What Are the Passport Requirements When Traveling to the USA?

There is a special process for Canadians wishing to travel to the United States. Through the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, Canadians may need only an enhanced driver's license or enrollment in the Trusted Traveler Program to travel to the U.S. This system requires no passport if Canadians have the NEXUS card (see Resources below). Canadians and Bermuda citizens are the only ones allowed to travel to the United States without a passport. However, citizens of Bermuda will need a passport if traveling to the United States by airplane. All others will need to follow specific procedures.

Biometric passports are an option for those living in some countries, especially in Western Europe. The passport requirements for entering the United States with a biometric passport, or machine-readable passport for certain countries, are much more lenient for those whose visit will be short.

Those in select countries can participate in the Visa Waiver Program, which means there is no long, drawn-out visa application process. Clicking on the Visa Waiver Program link in "Resources" below will provide a list of specific countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program.

Most of those who want to stay in the United States only for a short period of time will likely opt for a B2 Visa. The B2 visa is commonly called the visitor's visa and is used by those traveling for pleasure or medical treatment who plan to stay less than 90 days. The B1 visa is used for short-term business travelers. The passport requirement for this visa is simply to have a valid one. The United States will require the passport to be valid during the entire length of stay. Therefore, passports that are getting ready to expire should be replaced before traveling.

The passport requirements for those coming to the United States on student visas or work-related visas for a longer period of time are nearly identical to those for the B1 and B2 Visas. The only difference is the passport expiration requirement. In some cases, when the stay is longer term, it may be unreasonable to require the passport to be valid during the entire length of stay. Therefore, the requirement imposed is likely to be that it has an expiration date greater than six months from the date of travel. In most cases, foreigners living in the United States can apply for a passport renewal while still in the United States through the embassy of their native country.