Passport Requirements
You need a valid passport to enter the USA. Unlike most countries, the US does NOT require 6 months of validity beyond your trip — your passport only needs to be valid for the duration of your stay. However, many airlines enforce a 6-month rule anyway (to cover themselves), so to avoid issues at check-in, renew if you have less than 6 months.
Your passport must be machine-readable. Every passport issued in the last 15 years is, so this is rarely an issue.
🇺🇸 Special rules: Citizens of Canada, Mexico and Bermuda can sometimes enter with alternative documents (enhanced driver license, NEXUS card, SENTRI). All other travelers need a passport.
Visa or ESTA
You need either a visa or an ESTA. Which one depends on your passport:
- Visa Waiver Program countries (40+ including UK, EU, Japan, South Korea, Australia, NZ): use ESTA — $21, online, valid 2 years
- All other countries: apply for a B1/B2 visa at a US embassy — $185, requires interview
- Canadians: no visa needed for most tourism/business visits
- Transit passengers: you still need ESTA or a C-1 transit visa even if you do not leave the airport
Biometrics
All visitors (except Canadians and children under 14) have their fingerprints and photo taken at the airport. This happens at the CBP inspection booth and takes 30 seconds. Your data is stored in the IDENT database and compared with watch lists. There is no way to opt out.
CBP Inspection
The most important part of your entry: the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer interview. This happens at the airport. Key facts:
- The CBP officer — not your visa or ESTA — makes the final decision to admit you
- They can deny you entry even with a valid visa
- The conversation typically lasts 1-3 minutes
- Answer briefly, directly and honestly
- Do not joke about security, drugs or bombs — ever
- Have your return/onward ticket and hotel address ready to show if asked
Common questions: "Why are you visiting?" "How long are you staying?" "Where will you stay?" "Have you been here before?" "What do you do for a living?" Answer briefly. Do not volunteer extra information.
⚠️ Phone searches: CBP officers legally can inspect your phone, laptop and social media without a warrant at the border. They rarely do, but it is legal. Sensitive business travelers sometimes travel with wiped devices.
Customs Declaration
Since 2023, most US airports use digital/verbal declarations instead of paper forms. At Global Entry or standard kiosks, you answer declaration questions on-screen. You must declare:
- Cash or equivalents over $10,000 USD
- Commercial merchandise (items for sale)
- Gifts worth more than $100
- Agricultural items — fruit, meat, seeds, plants
- Alcohol over 1 liter (duty-free allowance)
- More than 200 cigarettes or 100 cigars
- Medications — especially controlled substances
Banned & Restricted Items
These are banned — do not bring them:
- Fresh meat, poultry, eggs, dairy — even vacuum-sealed
- Fresh fruit and vegetables — including in luggage
- Seeds, soil, plants (including herbs and spices with roots)
- Ivory, tortoiseshell, animal products
- Cuban cigars (legalized 2016, re-banned 2020)
- Absinthe over 10mg/kg thujone
- Cannabis products — even from states/countries where legal
- Kinder Surprise eggs (yes, really — choking hazard laws)
📦 Honest mistakes: If you accidentally have something forbidden (an apple from your flight, for instance), declare it. CBP will dispose of it without penalty. Not declaring it and getting caught = $500+ fine.
Global Entry
Global Entry is a $100 program that gets you through US customs in under 5 minutes at major airports. You skip the regular line, use a kiosk, and are usually out of baggage claim in 15 minutes total. It is available to citizens of 14 countries including UK, Germany, India, South Korea, Singapore, Colombia and Switzerland. If you visit the US more than once every 2 years, it pays for itself instantly. Apply at ttp.cbp.dhs.gov.
What Can Go Wrong
- Sent to secondary inspection: Do not panic. Often random. Takes 20-90 minutes. Be polite, answer honestly.
- Entry denied: CBP can refuse entry. You will be sent back on the next flight at your expense.
- 5-year ban: Lying, overstaying a previous visit or bringing banned items can trigger a 5-year re-entry ban.
- Expedited removal: If CBP thinks you intend to work/immigrate illegally, you can be banned for 5 years and permanently ineligible for the VWP.
The good news: if you are honestly visiting for tourism or business, have your documents in order, and answer briefly and respectfully, entry is fast and routine.
Passport Requirements
You need a valid passport to enter the USA. Unlike most countries, the US does NOT require 6 months of validity beyond your trip — your passport only needs to be valid for the duration of your stay. However, many airlines enforce a 6-month rule anyway (to cover themselves), so to avoid issues at check-in, renew if you have less than 6 months.
Your passport must be machine-readable. Every passport issued in the last 15 years is, so this is rarely an issue.
🇺🇸 Special rules: Citizens of Canada, Mexico and Bermuda can sometimes enter with alternative documents (enhanced driver license, NEXUS card, SENTRI). All other travelers need a passport.
Visa or ESTA
You need either a visa or an ESTA. Which one depends on your passport:
- Visa Waiver Program countries (40+ including UK, EU, Japan, South Korea, Australia, NZ): use ESTA — $21, online, valid 2 years
- All other countries: apply for a B1/B2 visa at a US embassy — $185, requires interview
- Canadians: no visa needed for most tourism/business visits
- Transit passengers: you still need ESTA or a C-1 transit visa even if you do not leave the airport
Biometrics
All visitors (except Canadians and children under 14) have their fingerprints and photo taken at the airport. This happens at the CBP inspection booth and takes 30 seconds. Your data is stored in the IDENT database and compared with watch lists. There is no way to opt out.
CBP Inspection
The most important part of your entry: the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer interview. This happens at the airport. Key facts:
- The CBP officer — not your visa or ESTA — makes the final decision to admit you
- They can deny you entry even with a valid visa
- The conversation typically lasts 1-3 minutes
- Answer briefly, directly and honestly
- Do not joke about security, drugs or bombs — ever
- Have your return/onward ticket and hotel address ready to show if asked
Common questions: "Why are you visiting?" "How long are you staying?" "Where will you stay?" "Have you been here before?" "What do you do for a living?" Answer briefly. Do not volunteer extra information.
⚠️ Phone searches: CBP officers legally can inspect your phone, laptop and social media without a warrant at the border. They rarely do, but it is legal. Sensitive business travelers sometimes travel with wiped devices.
Customs Declaration
Since 2023, most US airports use digital/verbal declarations instead of paper forms. At Global Entry or standard kiosks, you answer declaration questions on-screen. You must declare:
- Cash or equivalents over $10,000 USD
- Commercial merchandise (items for sale)
- Gifts worth more than $100
- Agricultural items — fruit, meat, seeds, plants
- Alcohol over 1 liter (duty-free allowance)
- More than 200 cigarettes or 100 cigars
- Medications — especially controlled substances
Banned & Restricted Items
These are banned — do not bring them:
- Fresh meat, poultry, eggs, dairy — even vacuum-sealed
- Fresh fruit and vegetables — including in luggage
- Seeds, soil, plants (including herbs and spices with roots)
- Ivory, tortoiseshell, animal products
- Cuban cigars (legalized 2016, re-banned 2020)
- Absinthe over 10mg/kg thujone
- Cannabis products — even from states/countries where legal
- Kinder Surprise eggs (yes, really — choking hazard laws)
📦 Honest mistakes: If you accidentally have something forbidden (an apple from your flight, for instance), declare it. CBP will dispose of it without penalty. Not declaring it and getting caught = $500+ fine.
Global Entry
Global Entry is a $100 program that gets you through US customs in under 5 minutes at major airports. You skip the regular line, use a kiosk, and are usually out of baggage claim in 15 minutes total. It is available to citizens of 14 countries including UK, Germany, India, South Korea, Singapore, Colombia and Switzerland. If you visit the US more than once every 2 years, it pays for itself instantly. Apply at ttp.cbp.dhs.gov.
What Can Go Wrong
- Sent to secondary inspection: Do not panic. Often random. Takes 20-90 minutes. Be polite, answer honestly.
- Entry denied: CBP can refuse entry. You will be sent back on the next flight at your expense.
- 5-year ban: Lying, overstaying a previous visit or bringing banned items can trigger a 5-year re-entry ban.
- Expedited removal: If CBP thinks you intend to work/immigrate illegally, you can be banned for 5 years and permanently ineligible for the VWP.
The good news: if you are honestly visiting for tourism or business, have your documents in order, and answer briefly and respectfully, entry is fast and routine.