America, vast, diverse and beautiful has something for everyone. From shopping in New York for singletons, weddings in Las Vegas for lovers, theme parks in Florida for families or Route 66 trips for road warriors, the States are a huge draw. However, security measures have tightened considerably in the past few years, and visiting the US needs a bit more planning these days. Read on for the lowdown on getting into the States.
Do you need a visa?
Not if you are a citizen of the UK, Ireland or the other 25 visa-waiver countries*. The Visa Waiver Programme is run by the US Department of Homeland Security and allows eligible nationals to travel to the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days without needing a visa.
Advance Passenger Information …
When you book your flights to the US, you will need to provide Advance Passenger Information on your airline’s website. The information required for each passenger is:
- First name and family name (as on passport), passport number, passport country and expiry date of passport
- Gender
- Date of birth
- Nationality
- Country of residence
- Alien registration or Permanent Resident Card Number if applicable
- Address while in the US if you are not a US passport holder or landed US resident.
And…
From January 2009 nationals of the visa-waiver countries will have to register their personal details online at least two days before departure. Currently, passengers have to fill in forms while onboard their flights with information such as name and the address of where they will be staying in the States.
From August 1, voluntary applications for the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) will be accepted but by January 12, 2009, the Department of Homeland Security says online registration will be mandatory.
Make sure your passport is machine readable
A machine readable passport has the holder's personal details, ie, name, date of birth, nationality and their passport number contained in two lines of text at the bottom of the photo page. This text may be read by machine.
Since April 2006, each person wishing to visit the USA must have either a machine readable passport and a visa waiver form (obtained at the airport on departure) or a valid visa, which must be obtained before travel from the US authorities.
Once you land in America, get in line
The US-Visit Programme was introduced after September 11, 2001, to improve the safety and security of visitors to the US, as well as US citizens, by registering each visitor (collecting digital fingerprints and mug shots) on arrival and collating this data again on departure. The biographic and biometric data is used to match the visitor with the travel documents and is compared against watch lists. This process applies to all passengers aged between 14 and 79 travelling to the US holding a visa, and since 2004 to all visa waiver passengers too.
The Department of Homeland Security plans to replace the current two-fingerprint scanners with new ten fingerprint scanners at all U.S. ports of entry over the next year.
Last November, Homeland Security began the initial transition at Washington Dulles International. During 2008, nine other US airports will also collect additional fingerprints from international visitors including:
Boston Logan, Chicago O'Hare, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County, Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International, George Bush Houston Intercontinental, Miami International, JFK, Orlando International and San Francisco International.
The Department of State currently uses ten fingerprint scanners at its entire visa issuing posts worldwide.
Save time by getting in line in Ireland
Travellers to the US can clear US immigration (with the photograph and fingerprints) at Dublin and Shannon Airports before flying, cutting down on waiting times when they land. Aer Lingus, the national carrier, flies to Boston, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles and offers good connections from several UK airports.
* The 27 countries in the visa-waiver programme are the United Kingdom, Ireland, Andorra, Iceland, Norway, Australia, Portugal, Austria, Italy, San Marino, Belgium, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Finland, Monaco, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and New Zealand.
Read more about America on our travel guide to the USA or compare the prices of flights to America
Oonagh Shiel
© Cheapflights Ltd
Updated September 2008
