Japanese citizens may travel to the United States for business or pleasure without a visa provided they have a valid passport, a return or onward ticket, and will stay for no more than 90 days. Tourists and business people who take advantage of this program may not extend their stay in the United States beyond 90 days and may not change their visa status.
Travelers may also use the waiver to make their initial entry into the United States from Canada or Mexico by land. In such cases, upon entering at a land border port of entry you may be required to present proof of financial solvency and a residence abroad to which you intend to return. There is no list of specific documents which must be presented.
The waiver program has been extended to include nationals of the following countries: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Citizens of Korea may not use the waiver, and must, therefore, obtain visas.
Persons in transiting through the United States to another country may also use the Visa Waiver Program. To enter the U.S. on this Visa Waiver Program, travelers from participating countries must:
- The traveler is a citizen of one of the countries named above, traveling on an unexpired passport. Passport holders from Andorra, Belgium, Brunei, Liechtenstein and Slovenia must be in possession of individual machine readable passports in order to travel visa free. For citizens of the other 22 visa free countries, including Japan, this requirement has been postponed until October 26, 2004. (More information)
- Traveling for business, pleasure or transit only;
- Staying in the United States for 90 days or less;
Plus, if entering the United States by air or sea is,
- Holding a return or onward ticket. If traveling on an electronic ticket, a
copy of the itinerary must be carried for presentation to the immigration inspector. Note: Travelers with onward tickets terminating in Mexico, Canada, Bermuda or the Caribbean Islands must be legal permanent residents of these areas;
- Entering the United States aboard an air or sea carrier that has agreed to participate in the program. This includes aircraft of a U.S. corporation that has entered into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to carry passengers under the Visa Waiver Program. Note: other private or official aircraft or vessels do not meet this requirement; and
- In possession of a completed form I-94W, obtainable from airline and shipping companies;
Or, if entering the United States by land from Canada or Mexico,
- Is in possession of a completed form I-94W, issued by the immigration authorities at the port of entry, and a $6.00 fee, payable only in U.S. dollars.
Important: Some travelers may not be eligible to enter the United States visa free under the VWP. These include people who have been arrested, even if the arrest did not result in a criminal conviction, those with criminal records (even if subject of a pardon, amnesty, or other act of clemency) , certain serious communicable illnesses, those who have been refused admission into, or have been deported from, the United States, or have previously overstayed on the visa waiver program. Such travelers must apply for a visa. If they attempt to travel without a visa, they may be refused entry into the United States.
Note: Travelers with minor traffic offenses which did not result in an arrest and/or conviction for the offense may travel visa free, provided they are otherwise qualified. If the traffic offense occurred while you were in the United States, and you have an outstanding fine against you or your did not attend your court hearing, it is possible there may be a warrant out for your arrest, and you will experience problems when applying for admission into the U.S. Therefore you should resolve the issue before traveling by contacting the court where you were to appear. If you do not know the address of the court then information is available from the Internet at: www.refdesk.com.
Passport Validity: If traveling under the Visa Waiver Program, the passport must be valid for at least 90 days from the date on which the holder enters the United States. If not, the holder will be admitted until the expiration date on the passport. Note: Passport holders from Andorra, Brunei, and San Marino must be in possession of a passport valid for at least six months from the date of departure from the United States, even if traveling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program.
Refused a Visa: Travelers who have been refused a visa under the provisions of Section 221(g) or 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act are not prohibited from traveling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program. However, it likely that they will be questioned by an officer of the Department of Homeland Security at the U. S. port of entry regarding the refusal by the Embassy or Consulate.
The traveler should carry with him or her evidence of his or her intention to depart the United States at the end of the visit. This is generally satisfied by furnishing evidence of strong social and economic ties to the traveler痴 place of permanent residence. There is no set form that this should take as each person's circumstances differ.
If the immigration officer is not satisfied that the traveler meets the qualifications for nonimmigrant status, the traveler will be denied entry.
Transit under the Visa Waiver Program
Travelers who qualify for visa free travel under the Visa Waiver Program are eligible to transit the United States. Application for entry is made on the arrival/departure form I-94W provided by the airline or shipping company. If transiting the United States to a destination in Canada, Mexico or the adjacent islands, the traveler may re-enter the United States on the return journey using any mode of transport, as long as the total visit, including both periods of time spent in transit and in Canada, Mexico or the adjacent islands, does not exceed 90 days. If transiting to a destination outside of Canada, Mexico, or the adjacent islands, the return journey must be on a participating carrier, but need not be within 90 days, as the traveler will be required to make a new application for admission and therefore, required to complete a new arrival/departure form, I-94W. Travelers transiting the United States to take up residence in Mexico, Canada, Bermuda or the Caribbean Islands must be legal permanent residents of these areas.
Important reminder: Visa-free travel does not include those who plan to study, work or remain more than 90 days. Such travelers need visas. If an immigration officer believes that a visa-free traveler is going to study, work or stay longer than 90 days, the officer will refuse to admit the traveler.
In addition to the Visa Waiver Program, there is a separate visa waiver program for Guam. Travelers from Guam Visa Waiver Program countries may enter Guam for business or pleasure and remain for up to 15 days. Citizens of some countries, including Republic of Korea, may travel to Guam without a visa using the Guam Waiver Program.
They must hold a valid passport and have a round trip or onward ticket. No extension of stay, adjustment of status, or onward travel to another destination in the United States is permitted. Travel must also be aboard a signatory airline or ship.
Persons who are traveling to the United States or Guam for reasons other than business or pleasure exceeding 90 days (15 days for Guam) will need a visa. Also persons who may be ineligible to participate in the waiver program because of certain medical problems, criminal convictions, narcotic addiction or prior deportation from the United States will continue to need visas.
Citizens of the VWP countries can travel to Guam under the visa Waiver Program.
Important Notices