Going to the U.S. without a visa

Denmark participates in the Visa Waiver Program

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables citizens of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for 90 days or less without obtaining a U.S. visa.

Effective January 12th. 2009, all individuals traveling on the VWP will be required to obtain an Electronic System Travel Authorization (ESTA) prior to traveling to the United States.  For more information please visit our ESTA page.

The thirty-six participating countries are:

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, San Marino, Singapore, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Certain travelers still need to apply for a visa, such as those who have previously overstayed in the U.S. Travelers previously denied visas, or who have criminal records, or who believe they may be ineligible for a visa, should apply for a visa before traveling to the United States. For information on how to apply for a visa, forms, and to schedule an appointment for a visa interview, please visit the following link on our "how to apply" section:

Visas are required for business travelers and tourists who wish to stay in the U.S. more than 90 days, airline crew members, crew members of commercial, private or maritime vessels, students, exchange visitors, temporary workers and intra-company transferees, treaty traders, religious workers, performers and artists, and journalists/media representatives.

If you are unsure if you should apply for a visa or if you just need to fill out an ESTA and travel under the Visa Waiver Program, please see our Visa or ESTA? page. 

Passport Requirements:

All VWP travelers, regardless of age or type of passport used, must present a machine-readable passport.  Please refer to the information below for more specific information about various VWP participating countries.

Nationals of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Republic of Korea, and the Slovak Republic must present a passport containing an integrated chip containing the biographic information from the passport data page (e-Passport)

Nationals of all other VWP countries:

For a machine readable passport issued or renewed/extended before October 26, 2005, no additional requirements.

For a machine readable passport issued or renewed/extended between October 26, 2005 and October 25, 2006, the passport must have a digital photograph printed on the biographic data page or include an integrated chip containing the biographic information from the passport data page (e-Passport). Note that Danish passports are compliant.

For a machine-readable passport issued or renewed/extended after October 26, 2006, the passport must include an integrated chip containing the biographic information from the passport data page. (e-Passport)

Notice: Effective July 1, 2009 all Visa Waiver Program (VWP) emergency or temporary passports must be electronic passports (e-Passports) to be eligible for travel to the United States without a visa under the VWP. This includes VWP applicants who present emergency or temporary passports to transit the United States.

For more information on passports and passport requirements for the Visa Waiver Program, please visit the Department of State’s main web site.

To qualify, travelers from participating countries must:

1. Have received an authorization to travel through ESTA;
2. Have a valid machine-readable passport issued by the participating country and be a citizen - not just a resident - of that country;
3. Be seeking entry for 90 days or less as a temporary visitor;
4. If entering by air or sea, have a round-trip or through transportation ticket issued by a carrier (e.g., airline or shipping company) that has signed a VWP agreement with the U.S. government, and is arriving in the U.S. aboard such a carrier;
5. Have proof of financial solvency.
6. The traveler may not have overstayed a previous visit to the United States.
7. Travelers who have a criminal record must apply for a visa.
8. Travelers who previously have been denied a visa to the U.S. do not qualify to travel under the Visa Waiver Program.

Entry at a land border crossing point from Canada or Mexico is permitted under the VWP. 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 that has signed an agreement with the U.S. to participate in the VWP. However, all other VWP requirements do apply to such travelers.

Visitors applying for entry under this program are allowed to remain 90 days; no extensions are granted, and travelers may not change their status. Travel to contiguous countries (Canada, Mexico, or Caribbean countries) is permitted during the 90 days, but travelers will not be granted an additional 90 days after re-entry. Consistent with regulations governing B1/B2 temporary visitor visas, travelers arriving under the VWP may not work or study in the United States.