Do I need a visa?

All foreign nationals entering the United States must generally obtain a nonimmigrant visa for temporary stay or an immigrant visa for permanent residence unless they qualify for travel under the Visa Waiver Program.

• Vietnamese Citizens
• Countries participating to the Visa Waiver Program
• Citizens of other nationalities
• Persons ineligible to receive a visa

Vietnamese Citizens

Whatever the purpose of your travel, you need a visa to travel to or through the USA. Consult the Visa Types section to find which visa you need to apply for.

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Countries participating to the Visa Waiver Program

Vietnam does NOT participate to this program.

There are 36 countries authorized to participate in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

If you are traveling:

• for Business or Tourism for less than 90 days,
• on a electronic passport issued by a VWP country,
• and you hold a round trip ticket,

You are then eligible to travel to the United States under the VWP

Prior to travel, on-line registration with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is mandatory for VWP qualifying passport holders. Approval of travel by ESTA is valid only for travelers with passports that meet the U.S. biometric standards for travel under the Visa Waiver Program. 

You can register with ESTA on-line and find more information, including if your passport meets the requirements.

Note: If you do not travel for business or tourism, or if you travel for more than 90 days, you need a visa to enter the USA. Consult the Visa Types section to find which visa you need to apply for.

List of VWP participating countries:

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom

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Citizens of other nationalities

Whatever the purpose of your travel, you need a visa to travel to the USA. Consult the Visa Types section to find which visa you need to apply for.

Classes of Aliens Ineligible to Receive a Visa

According to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), some persons are ineligible to receive a US visa. To find out more about ineligibilities and ineligibility’s waiver, you can consult the official website travel.state.gov

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