Essential information

Caribbean visa regulations

Visa Waiver Programme (VWP)

The VWP allows most British Citizen passport holders to visit the US for up to 90 days. The types of journey allowed under the VWP include tourism, certain types of business visit and transit to another country.
You won’t qualify for entry to the USA under the VWP, and will need to apply for a visa from the nearest US Embassy or Consulate, if:

• you have a British passport that describes your nationality as something other than ‘British Citizen’
• your passport has been extended by 12 months under exceptional measures put in place in mid 2014;
• your passport doesn’t include certain security features
• you’ve been arrested for certain crimes, even if it didn’t result in a criminal conviction
• you’re a dual national of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria
• you’ve travelled to Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria since March 2011
  Certain exemptions apply on a case-by-case basis to those who have travelled to Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria. For more information about these exemptions, see the website of the US Embassy.

Additionally, from 1 April 2016, all travellers wishing to enter the US under the VWP will need to hold a passport with an integrated chip (an ePassport). British passports issued since October 2006 are e-Passports and carry this internationally recognised symbol on the front cover.

If you’re in any doubt about whether you qualify for the VWP, or if you’re concerned that an existing ESTA may have been cancelled due to the new rules, you should contact the nearest US Embassy or Consulate.

Nationalities affected:

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