Embassy of the United States Spain

Who needs a Visa?

You need a visa if you are planning to visit the United States for temporary work, as a student, an exchange visit, religious work, art, and a member of a crew or are representing some form of media communication. Travelers of the majority of countries need a visa as well for tourism and business. Spanish or Andorran travelers that are looking to travel to the United States for either tourism or business during a period that does not exceed 90 days do not need a visa and qualify under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), present a roundtrip ticket or to a third noncontiguous country.  For more information about the Visa Waiver Program, visit the State Department page.

All of the persons that are traveling to the United States must have a machine readable passport or a valid visa. Although, the passports that were issued after October 26, 2005 need to have a digital photo in order to meet the conditions of the Visa Waiver Program. The new Spanish passport format meets all of these conditions. Citizens of the countries that are included under the Visa Waiver Program and have doubts regarding their passports can consult this website.

More information on the Visa Waiver Program

Information for those applying for a visa that are not Spanish:

• Regardless of your nationality, you can apply for your visa in Spain. During your interview with an officer you need to justify your economic or social ties to Spain.