{"id":895,"date":"2025-09-13T11:57:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T11:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esta-officiel-usa.com\/what-are-the-different-transit-visas-for-the-usa\/"},"modified":"2025-09-13T11:57:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T11:57:14","slug":"what-are-the-different-transit-visas-for-the-usa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.esta-officiel-usa.com\/en\/what-are-the-different-transit-visas-for-the-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the different transit visas for the USA?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is a visa required for transit to the USA?<\/h1>\n\n<p>Whether you&#8217;re settling in, traveling to the USA or simply in transit, a travel authorization is required to land on American soil. However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esta-officiel-usa.com\/en\/\">ESTA<\/a> or visa: what type of authorization is required for transit to the USA? Find out in this article!  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transit visa for the USA<\/h2>\n\n<p>All foreign nationals traveling in transit to \nUSA are required to obtain a visa, just as for \ntravel to the USA. If you wish to take advantage of your transit to \nstay in the USA, you will need to obtain a\n B visa. On the other hand, if you wish to obtain a visa simply for your\n transit (stopover in San Francisco on your way to New Zealand \nfor example), you will need to apply for a C visa. This \ntransit visa is classified into 5 categories: <\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>C1 visa for air and sea passengers.<\/li><li>C1D visa for air or sea crew.<\/li><li>C2 visa reserved for United Nations personnel.<\/li><li>C3 visa reserved for senior officials in transit.<\/li><li>C4 visa reserved for passengers in transit under the ATP program (pilot training).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n<p>If you wish to obtain a transit visa, you must apply to the US embassy (or consulate \ng\u00e9n\u00e9ral) at \n. You will then need to put together a file. This file \nmust include the following supporting documents:  <\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>the completed DS-160 form<\/li><li>a valid biometric or electronic passport<\/li><li>a passport-size photo taken within the last 6 months (5 cm x 5 cm maximum)<\/li><li>your return plane tickets (proving that you are in transit to the USA)<\/li><li>a receipt for payment of the non-immigrant visa application fee, in the amount of $160 paid in local currency.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n<p>You will be asked to bring all these documents with you to \nyour appointment at the U.S. Embassy. This is \nlocated in Paris. Make sure you put together your file carefully, as \nit will be decisive for the issuance of your transit visa. \nConsular officers will check every document carefully. \nOf course, if you are applying for a visa for each \nmember of your family, you will need to compile a file for each of them.  <\/p>\n\n<p>Important: if you try to lie or present false \ndocuments, you may be permanently ineligible to obtain a \nvisa.<br\/> <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An alternative to transit visas: ESTA<\/h2>\n\n<p>Depending on your profile, you may or may not be required to obtain a visa.<\/p>\n\n<p>to land in the USA. In fact, there is a visa waiver program, also known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esta-officiel-usa.com\/fr\/a-propos-du-visa-waiver-program\/\">Visa Waiver Program<\/a> (VWP). The VWP is designed to facilitate travel to the U.S. from a selection of countries.  <br\/> <br\/>  The ESTA was created as part of this program. It is an official travel authorization for a short stay of up to 90 days in the USA (transit, tourist trip, business trip). <br\/> <br\/>  Nationals of countries participating in this program are not required to apply for a transit visa to travel to the USA, but must apply for an ESTA. Here is the list of countries covered by the program: <\/p>\n\n<p>\nAndorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, \nCzech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, \nHungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Latvia, \nLiechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Norway, \nNew Zealand, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Taiwan.<\/p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esta-officiel-usa.com\/fr\/lautorisation-esta\/\">ESTA authorization<\/a> is much less restrictive than a visa. It costs just $14 and is easily obtained by filling in an online form. You can apply for ESTA on the U.S. government website.  <\/p>\n\n<p>Watch out! The ESTA form must be completed with care. Although it&#8217;s not a visa, the American authorities are uncompromising, and the slightest error on the form could cost you your ESTA. <\/p>\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re stressed about filling in the form, you can also turn to a private service. They will provide you with personalized assistance in filling in the form, and can correct any errors before submitting it to the American authorities. <\/p>\n\n<p>Advice to travelers: to apply for an ESTA, you must hold a valid electronic or biometric passport, just as you would for a transit visa. If you have an old-generation passport (optical passport), you will not be able to travel to the USA. In this case, you will need to apply for a new passport at your local town hall.  <\/p>\n\n<p>If, unfortunately, you do not meet all the criteria for ESTA authorization, or if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esta-officiel-usa.com\/fr\/quels-motifs-menent-a-un-refus-de-lesta\/\">your ESTA authorization has been denied<\/a>, you will need to apply for a transit visa at the American embassy or consulate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is a visa required for transit to the USA? Whether you&#8217;re settling in, traveling to the USA or simply in transit, a travel authorization is required to land on American soil. However, ESTA or visa: what type of authorization is required for transit to the USA? Find out in this article! Transit visa for the [&hellip;]<\/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-895","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What are the different transit visas for the USA?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is a visa required for transit to the USA? Our experts explain it all in this article. 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