What visas are required to transit through the USA?
Transit Visa USA type C
Regardless of the reason you wish to travel to the United States, you will need to obtain official authorization beforehand. Whether it is in the form of an ESTA document for short stays (90 days maximum) or a visa for a long stay (more than 6 months), it is mandatory or you will be refused entry or even be charged with illegal immigration. As the list of available visas is particularly long, this article will focus on visas for transit through the United States.
What visas are required to transit through the USA?
Visas are classified alphanumerically, which means that they are assigned a letter according to their category and a number according to their sub-category. When transiting through the United States, one will be interested in category C. It is thus classified into 5 sub-categories :
* Visa C1 is for air or sea passengers ;
* Visa C1D is for air or sea crew members ;
* C2 Visa is exclusively for personnel working for United Nations Headquarters;
* C3 Visa is for senior officials in transit;
* Visa C4 is for transit passengers under the ATP (pilot training) program.
As with any official authorization, a file must be prepared with supporting documents:
1 Your valid passport;
2 A completed DS-160 form;
3 A recent passport photo;
4 A photocopy of your bank statement to prove that your income is sufficient to travel;
5 Your airline tickets to demonstrate your need to transit through the United States.
If you are traveling as a family, you will need to apply for a C-1 visa for each adult and child. Once the visa is granted, you will then be allowed to transit the United States for up to 29 days. You can then leave the airport and visit the surrounding area or go shopping if your connecting flight leaves a few days later.
What is the alternative to a visa for transit through the USA?
In recent years, the ESTA travel authorization has become increasingly popular. In fact, ESTA is ideal for transit purposes.
The main reasons for its success are
1 Its simplicity: an ESTA application can be made entirely online. No need to make an appointment at the embassy or consulate. You can obtain your authorization from the comfort of your home, simply by using your valid passport.
2 Its low cost: this authorization is up to 10 times cheaper than a visa, the application fee is only 14 dollars minimum.
3 Its speed: obtaining an ESTA is generally instantaneous, but will only take a maximum of 72 hours.
Rather than applying for a C-1 visa that will take several weeks, make your life easier by obtaining an ESTA in minutes, especially if you only have to make a stopover of a few hours at a U.S. airport.