{"id":36018,"date":"2008-03-26T16:35:41","date_gmt":"2008-03-26T21:35:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-legal\/uncategorized\/the-visa-waiver-pilot-program.html"},"modified":"2008-03-26T16:35:41","modified_gmt":"2008-03-26T21:35:41","slug":"the-visa-waiver-pilot-program","status":"publish","type":"corporate","link":"https:\/\/corporate.findlaw.com\/law-library\/the-visa-waiver-pilot-program.html","title":{"rendered":"The Visa Waiver Pilot Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline\">\n    <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-content\">\n                    <p><em>This article was edited and reviewed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team.html\" rel=\"noopener\">FindLaw Attorney Writers<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n                | Last reviewed\n        <time>\n                            May 09, 2026\n                    <\/time>\n    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-legally-reviewed\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Legally Reviewed\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team.html\" rel=\"noopener\">FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/company-history\/editorial-policy.html\" rel=\"noopener\">our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n\n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-fast-checked\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Fact-Checked\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/contributing-authors.html\" rel=\"noopener\">contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/?fli=bylinelink\" rel=\"noopener\">contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"rxbodyfield\" xmlns:o=\"urn:www.microsoft.com\/office\" xmlns:st1=\"urn:www.microsoft.com\/smarttags\" xmlns:w=\"urn:www.microsoft.com\/word\" xmlns:x=\"urn:www.microsoft.com\/excel\">The Visa Waiver Pilot Program (VWPP) enables citizens of participating countries to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business for 90 days or less without obtaining a U.S. visa. The VWPP is authorized through April 30, 2000. The Visa Waiver Pilot Program is administered by the Attorney General in consultation with the Secretary of State.<p>Currently there are 26 participating countries in the VWPP, including: Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom.<\/p><p>The criteria for inclusion in the VWPP are a 3 % or less rate of refusals of visitor visa applications over the previous fiscal year, reciprocal treatment of American nationals, a program for issuance of machine-readable passports, and a determination by the U.S. Attorney General that a country&#39;s inclusion would not damage U.S. law enforcement interests.<\/p><p>To qualify, travelers from participating countries must:<\/p><p>&#8211; Have a valid passport issued by the participating country and be a citizen (not only a resident) of that country;<\/p><p>&#8212; Be seeking entry for 90 days or less as a temporary visitor;<\/p><p>&#8212; If entering by air or sea, have a round-trip transportation ticket issued on a carrier that has signed an agreement with the U.S. government to participate in the waiver program, and arrive in the United States aboard such a carrier.<\/p><p>&#8212; Have proof of financial solvency and hold a completed and signed visa waiver arrival\/departure form (I-94W), on which he\/she has waived the right to a hearing of exclusion or deportation. These forms will be available from participating carriers, from travel agents, and at land-border ports-of-entry. (Travelers should consult carriers before departure to verify which ones are participating.)<\/p><p>Entry at a land border crossing point from Canada or Mexico is permitted under the VWPP. Travelers who apply for entry at a land border crossing point are not required to present round-trip transportation tickets or arrive at the border entry point aboard a carrier who has signed an agreement with the U.S. to participate in the VWPP. All other VWPP requirements apply to such travelers.<\/p><p>Visitors applying for entry under this program are allowed to remain 90 days (no extensions granted) and cannot change their status. Consistent with regulations pertaining to B1\/B2 temporary visitor visas, travelers coming under the VWPP cannot work or study.<\/p><p>Certain travelers still need to apply for a visa, such as those who plan to work or study, stay more than 90 days, or who might otherwise be ineligible for a visa. Travelers previously denied visas, or who have criminal records, or who believe they may be ineligible for a visa, should contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate before attempting to travel on the VWPP.<\/p><p>4\/98<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Visa Waiver Pilot Program (VWPP) enables citizens of participating countries to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business for 90 days or less without obtaining a U.S. visa. The VWPP is authorized through April 30, 2000. The Visa Waiver Pilot &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stopmodifiedupdate":true,"_modified_date":"","_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false},"corporate_categories":[6510,6497],"class_list":["post-36018","corporate","type-corporate","status-publish","hentry","corporate_categories-law-library__immigration-law","corporate_categories-law-library"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/corporate.findlaw.com\/legal-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/corporate\/36018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/corporate.findlaw.com\/legal-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/corporate"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/corporate.findlaw.com\/legal-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/corporate"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/corporate.findlaw.com\/legal-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"corporate_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corporate.findlaw.com\/legal-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/corporate_categories?post=36018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}