All travel requires preparation, and a trip to the United States is no exception. The American authorities are renowned for taking their country’s internal security to heart, and will make no exception. Here’s a list of the travel documents you’ll need for a trip to the USA: passport, travel authorization (visa or ESTA<\/a>), ticket, etc. <\/p>\n\n The first requirement for any trip to \nabroad is the passport, which is, of course, one of the \nessential travel documents. With the exception of stays within \nthe Schengen area for European citizens, where the passport is not \nmandatory, but recommended. <\/p>\n\n For a stay in the USA or transit on American soil, \nyou must now present an electronic or biometric passport.\n To differentiate between passport types, you can refer to\n the cover: the electronic passport, like the \nbiometric passport, has the secure symbol (circle in a rectangle), which \noptical reader passports do not have. The biometric passport also has \nthe word “passport” underlined just above the symbol. The \nissue dates are also a differentiating factor: \nelectronic passports were put into circulation from April \n2006, while biometric passports were issued from June 2009. <\/p>\n\n The information stored on the\n electronic chip in the e-passport includes full name, date of birth,\n nationality and passport number. The\n biometric passport chip stores the same information, plus a digitized photo and \nfingerprints. <\/p>\n\n Passports are no longer required to have at least six months of validity remaining after the date of entry into the U.S., but must be valid for the duration of the stay. The passport must also contain a sufficient number of pages for stamping on entry and exit. <\/p>\n\n All foreign nationals are required to have \na travel authorization before traveling to the United States.<\/p>\n\n Because of its electronic format, we might be tempted \nto forget one of the travel documents required for departure to \nthe USA: the ESTA. This would be a serious mistake, as \nthe absence of an ESTA is a valid reason for refusing access to the plane or \nto the ship. <\/p>\n\n The ESTA travel authorization allows you to travel to the USA for a short period of up to 90 days without a visa. It is reserved for nationals of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program<\/a> set up by the US government. <\/p>\n\n Please note that nationals of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Sudan \nare not eligible for ESTA, even if their dual nationality \nis one of those accepted by the program.<\/p>\n\n The ESTA only covers temporary stays of up to 90 days, whether for tourism or business travel by air or sea. Stays by land do not require ESTA authorization, but are not exempt from formalities<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n Transit to the USA is also subject to\n this authorization. However, it is not necessary to make a \nESTA application for every stay in the USA or stopover, as the ESTA has a \nvalidity of two years (or until passport expiry if \nexpiry is earlier). In the event of a new passport or a \nchange in passport details, a new ESTA application must be made \n. <\/p>\n\n The ESTA application is made online, in the form of a form to be filled in. The ESTA form is available on the U.S. government website. To fill in the form online<\/a>, you need to enter the applicant’s personal data and travel details. Please ensure that all information is entered correctly, otherwise your request for authorization may be refused. <\/p>\n\n The form is completed by a series of closed questions \n(possible answers: yes or no only) concerning the applicant’s \nmental and physical health, legal background, \nregard for the law, etc. The final question concerns any \nstay in Iraq, Iran, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Somalia and Sudan since \nMarch 01, 2011. Such a stay is considered an obstacle\n to obtaining ESTA. <\/p>\n\n The online application will be validated once the ESTA payment has been made. The response may be immediate or given within 72 hours. <\/p>\n\n Unlike the ESTA, the visa is affixed to one of the pages of the \npassport, making these documents (visa and passport) essential \ntravel documents.<\/p>\n\n The visa procedure is more time-consuming, as \nan appointment with a consular officer is required, which means \ngoing to the U.S. embassy.<\/p>\n\n There’s a visa for every type of stay. There are two types of visa: immigrant visas (green cards for permanent residents, for example) and non-immigrant visas(tourist visas<\/a>, for example). These two visa families<\/a> give rise to a number of possibilities: a visa to study in the USA is not the same as a visa to work there, for example. <\/p>\n\n The visa application must be completed before visiting \nthe U.S. Embassy. All applications must include the \nDS-160 form, proof of payment of the visa fee and at least one photo \n. The supporting documents required depend on \nthe type of visa requested. <\/p>\n\n For long-term stays, it may be a good idea to take out travel or private insurance in the U.S. to cover any medical expenses on site. Some visas also require proof of sufficient financial resources or family ties, etc. <\/p>\n\n Several travel documents may be requested by the \nimmigration officer at the port of entry. The list depends on the type of stay. <\/p>\n\n The blue card, form 6059B, issued by\n during the flight or crossing, will be required. For travelers \nwithout ESTA, the green form, I94W, will also be required. <\/p>\n\n For short stays covered by the ESTA, the \nagent may ask to see the return or onward ticket; the \nexit must take place no later than 90 days after \narrival.<\/p>\n\n You do not need to print out your ESTA electronic travel authorization \n. It can be viewed electronically at \n. <\/p>\n\n In addition to the travel documents, the immigration officer will undoubtedly \nask a few questions about the stay, and take a photo and \nfingerprints.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What US travel documents do I need to present? All travel requires preparation, and a trip to the United States is no exception. The American authorities are renowned for taking their country’s internal security to heart, and will make no exception. Here’s a list of the travel documents you’ll need for a trip to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1145","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nList of travel documents<\/h2>\n\n
Passport<\/h3>\n\n
Travel authorization<\/h3>\n\n
ESTA<\/h4>\n\n
U.S. visa<\/h4>\n\n
Passage through U.S. Customs<\/h2>\n\n