Visa Requirements for US Passport
Explore the visa requirements for all countries in the world with information from the US State Department
Visa Requirements for United States Citizens
U.S. Travel Consulting offers a variety of visa services for US nationals to make it easier for them to travel abroad. Services including tourist visas, business visas, and student visas allow citizens to visit friends and family in other countries, study abroad or work for a few weeks in another country without the hassle of applying for a visa first.
The US passport has been designated the 8th most powerful in terms of travel freedom. This ranking applies to a total of 180 countries and territories that are available for anyone with a US passport.
Visa requirements for US citizens vary depending on the country they are visiting, how long they will stay in the territory and what the purpose of the visit is.
All countries in the world that provide visa waivers for American citizens will provide visitors from the US with a 30 or 90 day period, without obtaining a visa or travel document.
However, for those who are staying for longer periods of time or other reasons than tourism, a US visa is necessary in order to travel to these same countries.
It is not necessary to obtain a visa from America for short stays by visa-exempt countries, but it may be necessary to register for an electronic travel authorization in order to access certain parts of the continent.
For US citizens planning to visit any country not on the United States visa list for Passport holders, it is necessary to have a visa for the embassy. This may be either a consular visa to the country you’re traveling to, a visa on arrival, or an electronic visa through an online application.
List of Visa Countries for US Passport Holders in 2023
It is often necessary to get a visa before entering certain countries, but US travelers can visit a number of places without a visa. This is because they hold an American passport.
The US is one of the most difficult countries for their own citizens to visit because in order for an American citizen to travel abroad, they have to have a visa.
It is currently necessary for US citizens to obtain a visa in order to travel to around 80 countries across the world that are not part of the Schengen Agreement.
This means that even if their flight may be short or they are visiting family and staying for just a few days, they still need to apply and pay for a visa before they can travel.
For visiting certain countries, travelers need to acquire a visa. There are different types of visas but they all depend on the reason for your trip. For example, if you’re going on holiday you’ll need a tourist visa, and if you’re moving for work you’ll need a work visa.
Obtaining a visa for travel to these 40 countries requires different steps depending on where you apply. Some countries only issue visas through embassy or consulate, while others offer an online application process.
For a lot of countries that US citizens need a visa for, there is an option for them to get visa on arrival. This means that Americans don’t have to do any paperwork upfront and can just fly into the country and collect their documents as they go.
The eVisa or eTA option for entry into ensures that travelers can bypass the wait to be given a visitor’s permit at border checkpoints.
Electronic Travel Visa Authorization for US Citizens
The Electronic Travel Visa Authorization system allows citizens of the United States to save time and apply for an eVisa in order to travel with more freedom, meaning that you can now enter countries without applying for a travel document in person.
Some countries that are visa-free for US citizens require advance pre-registration before arrival to identify potential security risks. though other countries that require US citizens to get a visa in person have implemented an online application we provide on this page.
US eVisas are typically for one or multiple entries for travelers, with a maximum of ninety days.
Most valid for multiples of years, so there is no need to request a travel visa electronically from the USA before each trip.
The Electronic Travel Authorization, or eTA, is a new electronic travel visa authorization process for American citizens. It will be sent to them by email and they can also save a copy to their phone or print it to show as soon as they enter.
An eVisa and eTA can be obtained for business, tourism, and transit purposes if you are a US citizen. You can contact the embassy or consulate of the country you want to visit for more information or to see if your eVisa applies.
Some eVisa and eTA applications are approved within 1 business day.
If you want to visit the territory for other purposes or stay there for a longer period of time, it would be necessary to obtain the corresponding visa.
Here are the main destinations Americans can visit by applying for an Electronic Travel Visa Authorization:
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Visa on Arrival With American Passport
A visa on arrival is a type of authorization to enter a country as you arrive at the border. Holders of US passports can get one when they arrive in their destination country.
American travelers to countries who offer a ‘visa on arrival’ should go directly to the border check checkpoint upon arrival. It’s necessary to wait in a queue until an immigration officer provides you with an application to complete on arrival.
Visa on arrival programs allow tourists to obtain a visa at the border of a country. The traveler has to wait in a long queue until an immigration officer provides them with a visa. These procedures can take hours to complete and travelers should be aware of this before embarking on their journey.
For many places, an American tourist will not be able to use a credit card for their visa on arrival fee and will instead have to pay in cash.
United States citizens can travel to certain countries on a visa-on-arrival and the stay is usually 30-90 days with one business visit.
A number of countries will allow Americans to get visa on arrival. It’s much easier this way and you won’t have to wait in those lines!
You can visit the following countries with a US visa on arrival:
Visa on Arrival With American Passport | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | Mauritania | Tuvalu |
| Burkina Faso | Mozambique | United Arab Emirates |
| Comoros | Paraguay | Zambia |
| Gabon | Samoa | Zimbabwe |
| Gambia | Solomon Islands | Maldives |
| Guinea-Bissau | Somalia | Tonga |
| Lebanon | Timor-Leste | |
Embassy or Consular Visa Required for USA Passport Holders
An embassy visa is a type of travel authorization that needs to be obtained before you leave the USA. These are issued by an Embassy or Consulate in the destination country and should be applied for in advance.
If a US citizen wants to apply for a visa at an embassy of the destination, they normally need to make an appointment (e.g. in New York city) at the nearest diplomatic office of that country.
A US passport holder may receive an embassy visa for a variety of stay durations and either as a single or multiple entry travel document, depending on the type of travel they’re heading to.
Foreign nationals who want to apply for a paper visa need to bring the appropriate paperwork to the embassy appointment. This includes a completed visa application form, as well as any other supporting documentation depending on your type of visa.
The consular official will then inform you about whether or not your visa has been granted.
Obtaining a embassy visa is not easy. There are many factors that need to be considered when applying for an embassy visa, including destination, duration of stay, and type of visa. In many cases, it can take up to 2 weeks or more for the Embassy to process an application and issue a visa.
When planning a trip to a country, it is important to know which visas are required. The type of visa that you need depends on the type of trip you are taking, your country of origin, and the destination country.
Americans can go to a lot of places on the map. You’ll need to apply for an embassy visa to visit any of them, though:
Embassy or Consular Visa Required: Country list | ||
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Curacao | Russian Federation |
| Aland Islands | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Saint Barthelemy |
| Algeria | Eritrea | Saint Helena |
| American Samoa | Falkland Islands | Saint Martin |
| Anguilla | Faroe Islands | Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
| Antarctica | French Guiana | Seychelles |
| Aruba | French Polynesia | Sint Maarten |
| Bhutan | Ghana | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands |
| Bolivia | Gibraltar | Sudan |
| Bonaire | Greenland | Suriname |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | Guadeloupe | Svalbard and Jan Mayen |
| British Virgin Islands | Guam | Syrian Arab Republic |
| Burundi | Guernsey | Tokelau |
| Cameroon | Iraq | Turkmenistan |
| Cayman Islands | Isle of Man | Turks and Caicos Islands |
| Chad | Liberia | Venezuela |
| China | Libya | Wallis and Futuna |
| Christmas Island | Mali | Yemen |
| Cocos Islands | Martinique | New Caledonia |
| Congo | Mayotte | Niger |
| Cook Islands | Montserrat | Niue |
| Cuba | Nauru | Norfolk Island |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Reunion | North Korea |
| Pitcairn Islands | ||
Visa Not Required for US Passport
Americans don’t need an visa when they visit other countries for a short stay.
Citizens of the US can get visa-free entry to different countries for durations between 15 days and 1 year, depending on the country they are visiting.
As of now, citizens of the US don’t need a visa to visit any European country that’s signed the Schengen Agreement.
Visa Not Required for US Passport | ||
|---|---|---|
| Albania | Czech Republic | Hungary |
| Andorra | Denmark | Iceland |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Dominica | Indonesia |
| Argentina | Dominican Republic | Ireland |
| Armenia | Ecuador | Israel |
| Austria | El Salvador | Italy |
| Barbados | Equatorial Guinea | Jamaica |
| Belarus | Estonia | Japan |
| Belgium | Federated States of Micronesia | Kazakhstan |
| Belize | Fiji | Kiribati |
| Bermuda | Finland | Kyrgyzstan |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | France | Latvia |
| Botswana | Georgia | Lesotho |
| Brazil | Germany | Liechtenstein |
| Brunei Darussalam | Greece | Lithuania |
| Bulgaria | Grenada | Luxembourg |
| Canada | Guatemala | Macau |
| Central African Republic | Guyana | Macedonia |
| Chile | Haiti | Malaysia |
| Colombia | Honduras | Malta |
| Costa Rica | Hong Kong | Marshall Islands |
| Croatia | Nauru | Mauritius |
| Croatia | Reunion | North Korea |
| Moldova | Poland | Switzerland |
| Monaco | Portugal | Taiwan |
| Montenegro | Puerto Rico | Thailand |
| Morocco | Republic of Cyprus | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Namibia | Romania | Tunisia |
| Netherlands | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Ukraine |
| Nicaragua | Saint Lucia | United Kingdom |
| Norway | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | United States Virgin Islands |
| Palau | San Marino | Uruguay |
| Palestinian Territory | Senegal | Vanuatu |
| Panama | Serbia | Vatican City |
| Peru | Slovakia | South Africa |
| Philippines | Slovenia | Spain |
| Swaziland | Sweden | |