Timeline for Do I need a US visa to transit (or layover) through an American airport?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
14 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jan 19, 2018 at 14:49 | comment | added | Erkin Alp Güney | Visa at arrival means you are not eligible for some customs exemptions, though. They can turn you over for anything. It is very different from e-visa. Always choose e-visa if you have choice between prior e-visa and visa at arrival. | |
| Jan 7, 2015 at 19:51 | comment | added | CGCampbell | @Relaxed I was just re-reading this question/answer/comments and.... the problem is people don't mind that their government is welcoming tourists and trying to make money... people mind that all of the other countries are ..... | |
| Dec 20, 2013 at 11:25 | comment | added | Relaxed | @jwenting You did not understand the “question”, really. My point is that a visa is nothing else than what the local law says it is, period. Historically speaking, all this (citizenship, making entry difficult, etc.) is quite new anyway and I don't see why people should mind that their government is welcoming tourists and trying to make some money in the process. | |
| Dec 20, 2013 at 6:13 | comment | added | jwenting | @Annoyed traditionally it's a travel permit applied for in advance, presumably granted only after the person has been investigated for anything that would be problematic for denying entry. I agree that over time in many countries it's been watered down to little more than a formality and a means to make some hard currency income from foreigners, the on-arrivals things like Indonesia and Turkey have are the ultimate in those, effectively turning the visa process into little more than a ticket booth at an amusement park. Wonder how the local population would react to it being called that. | |
| Dec 18, 2013 at 13:33 | comment | added | Relaxed | @jwenting What's a visa beyond what local law defines as a visa? | |
| Jan 21, 2012 at 18:44 | comment | added | Doc | Technically the ESTA is NOT a Visa. It's an automated check for people from people counties to determine if they will be admitted without a visa. Whilst this might sound like semantics, there's one significant difference - if you are denied a Visa then you basically have zero recourse, you will not be allowed into the US, and have to declare the fact that your visa application was rejected on all future attempts to obtain a US visa. If you are denied an ESTA then it means that you have to go through the usual Visa application process, but you are not (automatically) denied entry to the US. | |
| Jan 18, 2012 at 13:23 | comment | added | jwenting | and it's little different from places like Turkey or Indonesia where you have to buy what's essentially an entrance fee on passing through customs, which grants you a visa as well. | |
| Jan 18, 2012 at 13:13 | comment | added | Grzenio | I agree with @jwenting 100%. Australians also have a similar procedure to apply for a visa on the Internet, they just use the proper name for it. | |
| Jan 18, 2012 at 7:05 | comment | added | jwenting | ESTA is a visa, never mind what DHS says about it. The only difference is the application process and the price. | |
| Jan 16, 2012 at 16:51 | comment | added | Peter Hahndorf | Yes it does, when you arrive by any plane in the US, you always have to go through US immigration, even if you are just on transit to another country. If you can't do ESTA, you may need a proper visa. Please change your question to include your nationality. | |
| Jan 16, 2012 at 16:32 | comment | added | Grzenio | Sadly I am not from a country that is part of the US visa waiver program. So you are saying that unlike in Europe, changing to a connecting flight requires passing through US immigration? | |
| Jan 16, 2012 at 16:11 | comment | added | Ankur Banerjee | The accepted answer on this question may also be of interest. | |
| Jan 16, 2012 at 15:52 | history | edited | g . | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
clarify wording
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| Jan 16, 2012 at 15:49 | history | answered | Peter Hahndorf | CC BY-SA 3.0 |