Flag of United States

United States

The United States spans a continent of extremes, from major coastal cities to national parks of vast scale, with Washington DC as its capital. It is the world's largest economy and a global centre for technology, finance, entertainment and higher education. Visa requirements depend on nationality: citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries can enter with an ESTA for up to 90 days, while other visitors require a visa obtained through a US embassy or consulate, typically with an in-person interview.

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  • CapitalWashington
  • CurrencyUSD $
  • TimezoneMultiple time zones (UTC-5 to UTC-10; more with Alaska/Hawaii/territories)
  • LanguagesEnglish
  • Population340.1M (2024)
  • Area9,826,675 km²
  • RegionAmericas · Northern America
  • Phone code+1
  • Electricity120 V
  • Plug typesNEMA 1-15 · NEMA 5-15
  • Driving sideright
  • Internet domain.us

USA Visa & Immigration System

Citizens of the Visa Waiver Program countries — most of Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand among them — enter for tourism or business stays of up to 90 days on an ESTA, applied for online at least 72 hours before travel and valid two years. Every other nationality needs a visa from a US embassy or consulate, usually after an in-person interview; the common categories are the B-1 and B-2 visitor visas, work visas such as the H-1B, L-1, O-1 and E-2, and the F-1 and J-1 student visas.

Before you travel

  • Admission is decided at the border

    A valid visa or ESTA does not guarantee entry; Customs and Border Protection officers decide at the port of entry.

  • Interview wait times

    Vary by embassy and visa type and can run to months, so apply well ahead.

  • Student visas

    The F-1 and J-1 need acceptance at a SEVP-certified institution.

  • Overstays

    Can bring deportation, a formal entry ban and trouble with future visas.

Language requirement

United States visas set no English test: the H-1B, L-1, O-1, E-2 and the visitor and student visas leave English to the employer or the university, which asks for IELTS, TOEFL or an equivalent for admission. Foreign-trained nurses and some other health professionals face an English test for their certification, and the formal test comes at naturalisation, where an officer checks reading, writing and speaking at the interview.

Certificates, tools and tutors

Visa types

ESTA (Visa Waiver Program)

Up to 90 days per visit; ESTA valid for 2 years; cannot be extended

Tourism, business meetings, transit for citizens of the Visa Waiver Program countries (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and others). Applied for online — no embassy visit needed. Must have a machine-readable passport.

B-1/B-2 Visitor Visa

Up to 6 months per entry; visa typically valid 10 years for multiple entries

B-1 for business (meetings, conferences, negotiations, contract signing) and B-2 for tourism, visiting family, medical treatment. Often issued as combined B-1/B-2. Requires in-person interview at US embassy or consulate. Apply via DS-160 online form.

F-1 Student Visa

Duration of study programme plus optional practical training (OPT)

Full-time study at SEVP-certified US universities, colleges, language schools and academic institutions. Requires Form I-20 from the institution, SEVIS fee payment, and embassy interview. Allows limited on-campus work; off-campus work via CPT/OPT programs.

J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa

Varies by programme category; typically 6 months to 3 years

Cultural exchange programmes: au pair, summer work travel, intern, trainee, teacher, professor, research scholar. Requires DS-2019 from a designated sponsor organisation.

H-1B Specialty Occupation Visa

Up to 3 years initially; renewable to 6 years total

Skilled workers in specialty occupations requiring a bachelor's degree or higher: IT, engineering, finance, medicine, science, architecture, law. Employer-sponsored with annual cap (lottery system for cap-subject petitions).

L-1 Intra-Company Transfer

L-1A (managers/executives): up to 7 years; L-1B (specialised knowledge): up to 5 years

Executives, managers and specialised knowledge employees transferring from a foreign office to a US office of the same company. No annual cap.

E-2 Treaty Investor Visa

Up to 5 years; renewable indefinitely as long as the business operates

Citizens of treaty countries who invest a substantial amount of capital in a US business. Must actively direct the business. Available to nationals of countries with a bilateral investment treaty with the US.

O-1 Extraordinary Ability Visa

Up to 3 years initially; renewable in 1-year increments

Individuals with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business, athletics, or the motion picture/television industry. Requires evidence of sustained national or international acclaim.

Guides

The United States is a country of continental scale, where the diversity — geographic, cultural, culinary, climatic — defies any single characterisation. Most first trips pair a great city with the landscape beyond it: New York on the East Coast, Los Angeles or San Francisco on the West, and the national parks in between. The distances are real, so deciding where to fly and where to drive shapes the itinerary more than any list of sights — and the road trip, with landscapes shifting from desert to forest to coastline within a single day's drive, remains one of the world's defining travel experiences.

United States travel guide →

The full guide — regional routes, the parks, the music cities, and the two-week shapes that actually work.

Money in United States →

Dollars, cards and tipping culture — the practical money guide.

Eating in United States →

Barbecue's four regional answers, Creole vs Cajun, and the immigrant kitchens layered over every city.

Getting around United States →

Why the country runs on cars and planes, renting across state lines, and the one corridor where the train wins.

Health & safety in United States →

Why safety is a local question, the ER-versus-urgent-care choice that saves real money, and the seasonal hazards by region.

Cities & planning

AtlantaGeorgiaBostonMassachusettsChicagoIllinoisDallasTexasDenverColoradoHonoluluHawaiiHoustonTexasKansas CityLas VegasLos AngelesCaliforniaMemphisMiamiFloridaNashvilleNew OrleansLouisianaNew York CityNew YorkOrlandoFloridaPhiladelphiaSan DiegoCaliforniaSan FranciscoCaliforniaSeattleWashingtonWashington, D.C.District of Columbia

Airports

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (ATL)ATLDenver International Airport (DEN)DENDallas Fort Worth Airport (DFW)DFW

Plan your trip

FlightsAtlanta (ATL)FlightsBoston (BOS)FlightsChicago (ORD)HotelsAtlanta · Boston · ChicagoTrainsTrain ticketsAttractionsTickets & tours

Booking links go to our partner Trip.com — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Regions

Embassies & missions

Asia · 36

Europe · 35

Africa · 39

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a visa to visit the United States?

It depends on your nationality. Citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries — including the UK, most of the EU, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand — can enter with an ESTA for stays up to 90 days. Other nationalities need a visa, typically a B-1/B-2 visitor visa, obtained through a US embassy or consulate with an in-person interview.

How far in advance do I need to apply for an ESTA?

At least 72 hours before travel, though applying further ahead is safer in case of delays or a need to correct an error. ESTA is valid for two years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and cannot be extended beyond the 90-day per-visit limit.

Does having a visa or ESTA guarantee entry to the US?

No. Final admission is always at the discretion of Customs and Border Protection officers at the port of entry, regardless of a valid visa or ESTA. Be ready to answer questions about your travel purpose, accommodation and financial means.

How much should I tip in the United States?

Tipping is expected, not optional, in most US service contexts — 18-20% at sit-down restaurants and for taxis or rideshares, a dollar or two per drink at bars, and a smaller amount for hotel housekeeping and porters. Not tipping is considered rude rather than a neutral choice.

Do I need travel insurance for the US?

It's strongly recommended. The US has no universal healthcare, and medical treatment without insurance can cost thousands of dollars even for relatively minor issues. Comprehensive travel insurance with medical coverage is essential, not a nice-to-have.

Is it easy to travel between US cities without flying?

It depends where. Amtrak's Northeast Corridor between Boston, New York and Washington DC runs frequently and reliably, but outside that corridor and a few other lines, rail coverage is limited. For most other city-to-city travel, domestic flights or a rental car are more practical than trying to rely on trains.

Do I need to book national park entry in advance?

For a handful of the busiest parks, sometimes. Some use timed-entry reservations or ticketed access for their most popular entrances, roads or viewpoints in peak season, and which parks do so changes from year to year — check each park's current requirements before finalising an itinerary, since visiting without a needed reservation can mean being turned away.

Do laws vary a lot between US states?

Yes, significantly. Speed limits, alcohol regulations, cannabis legality, gun laws and sales tax rates all differ by state, so it's worth checking the specific rules for each state on a multi-state road trip rather than assuming consistency. The legal drinking age of 21 is the one rule that applies nationwide.

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This overview comes from Visaja's worldwide missions database (visaja.com), checked against official government sources; for binding answers, the mission itself always has the final word.