Visa Waiver Program

Citizens from any of the 35 visa waivier countries may travel in the United States for up to 90 days without requiring a visa provided that they have a machine readable passport. To view an example of a machine readable passport please click here.

As of January 12, 2009, a valid ESTA approval is required for all Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to travel to the United States. The Department of Homeland Security, Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is a free, automated system used to determine the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the VWP.  It collects the same information as the paper I-94W form that VWP travelers fill out en route to the United States.  ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel.  An ESTA authorization generally will be valid for up to two years. Authorizations will be valid for multiple entries into the United States.  DHS recommends that travelers submit an ESTA application as soon as they begin making travel plans. All eligible travelers who wish to travel under the Visa Waiver Program must apply for authorization under the following official website: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov . There are no fees associated with this process. If you are asked to pay a fee then the site is fraudulent.

If you are still asked to complete the I-94 form, the bottom portion affixed to your passport must be returned to the either: a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official or an air/sea/land transportation representative when leaving the United States. If you have returned back to Bermuda and still have the  I-94W in your passport, you may turn it into the either the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials at the airport or to the U.S. Consulate. At the Consulate please present yourself in person at the Guard Building Monday - Friday from 9:30 -3:30 p.m. (except for holidays) with the document still intact in your passport. The guards will then remove it and ask you to sign the back. Failure to hand in the I-94W may delay your entry into the U.S. in the future.

Currently, 35 countries participate in the Visa Waiver Program, as shown below:

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

* Please note, travelers from these countries must travel on a passport with an integrated chip (e-passport) to be eligibile for VWP travel.

For more information about the visa waiver program please go to: Visa Waiver Program.