Passport Requirements USA

Rhode Island has been blessed by the fact that there are no direct foreign flights that enter into its airports. The only strict compliance that has to be met is by small sailing vessels that find their way into port. In any case, the same passport restrictions apply as they would throughout the rest of the U.S. You should not try to enter the United States (U.S.) without first checking with U.S. authorities. Depending on your country of origin, visas may be required. Since March 2003, permanent residents of Canada must obtain a non-immigrant visa in order to enter the United States. You must also have a valid passport from your country of citizenship. However, this regulatory change did not affect Canadian permanent residents who are citizens of countries that have a visa waiver agreement with the United States.

If you are a citizen of a country with a visa waiver agreement, you don’t need a visa to enter the U.S. and U.S. citizens don’t need a visa to enter your country of citizenship. At this time, the U.S. has visa waiver agreements with these countries: Andorra, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

If you are not a resident of any of these countries then you will need to seek a visa from your local government before travel to the United States will be permitted. Since the terrorist attacks in America, the identity of all foreign travelers needs to be able to be verified. The U.S. has security programs at U.S. ports of entry (land, sea, and air). Most foreign visitors to the U.S., including those who are permanent residents of Canada, will have their fingerprints scanned by an inkless device and a digital photograph taken. Most Canadian citizens are exempt, but not all. Before planning your trip to Rhode Island make sure all of your passport and visa issues have been cleared. An attempt to illegally enter the United States can end in serious fines or even worse, jail time. Depending on the length of your stay, and the nature of your business, obtaining a visa should not be difficult. Plan months in ahead before you even begin to plan your trip to Rhode Island. Visa and passport issues can very quickly ruin any vacation plans you may have had.