Do UK travellers need a visa for the USA?
For a holiday or a business trip: no. The UK is part of the United States' Visa Waiver Program (VWP), so a British citizen can travel to the US for tourism or business for up to 90 days without a visa. What you need instead is an ESTA — an Electronic System for Travel Authorization, applied for online before you fly. The concept will feel familiar: it is the mirror image of the UK's own Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) that visitors to Britain now need — a quick, passport-linked permission rather than a full visa.
The point to get straight from the outset is that an ESTA is not a visa. It is lighter, cheaper and faster — usually approved within minutes, valid for two years, good for as many trips as you like in that window. But it is not optional: without an approved ESTA the airline won't let you board at Heathrow, Gatwick or Manchester. And it doesn't cover everything. The moment your trip involves working, studying for credit, or staying beyond 90 days, you are into visa territory.
This guide covers the ESTA end to end — how to apply, what it costs, how long it lasts — then the cases where a British traveller needs a proper visa instead, who is shut out of the visa-free route altogether, the transatlantic journey, and when in the year to go. If you'd rather start with the destination, jump to the United States overview and come back once the entry side is settled.
The ESTA, in plain terms
An approved ESTA lets a UK traveller visit the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days per trip, without a visa. That covers holidays, visiting family, conferences, meetings and short professional visits. It is generally valid for two years, or until your passport expires — whichever comes first — and within that period you can enter as many times as you like, each stay capped at 90 days. It is quick to get: most applications are approved within minutes, though by rule you should allow up to 72 hours.
Two things it is not. First, it is not a guarantee of entry — a US border officer makes the final call on arrival, exactly as Border Force does at UK airports. Second, it is not for living, working or studying: the Visa Waiver Program is for visits. You cannot take up paid work, enrol in a course for academic credit, or settle in the US on an ESTA, and you cannot extend a 90-day stay or switch to another status once you are inside the country.
One detail that catches people out: the 90-day clock isn't only spent on US soil. Time you spend in Canada, Mexico or the adjacent islands during the same trip counts towards the 90 days if you entered under the Visa Waiver Program — so a quick hop across the border and back doesn't reset it. The I-94 record created on entry is your official proof of how long you were admitted for. For most British travellers away for a couple of weeks, none of this bites — the ESTA is the whole story.
- 1Check your passport — one per traveller: You need a valid ePassport (every UK passport issued for well over a decade is one — the chip symbol is on the cover), valid across your travel dates; the ESTA's validity is capped by your passport's expiry. ESTA is tied to the person, not the ticket: every traveller needs their own ePassport and their own ESTA — including babies and children, so plan on one application each.
- 2Apply online, when you book — not at the airport: Complete the application on the official US government ESTA system: passport and personal details, contact and trip information, and a short set of eligibility questions; you can lodge the whole family in one sitting. Check the details carefully — a typo in a passport number or name is the most common cause of trouble at the gate. A visa service partner can handle the form and review your details before submission for a moderate service fee on top of the government charge.
- 3Pay the fee: The ESTA fee is currently about US$40 per person — charged in US dollars, so your card converts it to pounds at the day's rate (roughly £31, depending on the exchange rate). It rose from US$21 on 30 September 2025, and the exact figure appears at the official portal's checkout.
- 4Apply in good time: The US authorities recommend applying at least 72 hours before departure — better still, when you book your flights. Most approvals arrive within minutes, but some are held for review and can take up to 72 hours. Don't leave it to the night before.
- 5Understand the validity: An approved ESTA lasts two years or until your passport expires, and covers unlimited entries in that time, each up to 90 days. If your passport is renewed or expires, you'll need a new ESTA.
- Staying longer than 90 days, or extending: The 90-day limit can't be stretched, and you can't change status from inside the US. For a longer stay, apply for a B-2 visitor visa, which a consular officer can issue for a longer admission.
- Working — H, L and O visas: Any paid or productive work for a US employer needs a work visa (H-1B for skilled roles, L-1 for intra-company transfers, O-1 for extraordinary ability). Business visits under the VWP — meetings, trade fairs, negotiations — are fine; performing the actual job on US soil is not.
- Studying for credit — F and M visas: A degree or credit-bearing course at a US institution needs a student visa (F for academic, M for vocational). A short language course with no credit can sit within the VWP — once credit or a qualification is involved, it goes through the consulate.
- Exchange — J; media — I: Au pairs, internships, research stays and visiting lectureships run on the J-1 exchange visa with prior programme approval. And journalists, or anyone travelling for broadcast, film or other media in a professional capacity, need an I visa — even for short stays and even freelance; it's one of the most common unintentional VWP breaches.
Who can't use ESTA — even on a UK passport
Beyond the purpose of the trip, a second reason can close the visa-free route — and it applies even to a British citizen with a flawless ePassport. Anyone who has been in North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen on or after 1 March 2011 — or in Cuba on or after 12 January 2021 — is shut out of the Visa Waiver Program and must apply for a regular B-1/B-2 visitor visa. It catches out more people than you'd expect: aid workers, journalists, engineers, and travellers who added one of these countries to a bigger itinerary.
The second trigger is dual nationality. Holding, alongside your British passport, the nationality of Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria rules out ESTA — regardless of which passport you travel on.
And the rule always follows the passport, not the postcode: it is the passport you travel on that decides your route, not where you live. Someone with UK Indefinite Leave to Remain who travels on a passport that isn't in the Visa Waiver Program applies for a visitor visa, however long they've lived in Britain. Falling under any of these rules isn't a travel ban — it simply means the visa route: a B-1/B-2 application through the US Embassy in London (or the consulates in Belfast and Edinburgh), with the online DS-160 form, an appointment and an interview. Leave generous time — interview slots can be weeks out.
The transatlantic journey, and the transit trap
The UK–US corridor is the busiest long-haul market in the world, so choice is rarely the problem. From London Heathrow and Gatwick — and from Manchester, Edinburgh and other regional airports — British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, United, American, Delta, JetBlue and low-cost Norse Atlantic fly nonstop to New York, Boston, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Orlando and beyond. Flight times run from around seven hours to the East Coast to eleven to the West Coast.
One thing that catches British travellers out: the US has no international transit zone. Even if you're only connecting through a US airport on the way somewhere else — the Caribbean, Canada, Central or South America — you still need an ESTA (or a visa) to clear US immigration and re-check your bags. There's no staying airside. Sort the ESTA even for a mere layover.
When to go
The US is vast and its climates vary enormously, so the best time depends on the region. Summer (June to August) — overlapping the UK school holidays — is peak season for the great national parks of the West (the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone): long days, everything open, but crowds and top prices. Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) are the sweet spot for the cities and the classic touring routes: mild weather, thinner crowds, better fares.
Winter (December to February) has its own appeal: Florida and southern California in the warmth, skiing in the Rockies, and a cold, festive New York over the holidays — but the north-east and midwest are properly cold, so pack for it. Match your dates to the region rather than the other way round.
- New York and the north-east: The classic first US trip and one of the shortest hops from the UK, with Boston and Washington within reach. City portrait and arrival on New York, the region on New York State.
- California and the West Coast: Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Pacific Coast Highway and the gateway to the Southwest's national parks. Start with Los Angeles and the wider state of California.
- Florida and the south: Orlando's theme parks, Miami and the Keys — warm year-round and a firm favourite for family holidays. Begin from Miami and the state of Florida.
- Washington, D.C. and the National Parks: The capital's free Smithsonian museums and monuments, and the Western landscapes — the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone — many Britons cross the Atlantic specifically to see. More on Washington, D.C.
Not for a holiday or business trip of up to 90 days. The UK is in the Visa Waiver Program, so you apply online for an ESTA instead of a visa. A real visa is needed for work, study for credit, media work, immigration or a stay beyond 90 days — or if you fall under the VWP exclusions (certain travel since 2011, Cuba since 2021, or a second nationality of Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria).
They're the same idea in opposite directions. The UK's Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is what visitors to Britain now need; the US ESTA is what UK travellers need for the States. Both are quick, online, passport-linked permissions rather than full visas — but they are separate schemes run by different governments, so a UK ETA has nothing to do with your US trip and vice versa.
About US$40 per person at present, charged in US dollars — so roughly £31 depending on the exchange rate. It rose from US$21 on 30 September 2025, and the exact amount appears at the official portal's checkout. A visa service partner may add a moderate service fee for handling and checking the application.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection — Official ESTA Application
The official US government system to apply for and check an ESTA under the Visa Waiver Program.
U.S. Department of State — Visa Waiver Program
The official overview of the programme: member countries, the eligibility exclusions and the 90-day rules.
U.S. Embassy & Consulates in the United Kingdom — Visas
The place for all regular US visas (B, F, J, H and more): the DS-160 form, appointments, interviews and the posts in London, Belfast and Edinburgh.
GOV.UK — Foreign travel advice: USA
The FCDO's official travel advice for the United States: entry requirements, safety and local laws. Check shortly before you travel.
Not sure whether an ESTA covers your trip, or want the application checked and lodged in a few minutes? Get a quick eligibility check and guided support.
Apply for your USA ESTA