USA simply because of an invalid passport. A valid passport also has another major function: it can be used to apply for a residence permit, whether for an American visa or an ESTA. For ESTA applications, the official website asks you to upload your passport online.

The authorization of stay: a travel document necessary to enter the United States

The US government has one of the strictest immigration policies in the world. As such, the US Department of Homeland Security pays particular attention to travelers wishing to travel to the USA. To make sure that they don’t plan to stay illegally on American soil, the US government has introduced two travel documents: the visa and the ESTA.

ESTA: an electronic travel document

ESTA is part of the Visa Waiver Program set up by the US government. The exemption program was created with the aim of encouraging tourism in the USA while easing the procedures for entering the territory. ESTA is a security measure that keeps a close eye on the profile of every visa-exempt traveler. In concrete terms, the ESTA authorization is an electronic travel authorization allowing travel to the United States without a visa. This document is intended for nationals of the 41 member countries of the Visa Waiver Program.
The conditions for using this travel document in the USA are strict:

  • the trip must be limited to a maximum stay of 90 days;
  • it must be a tourist stay, a business trip or a transit;

ESTA application

Applying for an ESTA is very simple. All you need to do is access the official U.S. government website and fill in an online form.
To complete the ESTA form, you need to fill in the information on your passport (marital status, passport number, country of citizenship, date of issue, expiry date, etc.). In order to make sure that you do not represent any threat for the country, you will then have to answer a brief questionnaire. The questions asked relate in particular to your criminal history, your previous trips or your state of health. To validate your ESTA application, you must pay the application fee. Your request will then be processed within 72 hours. If you meet the ESTA eligibility criteria, your admission should go smoothly. It is not uncommon for the request to be approved within minutes of submission. If ESTA authorization is granted, you can then go to the United States without a visa, as many times as you want for two years, which is the validity period of the authorization. If your ESTA application is rejected, it’s likely that you don’t meet the conditions of the Visa Waiver Program. In this case, you’ll need to apply for a visa.

Non-immigrant visa

The non-immigrant visa is also a temporary residence permit, but it applies to more specific cases than the ESTA. Be aware that the USA visa comes in dozens of different versions, each applying to a specific situation. Here are some examples of the most frequently used visas:

  • B2 visa: tourism;
  • B1 visa: business trip;
  • F/M visa: international students;
  • J visa: trainees;
  • H1-B visa: specialized professions;
  • H2-B visa: seasonal or temporary non-agricultural workers.

How to apply for a visa?

Once you’ve decided which type of visa is right for your trip, you’ll need to fill in the DS-160 form on the US embassy website. Once completed, you will need to pay the visa fee and submit your application. Depending on the type of visa requested, you may be asked to gather supporting documents and submit an application to the United States Embassy during an interview with a consular officer. If the visa application is approved, the visa will be affixed to your passport. The passport will then be sent to you by post. The validity period of the visa is variable, it varies from 6 months to 10 years and is sometimes renewable.