Do i need a visa to enter the USA if i am travelling to Canada via a Us airport?
I am from Ireland am travelling to Canada. Do i need some sort of visa or other document to enter a US airport if i am only taking a connecting flight there? I have a Canadian 12 month visa and have booked a return flight also. I have been told that i need a sort of visa by friends but theyre fairly unreliable!
Thanks
Comments
The United States have suspended their "Transit Without Visa" program after 9/11. Anybody who needs a visa to travel to the United States also needs one to transit through a U.S. airport.
http://canada.usembassy.gov/visas/information-for-... ..
Irish nationals are exempt from the visa requirements and can make use the Visa Waiver Program to transit via the United States. To do so you must apply for an online authorization (ESTA) on the website of the U.S: Department of Homeland Security. The apllication involves a service fee of US$14.00 to be paid by credit card [MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and Discover (JCB, Diners Club)]. Payments can also be made with a debit card that holds the MasterCard or VISA symbol. In the address column just enter "In transit to Canada". The ESTA is valid for two years or until your passport expires whichever occurs first.
https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/WebHelp/ESTA_Screen-... ..
https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/esta.html ..