Travel restrictions from the UK to the US are lifting in November, which means your Christmas holiday is back on! But do you need a visa to visit the Us? You’ve always dreamed of taking the kids to Disney World for Christmas, or maybe you wanted to visit one of the many snowy cities during this time. Regardless, it’s an idea you’ve had in your mind for some time, so the lifting of restrictions will come as great news for you.
From a coronavirus standpoint, as long as you’re fully vaccinated and can provide evidence of a negative test before travelling, you are good to go. But, what about the more general travel requirements, particularly in the visa department. Will your family need to get visas to travel? If so, is there enough time to apply?!
No Visa Needed For UK Residents
Thankfully, you don’t need a visa to travel across the US. This is because the US Government has implemented something called the ESTA visa waiver system. You can discover more about this online, but the gist is that you register for the ESTA, and you can travel without a visa. That’s pretty much all there is to it, and all UK residents are able to apply. It’s a quick process, and there is a lot less to worry about than there is with a visa.
So, don’t start panicking and looking for online visa applications – you won’t need to. Just find a service that lets you apply for the ESTA online, and you’ll be good to go.
Don’t Forget Your Passports
Ironically, more UK travellers get caught out by this than they do with visas. While you don’t need a visa to get into the US, you will definitely need a passport. Yes, a proper and valid passport is the only form of travel documentation they will accept at the border. Don’t assume you can use an ID card or UK travel documents; they will not let you in.
As such, make sure your entire family has a valid UK passport – including any newborn babies. The US doesn’t discriminate when it comes to this rule; literally, everyone needs a passport, regardless of age. It should also be valid until the end of your stay, and you need it to be an electronic passport as well. Luckily, in the UK, all of our new passports are e-passports, so that shouldn’t be something to worry about. Hopefully, you won’t need to apply for a new passport just to get an electronic one!
So, there you go; you do not need a visa to travel to the USA in 2021. When the coronavirus restrictions are lifted, you can start planning your trip and getting everything in order. Apply for that visa waiver program to ensure you can enter the country legally. Then, check everyone’s passports to be sure they are in date and electronic. Once these two things are in order, you’ve pretty much got the main admin done before your trip. Now, it’s time to plan the fun stuff; where will you go, what will you do, where will you stay?!
